--- title: "PF100 · Captured AI answers" publisher: "Onsomble Limited" publication: "NZBrands.ai" edition: 3 collected_on: "2026-10-16" html_url: "https://nzbrands.ai/research/nz-election-2026/editions/3/questions/8c5c1733-66f8-40a9-bf0e-61be2b4fc65f/" --- # PF100 · Captured AI answers Edition 3 · answers collected 16 October 2026. [Read on NZBrands.ai](https://nzbrands.ai/research/nz-election-2026/editions/3/questions/8c5c1733-66f8-40a9-bf0e-61be2b4fc65f/) ## Question I'm a Māori parent in a working household. I want to compare household costs and local services, and I also care about Te Tiriti and Māori participation in decisions. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. How do parties differ on Te Tiriti obligations and Māori participation in public decisions? Question ID: 8c5c1733-66f8-40a9-bf0e-61be2b4fc65f. Report reference: PF100. Issue: Te Tiriti and Māori–Crown relations. Voter: Māori whānau balancing costs, services and Treaty questions. [Source record (JSON)](https://nzbrands.ai/data/nz-election-2026/editions/3/answers/8c5c1733-66f8-40a9-bf0e-61be2b4fc65f.json) ## How to read this evidence The answers below are shown as the assistants gave them, not a verified account or NZBrands.ai voting advice. They may contain errors or outdated claims. A recorded source association is not necessarily a link shown to the reader. Captured 16 October 2026. 4 answers were saved for this question. Missing answers have not been filled in. [Study methodology and limitations](https://nzbrands.ai/research/nz-election-2026/editions/3/method.md) ## ChatGPT · asked nationally Answer ID: 38a35d4e-2340-410a-bf54-7864b10da6ff. Captured 16 October 2026. **Begin captured answer — shown as given, not verified** # 2026 New Zealand election: Te Tiriti, Māori participation and household costs As a Māori parent in a working household, you may be weighing several connected questions: how much your whānau can afford, whether public services meet Māori needs, and whether Māori have a meaningful say in decisions affecting whenua, health, education and local communities. For the 2026 New Zealand general election, it helps to compare parties across three distinct areas: - Te Tiriti o Waitangi: whether the Treaty should guide government decision-making, how its principles should be interpreted, and how Treaty obligations should be reflected in law and public policy. - Māori participation and tino rangatiratanga: whether Māori have formal decision-making roles through iwi and hapū partnerships, Māori representation, consultation, or Māori-led institutions. - Household affordability and services: how each party's approach might affect working families through tax, housing, health care, education, childcare and other public services. One important distinction: consultation is not the same as shared decision-making, and neither necessarily amounts to tino rangatiratanga. Parties can support Māori consultation while disagreeing substantially about Māori authority, representation and the legal status of Treaty obligations. ## 1. How the main parties differ on Te Tiriti The following is a comparison of the major parties' documented positions as of October 2026, using current party material and election policy comparisons. It describes their approaches rather than ranking them. ![Te Pāti Māori (@Maori_Party) on X](https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/C5Ox0A8wvQUsFP-VtrWHKeP6-Ic8fMiqzR6fwTgVCI89BKZ4qO15KWhfgO_hkPhb4uzHIlIf-m8iVIOtE_n3dpm6XeT-XUHl8WsSwbHDpd9cuMseVa0f8XdYoGqbDr3pWVTJaDg048Pdof6_HhRKAR523Vju5XF4tug9-I_6qlg?purpose=inline) ### Te Pāti Māori Constitutional transformation and tino rangatiratanga Advocates a stronger constitutional role for Te Tiriti, greater Māori self-determination, and Māori-led approaches to health, education and justice. Its Mana Motuhake programme calls for constitutional change, rather than relying solely on consultation within existing Crown institutions. [Election 2026](https://www.anzasw.nz/election-2026-policy-tracker/)[Te Pāti Māori Policies 2026](https://www.nzvotecheck.com/party/te-pati-maori) ![Green Party NZ (@NZGreens) on