E tū, New Zealand's largest private sector union, welcomes the overwhelming defeat of the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill in Parliament yesterday. The bill, which sought to redefine the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, was rejected by 112 votes to 11.

E tū President Muriel Tunoho expressed immense pride in the union's active opposition to the bill:

"I am extremely proud that E tū took a stand and made submissions to oppose the Treaty of Waitangi Principles Bill too. Thank you all for playing your part in this incredible fightback.

"It was right to finally see the bill consigned to the past and into the bin. The results show that this is not us.

"We don't need to rewrite or re-define the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. We just have to live them!"

E tū National Secretary Rachel Mackintosh highlighted the bill's potential to undermine the foundational agreement between Māori and the Crown:

"This bill sought to fundamentally alter the meaning of Te Tiriti o Waitangi by selectively and incorrectly interpreting the reo Māori text. It tried to undermine the separation of powers under the rule of law by using the power of Parliament to change Aotearoa New Zealand's constitutional foundation, all based on a legal and historical fiction.

"This bill has done damage. It has given airtime to false and racist ideas.

"It also galvanised hundreds of thousands of people to stand up – toitū Te Tiriti. More than 90% of the submissions on the bill called for it to be abandoned. E tū and thousands of our members were among the voices in those submissions. The submissions stood up for the truth of Te Tiriti as the foundation on which we can build a society where tāngata whenua and tau iwi take care of each other.

"Now that Parliament has voted it down, we can start to repair the damage and to build an Aotearoa where we honour Te Tiriti and respect each other."

E tū remains committed to upholding the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and advocating for a just and inclusive society.

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