Make republic part of any Treaty inquiry, says Peter Dunne

By HELEN TUNNAH, deputy political editor

An inquiry into the Treaty of Waitangi would also have to debate whether New Zealand should become a republic or have a written constitution, United Future leader Peter Dunne said yesterday.

He said his party would struggle to back anything that looked like a "cheap and nasty, do-it-quickly" review which was narrowed only to a treaty debate.

Prime Minister Helen Clark will take options for a constitutional review to the Cabinet today, but she has declined to say in recent days how broad any inquiry should be, or if a republic would be debated.

United Future last month raised the prospect of a royal commission of inquiry into the country's constitutional status amid debate sparked by National's rapid rise in the polls after querying the treaty's status.

While Helen Clark initially dismissed United Future's proposal, she has now said she is "warming" to the idea that an inquiry be held at a "higher level" to the select committee constitutional review announced last year.

Although she has previously said New Zealand's becoming a republic was not on her agenda, the issue has now been raised publicly as the Queen's youngest son, Prince Edward, arrives today for a week-long visit.

He will meet Helen Clark at a dinner hosted by Governor-General Dame Silvia Cartwright this week. Helen Clark will talk to the Cabinet today about the form any inquiry into the Treaty of Waitangi and constitutional arrangements should take, but a spokesman said she would make no announcements.

The issue is also expected to be debated by Labour's caucus at its regular weekly meeting tomorrow.

It is believed she has been working on possible terms of reference in recent days, and who could sit on an inquiry.

Mr Dunne told the Herald last night United Future had no policy position on whether New Zealand should become a republic.

However, he said it would be impractical to look at the Treaty of Waitangi, and not look at the future status of the treaty partners.

"I don't think it [an inquiry] can look at anything in isolation. It has to take a total approach." He said the party would wait until it saw the scope of an inquiry before deciding if it would support it.

National, New Zealand First, Act and the Green Party have all expressed doubts about or opposed an inquiry.

Labour's coalition ally, the Progressives, are also waiting to see any terms of reference before deciding whether to support it.

Without the support of other parties, an inquiry would struggle for credibility as Labour has just 52 out of Parliament's 120 MPs.

Helen Clark indicated yesterday the Waitangi Tribunal might be one body whose role was reviewed in an inquiry.

"That's an institution that was designed 30 years ago."

She was reported over the weekend as saying recent decisions indicated it was seen more as an advocacy body than a tribunal.

Her remarks follow strong Labour criticism of the tribunal after it released a highly critical report on the Government's seabed and foreshore policy.

The tribunal found the policy breached the Treaty of Waitangi by removing the ability of Maori to go to the High Court or Maori Land Court to pursue legal claims to the seabed and foreshore.

At the weekend Deputy Prime Minister Michael Cullen hinted that removal of the right to go to the High Court might yet be reconsidered.