Te Kaunihera o Pōneke Wellington City Council voted today to put forward a submission strongly opposing and urging the withdrawal of the Treaty Principles Bill, saying it is divisive and undermines Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Voting 15-3, the Council passed Mayor Tory Whanau's motion to oppose the bill because of deep concerns that it will jeopardise social cohesion and weaken Māori rights.

"The bill threatens to shake the founding document of Aotearoa, dividing us rather than uniting us," Mayor Whanau says.

"It is the latest in a series of hostile policy actions targeting Māori by the coalition government. Apart from potentially undermining our founding document that enriches our country, the bill can disrupt Council processes to which Te Tiriti and its principles have effectively been woven."

The Council has a Tākai Here partnership with three iwi groups - Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira, Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o te Ika/Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust, and Te Rūnanganui o Te Āti Awa ki te Upoko o Te Ika a Māui. As part of the partnership agreement, the Council committed for mana whenua and Māori to meaningfully participate in, contribute, and inform Council decisions.

The Treaty Principles Bill seeks to reinterpret New Zealand's 184-year-old founding document, Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Treaty of Waitangi).

Mayor Whanau says the introduction of the bill has undermined Te Tiriti and has meant that Māori in Pōneke (and beyond) have had to rally to stop their rights from being undermined and trampled on.

“We are standing staunchly alongside tangata whenua in the region, as well as many Wellingtonians who came out in force against the bill at the recent historic hikoi.”

"The widespread criticism of this bill is a clear repudiation of its goal – to foster division," says Kura Moeahu, Chair of Te Āti Awa ki te Upoko o te Ika.

"What the bill proposes will hinder our progress towards building a more diverse, equitable and inclusive society," says Kara Puketapu, Chief Executive of Taranaki Whānui/Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust.

Callum Katene, Chair of Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira, says the bill risks damaging the Council’s partnership with iwi. “The Council’s partnership with mana whenua is built on Te Tiriti. This bill can potentially harm that foundation by undermining the principles of Te Tiriti.”

The Council's submission, endorsed by its Tākai Here partners and Pouiwi, will be submitted to Parliament on 7 January 2025.

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