Former Māori Affairs Minister Dover Samuels says a Waitangi Tribunal summons to the Children’s Minister Karen Chhour is a breach of its constitutional position.
The High Court is considering arguments on whether Chhour needs to answer questions about the repeal of section 7aa of the Oranga Tamariki Act, which covers her department’s obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi.
Samuels, a former Labour Member of Parliament from 1996 to 2008, says the tribunal tried something similar on him when he was minister 20 years ago, but backed off when he asked for a legal opinion.
Samuels says Parliament is the highest court in the land, and the tribunal is not a court but a permanent commission of inquiry set up by Parliament.
