Treaty Principles Bill: 400 church leaders want David Seymour’s bill voted down

More than 400 church leaders – including all three Anglican archbishops; the Catholic Archbishop and a Catholic Cardinal, the Methodist Church president and the Salvation Army commissioner – have signed an open letter to MPs calling on them to vote down David Seymour’s Treaty Principles Bill.

The Act leader’s bill will go to a first reading – negotiated as part of the coalition Government’s agreement – in November and could be sent to a select committee for further discussion or even a referendum.

Seymour told the Herald the pushback by the churches was undemocratic, and not the first time church had tried to interfere in democracy.

“This isn’t the first time the church has tried to prevent the people from having their say on a policy of mine, the first time being the End of Life Choice Act,” Seymour told the Herald.

Seymour’s coalition partners, National and NZ First, have already said they will not support the bill past a first reading. That was reiterated at the late Kīngi Tūheitia’s 18th coronation celebrations at Tūrangawaewae.

The letter, sent to MPs this morning from more than 400 Christian groups, outlines concerns they have should the bill advance past its first reading and how it will drive more divisiveness within Aotearoa.

The letter states: “As Christian leaders from across Aotearoa New Zealand we express our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. We affirm that Te Tiriti o Waitangi protects the Tino Rangatiratanga of hapū and iwi. That rangatiratanga over land and taonga is to be upheld.

“We therefore express our opposition to the proposed Treaty Principles Bill.

“The proposed bill is inconsistent with Te Tiriti o Waitangi in that it does not recognise the collective rights of iwi Māori or guarantee their relationship with the Crown. It would undermine what Te Tiriti guarantees, and what decades of law, jurisprudence and policy have sought to recognise.”

“We call on all Members of Parliament to do everything in their power to not take this bill to select committee and to work towards the ongoing restoration of the Tiriti relationship,” the letter said.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s office told the Herald in a statement: “Christopher Luxon has been clear – National will honour the coalition agreement with Act to support their Treaty Principles Bill to select committee, but we will not support the bill beyond that and therefore it will not become law.”

Reverend Jay Ruka, Taranaki Cathedral dean and author of a book about the Treaty and Christianity, Huia Come Home, said the bill was dangerous.

“It is beyond grievous that David Seymour is intentionally pitching the sacredness of Te Tiriti O Waitangi and the significance of democracy against each other.

“He is tricking New Zealanders into thinking that to honour our founding contract is to demerit democratic representation. This is a lie. As a Christian leader, I steadfastly oppose this falsity. The Treaty Principles Bill is holding our nation in contempt.”

Commissioner Mark Campbell, Salvation Army territorial leader of New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa, reiterated Ruka’s sentiments.

“We view Te Tiriti as a sacred, covenantal, agreement and, as such, are asking the Government to stop any further progress of the ‘Treaty Principles Bill’ along with any other measures that threaten to undermine the articles and intent of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.”

And Dr Alan Jamieson, Arotahi general director and former senior pastor of Southwest Baptist, said the Treaty of Waitangi is the foundation New Zealand was built on.

“The arrival of the draft ‘Treaty Principles Bill’ beckons as a sad day; as the legal standing of our Treaty, its significance as a covenant, and a societally-agreed foundation is cynically questioned, increasing disunity and polarisation that reverses the progress made in recent decades.”

Theologian and historian Dr Alistair Reese, who gave the homily at the Waitangi dawn service this year, labelled the bill as treacherous.

“It would have been more socially responsible if the drafters of this bill had experimented with their iconoclastic interpretations elsewhere. They are like those who pick the scabs on an unhealed wound – exposing our nation’s scars to further infection and the wounded to further trauma.”

Archbishop Don Tamihere is a signatory to a letter signed by more than 400 Christian Leaders.

Seymour said the church did not own the moral compass on New Zealanders.

“I hope the Treaty Principles Bill will be no different,” Seymour said.

“The bottom line is that we believe that all citizens should have equal rights, not equal rights for some based on their ancestry.

“The Treaty Principles Bill and proposed referendum are needed to ensure a healthy debate on whether our future lies with different rights based on ancestry, or whether we want to be a modern, multi-ethnic liberal democracy where every New Zealander has the same rights.”

The Green Party has also endorsed the open letter from the church leaders, with spokeswoman for Māori development Hūhana Lyndon saying the Prime Minister has the power to prevent the bill from progressing a step further.

“This bill that attempts to re-write history and essentially erase tangata whenua rights is not fit for Parliament. Giving this legislation a stage would risk unearthing and emboldening views that will do nothing but hold Aotearoa back, it must be abandoned,” Lyndon said.

“The Prime Minister’s actions need to match his words. He cannot stand at Waitangi and say that Te Tiriti is our past, present and future and then let legislation that corrupts the very meaning of the Treaty to progress through our Parliament.”