“I welcome the Waitangi Tribunal’s contribution to the debate about the principles of the Treaty”, says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“We need a national conversation about our founding document. Are there are two classes of New Zealanders in partnership, each with different rights? Or are we a modern democracy where all citizens have equal rights? I look forward to having that discussion over the next several months.

“My fundamental question is this: where are the successful societies that treat people differently based on their ancestry? Many of the worst events in history came from treating humans based on their membership of a group.

“If the Treaty is a partnership between the Crown and only Māori, what is the place of a non-Māori child born today? Are they born into second class citizenship where some public positions are not available to them because they have the wrong ancestors?

“New Zealand can have a bright future, but it requires casting off the divisive notion that the Treaty is a partnership between two classes of New Zealanders each with different rights.

“It is not only untrue, it is incompatible with the fundamental democratic value that all citizens are equal under the law.

“Each of us is united by universal humanity. The same rights, the same dignities for every person. That is what has driven all the good movements in human history.

“My belief is that this is the only way forward for any society. Every time we say that people have different rights based on ancestry, we breed resentment. And more importantly, we create the idea that which group you're a member of is more important than your basic value as a human being.”

© Scoop Media