Treaty Principles Bill statement

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND

Media Statement

07 November 2024

The following quote is from Lisa Woods, Movement Building and Advocacy Director, Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand:

“Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand deeply opposes this Bill.

Honouring and upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi is foundational to upholding human rights in Aotearoa. This Bill breaches Te Tiriti, restricts Māori rights as tangata whenua and is contrary to our international obligations – it should never have been introduced.

Te Tiriti is foundational – it provides a place for us all to belong, for respectful relationships and a just foundation for how we can share decision making. This is a wonderful thing.

However, the Treaty Principles Bill undermines Te Tiriti and the human rights landscape of Aotearoa. It fails to uphold the tino rangatiratanga of Māori and is contrary to global human rights documents, such as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). It is appalling that we are seeing a Bill like this, and other policies attacking Te Tiriti, when we should be seeing Government strengthening Te Tiriti to the benefit of everyone.

Amnesty International urges all parties to vote against the Bill progressing and for it to be abandoned.

We believe in an Aotearoa underpinned by Te Tiriti, where all people can thrive.

We support a model for an inclusive constitution based on He Whakaputanga, Te Tiriti, Tikanga, Kawa and other indigenous human rights instruments put forward by Matike Mai o Aotearoa, the Independent Working Group on Constitutional Transformation.”