The four-page Treaty Principles Bill has been introduced and will be debated in Parliament next week. As with all bills, the text begins with an explanatory note, includes links to some of the ...

The Treaty Principles Bill sought to define the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi – an agreement signed between the British Crown and a group of indigenous Māori leaders in the 1840s, ...

A bill which sought to “reinterpret” New Zealand’s Treaty of Waitangi, signed between Māori tribal leaders and the British Crown in 1840, has failed in parliament by 11 votes to 112.

Members of Parliament celebrate as the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi bill was rejected by Parliament in a 112 to 11 vote in Wellington, New Zealand, Thursday, April 10, 2025.

The bill was proposed by the right-wing Act Party to define the principles of the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi, considered New Zealand’s founding document for upholding Maori rights.

When the Treaty Principles Bill was opened for submissions earlier in the year, the select committee received about 300,000 responses, with the overwhelming majority opposing the proposal. ...

The Treaty Principles Bill was voted down 112-11 after a government committee recommendation against it. The right-wing Act Party was the only one to vote for the bill in its second reading.

The bill also states that principles of the Treaty "other than those set out" by the Treaty Principles Bill "must not be used to interpret an enactment", and clarifies that the Treaty Principles ...

The Treaty Principles Bill sought to define the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi – an agreement signed between the British Crown and a group of indigenous Māori leaders in the 1840s, ...