Statement in opposition to the Treaty Principles Bill

Anglican Bishops of Wellington, Ngāti Toa Rangatira and the Parata whānau unequivocally oppose the Treaty Principles Bill currently before Parliament.

IN SOLIDARITY, WE MAKE THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS:

Engari kia huri mai te whakawā anō he wai, te tika anō he awa nui! Amoho 5:2

In 1877, the judgment of Wī Parata v Bishop of Wellington dismissed the Treaty of Waitangi as a “simple nullity.” As a church, we were silent.

That statement was wrong then and remains so now. It has always been rejected by tangata whenua. It has also been comprehensively rejected in policy and practice by Aotearoa's institutions of State for decades. Yet the Treaty Principles Bill has echoes of 1877.

As part of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa New Zealand, our forebears were the translators and propagators of the Treaty of Waitangi. For us, the Treaty is a sacred covenant. The Treaty Principles Bill misinterprets Te Tiriti o Waitangi, thereby undermining this sacred covenant and diminishing the mana of our forebears and all parties who signed it.

Most Reverend Justin Duckworth, Bishop of Wellington
Right Reverend Anashuya Fletcher, Assistant Bishop of Wellington

He kupu iti, hinga nui tangata

The proposed legislation compounds the injustice enacted in the 1877 Wī Parata v Bishop of Wellington judgment. The dismissal of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in this landmark case was a grievous error that disregarded the sovereignty guaranteed to Māori under Te Tiriti.

The Church has acknowledged its silence in the face of this historical wrong and today we stand united in rejecting the Treaty Principles Bill. This bill risks repeating the mistakes of the past, distorting historical truths and undermining the hard-won recognition of Māori rights.

We urge the government to reject this bill and instead to pursue legislative measures that reinforce the commitments made in 1840, ensuring justice and equity for Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Taku Parai on behalf of Ngāti Toa Rangatira

Whakarongo ki te tai e pāpaki ana

The Parata whānau stands resolute in the belief that justice and truth are fundamental and non-negotiable. Rooted in the legacy of our tūpuna, we carry a history bound to the injustice of 1877 when Te Tiriti o Waitangi was dismissed as a “simple nullity,” disregarding the mana of tangata whenua and the sacrosanct accord of Te Tiriti.

We, the Parata whānau, categorically reject the Treaty Principles Bill, which distorts the intent of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and ignores its binding commitment to our people.

Shane Parata on behalf of the Parata whānau

United in our commitment to upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi, we stand firmly against the Treaty Principles Bill and the ideology behind it.

*Translation of Amoho 5:24: But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! Amos 5:24