Government Powhiri Address
David Seymour, Leader ACT New Zealand
Wednesday 5th February, 2025

E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e rau Rangatira.

Two years ago here, I set out my party’s three goals for the Treaty.

Tuatahi, ki a maimoatia te reo me te ahurea Māori

(one, to cherish the Māori language and culture)

Tuarua, ki a whakatika ngā hapa o mua.

(two, to put right the wrongs of the past)

Tuatouru, ki a ōrite ai te āhei atu o ngā Tamariki katoa ki a puāwaitia.

(three, to give every child an equal chance to flourish)

Since then I’ve held to these goals and promises. Some who heard my words here and understood them have tried to pretend they didn’t.

Instead they’ve poured poison in the ears of young people. They’ve said that I want to take away their mana, their reo, and their culture.

Some of the poison goes so far it’s actually funny. Rawiri Waititi even wrote in the newspaper that I want to take away people’s outdoor hobbies.

What is the point of these claims. It cannot be seeking the truth, because the things they say are not true.

Perhaps blaming me is a convenient distraction from other failures.

The numbers don’t lie.

Māori home ownership. Māori school attendance. Māori crime victimization. Māori unemployment. Māori incomes. Māori life expectancy.

None of it is good news, and none of it’s getting better because people think the Treaty is a partnership.

If this is what a Treaty partnership looks like, how is it working out for Māori?

What is good news is we now have a Government with practical solutions to these problems, and the ACT Party is proud to play its part.

New resource management laws and building laws will make it easier for the next generation to build a place of their own in this country.

Charter schools, and curriculums and assessments with rich content will provide young New Zealanders with useful maps for navigating the twenty first century.

We’ve got the values right on crime. Now the Government stands beside the victims, who are disproportionately Māori.

We know there’s no mana in dependency, it’s a trap, and traps Māori the most. That’s why the Government is bringing back mutual obligation in welfare.

Getting off welfare means jobs in a growing economy. I’m proud to lead the charge against the red tape that crushes the wairua of our economy.

The Government is funding more medicine than ever, by a lot. It’s setting ambitious targets to get health wait times down. The biggest health benefits will go to those with the biggest needs.

That is the mahi. Kia ōrite ai te āhei atu o ngā tamariki katoa ki a puāwaitia.

My critics need to explain why these problems can’t be solved under a treaty that granted equal rights.

They need to explain why divisive identity politics is necessary to solve these problems, especially when it’s going out of fashion around the world.

That’s my wero to you,

Ngā mihi.

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