Act Party leader David Seymour is against separate Māori governance structures. Photo / Paul Taylor
Act Party leader David Seymour is against separate Māori governance structures. Photo / Paul Taylor
Act Party leader David Seymour is sticking to his guns on the issue of a debate and referendum on the Treaty of Waitangi, as a non-negotiable condition for forming a government in coalition with Chris Luxon and the National Party.
Seymour sat down with Moana Maniapoto in an interview that aired on Whakaata Māori last night.
Recent polls show National most likely to form a government but that leader Chris Luxon couldn’t do so without Act and, potentially, Winston Peters.
Seymour argued what the Treaty means in the future should be up for public debate, and challenged the notion of tangata whenua and tangata Tiriti.
“[It] has never been properly debated in New Zealand at large. It’s certainly been debated within the Waitangi Tribunal, within the courts, but not by the public,” Seymour said.
While Seymour expressed support for Treaty settlements and Article Two rights, he made it clear Act opposes the idea of separate governance structures, such as a separate Māori health authority or dual governance in certain areas like science and water infrastructure.
“I think, at some point, you’re a human being born into this country with the same rights and duties as all others, with past wrongs put right and one 5,000,000th of the opportunity to go forward,” Seymour said.
Labour Māori campaign chairman Willie Jackson has called David Seymour "the most dangerous man that we've ever seen in New Zealand politics". Photo / RNZ
Maniapoto challenged Seymour on who he’d spoken to for his assessment that Te Tiriti could be codified into statute.
“I’ve spoke to people frequently, I’m not gonna name-check them,” Seymour said.
He did reveal that the Iwi Chairs Forum had rejected his invitation to discuss his plans.
“I’ve actually tried to engage with iwi chairs. They’ve been really quite unfriendly, which is a shame because, back in the day, we used to work with them over partnership schools, kura hourua,” he said.
In a candid exchange, Seymour dismissed NZ First Leader Winston Peters as someone who has had “enough chances”.
When Maniapoto mentioned she’d recently interviewed Peters, Seymour jibed, “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”
Seymour dismissed NZ First Leader Winston Peters as someone who has had “enough chances”. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Maniapoto countered: “He’s not exactly a fan of yours either”.
Seymour also unequivocally ruled out the possibility of working with the Green Party, characterising them as “destructive” and “anti-capitalist”.
“They actually don’t see climate change as the big problem. It’s just today’s problem. The real thing they are opposed to is a capitalist society that has allowed people to live twice as long, and for there to be so many of us here,” Seymour said.
“They want to destroy the way that the world works. I’m pro-human, I can’t work with them on that basis,” he added.
The interview also touched on Labour Māori Development Minister Willie Jackson, who referred to Seymour as the “most dangerous person in Aotearoa” because of his referendum commitment and other manifesto promises to abolish departments like the Ministry for Māori Affairs, the Ministry for Women, and the Ministry for Pacific Peoples.
