Act Party Leader David Seymour at last year's Waitangi Day celebrations at Waitangi.
Act Party Leader David Seymour at last year's Waitangi Day celebrations at Waitangi.
Opinion by David Seymour
David Seymour is the leader of the Act Party
David Seymour’s hapu Ngāti Rēhia requested he not attend Waitangi commemorations due to his Treaty Principles Bill.
The bill had more than 300,000 submissions made to the Justice Select Committee.
National and NZ First have said Seymour’s bill will not become law.
For Waitangi Day, I encourage you to think about the achievements, the history, and all that we have in common as New Zealanders. Wherever you are and however you choose to celebrate it, I hope you get a chance to enjoy the day and reflect on what is great about New Zealand.
The Kiwis on our banknotes are a source of national pride. Kate Sheppard led the world in women’s suffrage efforts, Ernest Rutherford was a scientific pioneer, Sir Edmund Hillary showed the world the power of the human spirit with trademark humility, Sir Āparana Ngata revived the Māori language and culture when many thought it was dead.
Waitangi Day should be a time for us to celebrate our common humanity, and the events that led to New Zealand coming together as a nation.
Sadly, a small group of perpetually grumpy activists has turned Waitangi Day into an annual political circus, aided by some in the media who are all too keen to amplify grievance and suppress positive discussion.
The Hikoi Mo te Tiriti was a protest against the Treaty Principles Bill.
Recently, the Treaty Principles Bill has been at the centre of protests, alongside other government policies such as the Fast Track Bill, the disestablishment of the Māori Health Authority and the circular instructing of government departments to ensure their services are delivered based on need rather than ethnicity.
Regarding the Treaty Principles Bill, I have a very simple belief that each of us is united by something much greater than any kind of history or culture – that is, universal humanity. The same rights, the same dignities for every person. And that is what has driven all the good movements in human history – votes for women, the civil rights movement in America, and the end of apartheid in South Africa, with the rights of people of different sexualities to be themselves and marry as they wish. That’s what I believe.
And when it comes to the Treaty of Waitangi, we as a country have a simple choice to make. We can either believe that the Treaty of Waitangi created a partnership between races, as some say, or we can believe that it delivers what it says itself in the Māori version: nga tikanga katoa rite tahi – the same rights and duties. That is the fundamental question.
If you believe that the Treaty is a partnership between races, then you have to believe there are tangata whenua, who have different rights and duties from another group, tangata tiriti. Or you can believe that we are all equal and that each of us should have a chance and a choice in life to be the best that we can.
If you whakapapa Māori, I hear those who seek to stir up fear and division, saying that the Treaty Principles Bill will strip Māori of mana, taonga and reo.
That is simply not true. If you don’t believe me, please read the bill. Read my statements about the importance of te reo, spoken in te reo at Waitangi. Look at the Act Party’s record of supporting every Treaty Settlement.
Waitangi Day celebrations at Ohinemutu. Photo / Andrew Warner
Leaders in Māoridom who have the ear of the young need to ask themselves: are they dealing with the issues responsibly, or simply inciting resentment? It is an important question.
In health, education and resource management, we are told that what Māori thought during the 400 years Māori spent in isolation from the world is more important than our bonds of common humanity. If you question this doctrine then you are told you are the problem. I believe we can do so much better.
Universal human rights, freedom and equality ring true in all languages. These values are shared by many people like me who have Māori heritage, and there is no “right” way for a Māori person to think.
For Waitangi Day, I encourage you to think about the achievements, the history, and all that we have in common as New Zealanders.
