Treaty Principles Bill passes first reading after House suspended for haka, ‘appalling’ disruption

Minister says Māori Party will not support the bill if its concerns about water rights aren’t addressed

He Puapua accused of being blueprint for Maori takeover

A Bill designed to establish Treaty of Waitangi Principles as a guiding principle for the Government has passed its first reading in Parliament.

However, the Maori Party abstained from the vote, saying it would not support the bill if its concerns about water rights weren’t addressed.

The Treaty Principles Bill would require the Government to give effect to the principles of the Treaty in all of its decisions and actions.

The bill was introduced by Labour MP Kiritapu Allan and is supported by the Green Party.

However, the National Party and ACT voted against the bill, saying it was unnecessary and could lead to confusion about the Treaty.

The ACT party also said that the bill was a backdoor way to introduce the He Puapua report in parliament, which had been labelled a blueprint for Maori takeover.

During the debate on the bill, the House was suspended for 10 minutes after a group of Maori protesters performed a haka in the public gallery.

Speaker Trevor Mallard said the disruption was “appalling” and that he would not tolerate such behaviour in the future.

The bill will now go to a select committee for further consideration.