Submission on the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill

   Added a week ago

Submission on the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill

This submission was confirmed at a meeting of the Ōtorohanga District Council held on 10 December 2024.

1. Ōtorohanga District Council (ŌDC) is disappointed with the introduction of the Bill and concerned about the local impact of the Government’s decision to do so.
2. Local government is invariably (and naturally) seen as a part of ‘the government’. For this reason, ŌDC wishes to be on record to disassociate itself from the actions of the New Zealand Government on this matter.
3. The NZ Government, through the Prime Minister, has claimed to be an advocate for the wellbeing of all New Zealanders. This Bill does little to improve or promote wellbeing.
4. The Prime Minister is on the public record as stating the Bill is hugely divisive for New Zealand and for that reason it will not be supported further in the process. Given that statement, ŌDC submits that the Bill should not have been introduced. The decision to consent to the existence and introduction of this Bill through the Coalition Agreement appears to be an example of ‘power over principle’, where expediency has trumped the development of good policy and sound decision-making.
5. ŌDC has worked hard on developing, promoting and maintaining positive and productive relationships with our communities, particularly with Iwi/Māori. The introduction of this Bill and its likely impacts risks undermining local social cohesion and significantly setting back relationships across our communities.
6. Notwithstanding the stated position of the Prime Minister (that the Bill will not be supported further), the Bill presents fundamental challenges to ŌDC fulfilling its statutory purpose, decision-making obligations and operational responsibilities as they relate to Iwi/Māori. For example, councils are required to have regard to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Tiriti settlements across multiple areas/functions/responsibilities, and these requirements are woven throughout council planning, policy, decision-making and engagement processes and documents. If the Bill was passed into law, aside from the expected serious social cohesion and relationship impacts, incorporating/having regard to the provisions of the Bill would trigger major reworking of existing processes, policies and documents at considerable cost and likely at the detriment of the agreed priorities at that time. The imposition of such significant extra cost and the associated distraction will not be welcomed by our communities/ratepayers when resourcing is already seriously constrained.
7. ŌDC requests the Justice Select Committee support and advocate for the withdrawal of the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill.