Prime Minister Christopher Luxon arrived at Rātana and was told by Māori leaders about the ongoing anxiety felt about the Treaty Principles Bill.
Act leader David Seymour, the architect of the bill, was absent – instead giving his State of the Nation speech in Auckland.
Luxon will not attend Waitangi celebrations in Waitangi this year, meaning Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters will be the highest-ranking Government representative in attendance.
The sun may have been shining but it wasn’t the heat that was getting under the skin of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his New Zealand First colleagues at Rātana today.
The fate of the Treaty Principles Bill was once again at issueas Māori leaders told Government and Opposition MPs gathered in the small settlement near Whanganui of a Māori nation enveloped by concern as the controversial bill inched closer to its promised demise.
With oral submissions on the bill set to start next week after an unprecedented level of interest, it seems a standing item for the Prime Minister at any public event to have to repeat ad nauseam his intention to vote the bill down at its second reading.
There was a noticeable level of fatigue in Luxon’s voice as he reiterated, “National won’t support the bill, it will be voted down and it won’t become law.”
He had followed a visibly annoyed Winston Peters, who seemed frustrated the bill was even a topic worth discussing, given his own commitments not to vote in favour.
Deputy Prime Minister and NZ First leader Winston Peters seemed annoyed the bill was a topic up for discussion. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Peters’ deputy, Shane Jones, lamented the “gallons of ink” spilt as he pleaded with those at the Rātana gathering not to agonise further over a bill that would “never see the light of day”.
“Let’s not get stuck completely in the rut where there are inevitable political differences and political difficulties.”
Jones was rewarded with applause from some in the crowd – a far cry from the boos he received last year.
There must have been a sense of deja vu for Luxon. Twelve months ago in his first visit to Rātana after becoming Prime Minister he was forced to defend that coalition agreement item.
At the time, the PM’s language was much more vague, stating only that National had made no commitments to Act about the bill’s fate after the first reading.
In the space of a year, the intensifying noise surrounding the bill has sharpened Luxon’s tongue to the point he is promising members of the public he will “kill” it.
Try as they might, National and NZ First will struggle to placate those who remain concerned the two parties won’t stay true to their word about the bill’s future.
Government and Opposition MPs are welcomed on to Rātana Marae. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Not helping their efforts is David Seymour, who seems all too happy to suggest Luxon could change his mind at any time.
While ticking off your coalition partners comes with its risks, Seymour – who was absent from Rātana – will be quite content to see Luxon and Peters plied with questions, giving his efforts to redefine the Treaty’s principles more and more attention.
Labour appears to be catching on. Senior MPs today discussed whether they would mention the bill in their kōrero at Rātana, as party leader Chris Hipkins this week encouraged his MPs not to fall into the Government’s “politics of distraction” ploy.
The frustrations are only likely to grow for Luxon and Peters as the justice select committee begins oral hearings next week, after more than 300,000 have had their say in writing.
It also presents as one of the central issues when politicians flock to Waitangi in less than two weeks.
NZ First MP Shane Jones urged the crowd not to agonise over a bill that wouldn't be voted into law. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Peters and Jones will be left to confront it without Luxon, whose absence from celebrations in the Far North will only add fuel to the narrative pushed by his critics that the PM wants to avoid facing the music at the home of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Organisers of the Toitū Te Tiriti movement that led tens of thousands to protest on Parliament’s forecourt will no doubt see Waitangi as another platform from which to decry the Government’s policies affecting Māori.
With the select committee not set to report back until May, Luxon and Peters could do well to adopt a more relaxed approach, because the anxiety and questions will persist whether they like it or not.
Adam Pearse is a political reporter in the NZ Herald press gallery team, based at Parliament. He has worked for NZME since 2018, covering sport and health for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei before moving to the Herald in Auckland, covering Covid-19 and crime.
