Waitangi Tribunal is back on the chopping block in these elections, with both ACT and NZ First planning to abolish it.
Te Reo expert and Academic, Hona Black, says people don’t need to be Sherlock to see how wrong the parties’ plans were.
“E hiahia nei a Aotearoa Tuatahi kia tukuna tērā mana ki Te Puni Kōkiri, engari, ko te mate kē o tērā, ko Te Puni Kōkiri tonu te Karauna.
“Ka tōia ki te kōti, ana, ko te kaiwhakā tonu te kuruki, ehara i te mea, me Sherlock Holmes rawa te tangata, e mōhio ai ia ki te hē o tērā.
“Ehara i te mea me whakaaro ake tatou, he kōrero kau noa ēnei, nā te mea, kua kite tatou i tō rātou hiahia ki te turaki, ki te ūkui i ngā āhuatanga o te tiriti, ngā ture. Ka mutu, ki ngā kōrero a Act, he nui rawa te tohetohe a te taraipunara ki ngā take o te wā,” he told Te Ao Māori News.
The Waitangi Tribunal was established in 1975 to investigate claims that Crown actions or policies were inconsistent with the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi.
At present, it can investigate both historical and contemporary claims and make recommendations to the Crown.
During the 2026 elections, NZ First has pledged to abolish the Waitangi Tribunal within the first 100 days and replace it with a Treaty of Waitangi Completion Commission. Its coalition partner, ACT Party, wants to complete the historical settlement processes and then “wind up” the Tribunal when the job is done.
Black warned Māori voters that ACT and NZ First policies aren’t empty promises.
“Ko te mate kē hoki, me kī, ko te whiore e whakaoreore ana i te kurī. Ko aua pāti he nui ō rāua mana ki ngā kaupapa kei mua i te kāwanatanga. Nō reira, me kaua te Māori e pōhēhē, kāre rātou e whakatinana i ērā taurangi, nā te mea ka mōhio tātou ka pērā. Nō reira, me āhua takarerewa, me kaha te Māori ki te puta ki te pōti, kia kore ai e puta ngā ihu.”
He said if the two parties went through with their plan,s there would be no avenue for Māori to challenge the breaches of the Treaty.
“Ki te whakamoea te rōpū whakamana kāre he ara takawaenga, e taea ai e te Māori te wero i ā rātou takahitanga i te tiriti.”
“Ki te whakakorea te kerēme, kāre he ara e rapua ai te tika mō te wāhi ki te Māori me ōnā mōtika. Nō reira, he raruraru nui tērā, kāre he tangata e noho ana hei tohutohu i nga hē a te karauna.
“Ko te tiriti ki tōna tikanga, koira te tūāpapa o ngā whakahere katoa i tēnei motu ki te kore tērā tūāpapa ka hinga te whare,” said Black.
He adds there is no justice if the government were to investigate itself for treaty breaches.
“Ko te upoko o Te Puni Kōkiri te minita mō ngā take Māori, ana, ko te karauna tērā. Nō reira, ka hoki ki tērā kōrero i mua rā, mehemea ko te kaitakahi i te ture te kaiwhakawā i tana takahitanga i te ture. Kāore he tika kei roto i tērā.”