X](https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/xwoeA3rTn5Pu0UL1uRc6X_g8ADsfUTe55rxQEjXC_rnFR_6TPTr_9eG0LsowNOdFRtax24qB8h-LRfUtZEf42T0CC5OclOZ5katbFJAYxs0cZRyqDBlGNgF_8AV_5WTCbYonGIqLGuK095lLGrkBVw3L8vdsA06tLHVNuCJquuc?purpose=inline) ### Green Party Treaty partnership and Māori decision-making Explicitly puts Te Tiriti at the centre of government and supports structures that uphold the rangatiratanga of iwi and hapū. Its 2026 manifesto also links Māori self-determination with community wellbeing, environmental stewardship and affordable living. [Manifesto 2026](https://www.greens.org.nz/manifesto_2026) ![South Island Election Conference 2026](https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/_spFKDBqOMVPoo8r35YLoGFwljs_-WWe4ur9fdZCfekzAxaUPGA75u8rI9uxOUTssI2hUZN1r4Zu1AeDrcNaxz3uHoFIyWjDpanT5s-KJ87QzxSu1uNjNL4MOHSuazRZuTy_TzC6aN4wxHHoyU_DhzMFuMCMjNBTtg2xRxOZL6c?purpose=inline) ### Labour Party Treaty partnership within existing government institutions Labour has supported Treaty-based arrangements and Māori-specific public institutions, including the Māori Health Authority and co-governance proposals. Its approach generally works through existing government systems and partnership arrangements, rather than the scale of constitutional transformation proposed by Te Pāti Māori. [Te Tiriti o Waitangi Policy: Where NZ Parties Stand in 2026](https://whichparty.nz/topics/treaty)[Where political parties stand on Te Tiriti o Waitangi](https://thespinoff.co.nz/atea/25-08-2026/where-political-parties-stand-on-te-tiriti-o-waitangi) ![Will National Party Finish 2nd in New Zealand's 2026 Election?](https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/LCDs4P76HEgfCayafHeSga8GCw12Vxs2fPc3toeyLUZ-wmb6UiGRZY6bhdT1xRejtICfUd6GX2BWmI76EkpoWuffTU4g32bP_qUJp29rsfn5_Zvj5THHSYTLHSoo_5_YQyZ3zKE1WIpB4bu7raRltFl5TZFCgCcE0quf_GohkFI?purpose=inline) ### National Party More specific statutory obligations and common citizenship National has pursued changes to how Treaty references are expressed in legislation, including replacing or repealing some references to Treaty principles. The government has described this as improving legal clarity. National also maintains a commitment to delivering existing Treaty settlements. Its approach places less emphasis on separate Māori-specific governance structures than Labour or the Greens. [Ensuring Treaty references are consistent](https://www.national.org.nz/news/20260515-honpaulgoldsmith-treaty)[Strengthened accountability for Treaty settlement delivery](https://www.national.org.nz/news/20251219-hon-tama-potaka-strengthened-accountability-for-treaty-settlement-delivery)[Te Tiriti o Waitangi Policy: Where NZ Parties Stand in 2026](https://whichparty.nz/topics/treaty) ![POLICY TRACKER: TOP wants to fund cheaper doctor visits with junk-food tax | New Zealand Doctor](https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/K1DpIS-dF4mtKrl0KIyfSnF_8RO2gnoDtATKXcH-ytfTo6cgmA_wwVhD8J5hW6OuytxDrAergQSGimCSsVKfunUK61RDtNU5GxwiaPB_cRB685VjK9FjkZErmrrvx_4zTP2h6GpckCQVzANm4LVdUE3kTNzzpmgwLxBt7L_7t70?purpose=inline) ### ACT New Zealand Equal individual rights and limits on Treaty-based distinctions ACT emphasises equal treatment under the law, parliamentary sovereignty and clearly defined Treaty principles. Its 2026 policy announcement proposes constitutional provisions affirming those principles. ACT opposes co-governance arrangements that give different groups distinct political authority based on ancestry. [ACT New Zealand](https://www.act.org.nz/news/one-law-for-all-with-one-future-together)[ACT New Zealand](https://www.act.org.nz/news/defining-the-treaty-principles) ![New Zealand legislative election winner? Predictions & Od... 2026 | Polymarket](https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/UmXClDd76aKEk_XyXfEEacFBHXO18HFMG1Im-weRm7tb64uGzBsRK3vWPXuiFN2zaWaNznb7eSDIJucKOhlXtwb6Lq-BYR6oxisKzHsWTxF5AsiLmtcNGDNtwCsXzgIuSp2vW4pa6pAda-tTriG23zKX1ZuknQ81HGh411pqRkM?purpose=inline) ### New Zealand First Common public institutions and a referendum on Māori seats NZ First argues that public services should be based on need rather than ethnicity and opposes separate Māori political representation. It