Iwi Rights Under Attack In Government Treaty Clause Purge
'Luxon's Government is doing what the Treaty Principles Bill failed to do. They are removing every legal reference to Te Tiriti across health, housing, conservation, and child wellbeing laws, clause by clause' said Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.
The Treaty clause review impacts 28 laws, including the Conservation Act, RMA, Oranga Tamariki Act, Climate Change Response Act, and the Pae Ora Act. Key protections for Māori health equity, kaitiakitanga, and tino rangatiratanga are being systematically erased.
'This is constitutional vandalism' said Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi. 'The Government is deleting our rights from legislation, with no consultation, no mandate, no Treaty partner process.'
Te Pāti Māori is calling on all iwi, hapori Māori, legal advocates, community defenders, whānau, and Tangata Tiriti to prepare a unified response.
'They may be erasing words from legislation, but we will not let them erase our rights,' concluded Ngarewa-Packer.
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