New Zealand Parliament Rejects Bill Seeking To Redefine Country’s Founding Treaty

New Zealand’s parliament on Thursday overwhelmingly rejected a controversial bill that sought to redefine the principles of the country’s founding Treaty of Waitangi, ending months of public unrest and igniting scenes of celebration in the chamber as lawmakers sang traditional Māori songs across party lines, CNN reported.

The Treaty Principles Bill was voted down 112 to 11 after advancing to the select committee stage despite widespread opposition.

The draft was introduced by ACT Party leader David Seymour, a junior partner in the right-wing governing coalition led by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. Though Luxon and his National Party never supported the legislation beyond the committee stage, they agreed to its introduction as part of a post-election coalition deal with ACT.

The bill proposed a fixed interpretation of the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi, which governs the relationship between the British Crown and Māori tribes. Although the English and Māori versions differ, the treaty guarantees Māori rights to land, resources, and cultural autonomy – rights that courts have progressively defined and expanded over decades.

Seymour, who is Māori himself, said the proposed legislation would establish equal rights for all New Zealanders and remove what he described as race-based privileges.

But critics across the political spectrum said it would erode legal protections for the Indigenous community and ignore the treaty’s historical context and evolving jurisprudence, the Associated Press noted.

Tens of thousands of people – mainly from the Māori community – have marched in protest across the country in recent months. New Zealand’s parliament also received more than 300,000 written submissions on the bill – a national record – with about 90 percent opposing it.

The opposition Labour leader and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins condemned it as a “grubby little bill, born of a grubby little deal.” Other lawmakers described it as “a right-wing obscenity masquerading as equality.”

Despite the setback, Seymour vowed to continue his efforts, with observers noting that other elements of the coalition agreement targeting the treaty’s presence in New Zealand law remain in effect.