has announced a campaign for a binding referendum on whether the Māori electorates should remain. [New Zealand First to Campaign for Referendum on Māori Seats](https://www.nzfirst.nz/nz_first_to_campaign_for_referendum_on_maori_seats)[NZ First Bill to Enable Binding Referendum on Māori Seats at 2026 Election](https://www.nzfirst.nz/nz_first_bill_to_enable_binding_referendum_on_maori_seats_at_2026_election)[Te Tiriti o Waitangi Policy: Where NZ Parties Stand in 2026](https://whichparty.nz/topics/treaty) These differences reflect competing views of what equal citizenship requires. Parties that favour a common institutional system tend to stress equal treatment of individuals; parties that favour stronger Treaty-based arrangements stress the Crown's relationship with tangata whenua and the need to recognise collective rights and rangatiratanga. ## 2. What does Māori participation actually mean? The label “Māori participation” can describe several different arrangements. These are useful distinctions to apply when reading party policies. | Type of participation | What it means in practice | | --- | --- | | Consultation | Government seeks views from Māori communities, iwi or hapū, but retains the final decision. | | Representation | Māori have elected representatives, including through Māori electorates, or appointed representation on public bodies. | | Partnership or co-governance | Māori and Crown or local-government representatives share specified decision-making responsibilities. The powers depend on the arrangement. | | Tino rangatiratanga | Māori authority and self-determination over matters within the relevant sphere of authority, as understood through Te Tiriti and the particular context. | | Accountability | Public bodies must explain their decisions, meet obligations and provide ways to challenge failures. | The key question for your vote is not simply whether a party says it will “listen to Māori”. Ask who has the power to decide, what decisions they can make, and whether those arrangements can be changed by a future government. For example, a party might support iwi consultation on freshwater policy but oppose shared authority over freshwater decisions. Another might favour Māori-led health services because it considers Māori decision-making essential to improving outcomes. Those are materially different policy positions. [Policies for Party vote - NZ Election 2026](https://policy.nz/2026/party-vote/policies/te-ao-maori)[Manifesto 2026](https://www.greens.org.nz/manifesto_2026)[Te Tiriti o Waitangi Policy: Where NZ Parties Stand in 2026](https://whichparty.nz/topics/treaty) ## 3. How might these positions affect your whānau? Treaty policy is one part of the decision. The other is whether the policies deliver practical improvements to household finances and public services. | Party | Household and service policies to examine alongside its Treaty position | | --- | --- | | Te Pāti Māori | Māori-led health and education, housing, whānau support, and redistribution of wealth. Ask how proposed services would be funded and delivered in your community. | | Greens | Affordable housing, transport and energy, social investment, and stronger Māori authority in local and national decisions. | | Labour | Its 2026 programme includes a $20 weekly public-transport fare cap, free prescriptions from July 2027, three free GP visits a year and Māori-led job training. | | National | Its stated priorities include economic growth, lower taxes and public-service delivery, alongside its changes to Treaty references and Māori-specific institutions. | | ACT | Its priorities include equal treatment under the law, property rights and limiting Treaty-based distinctions in public institutions. | | NZ First | Its priorities include needs-based public services and a referendum on Māori seats, alongside its economic and cost-of-living proposals. | Sources: party policy pages and the 2026 election comparison in The Spinoff. [Labour's 2026 Election Policies](https://www.labour.org.nz/policy)[Manifesto 2026](https://www.greens.org.nz/manifesto_2026)[No new taxes under National](https://www.national.org.nz/news/260823-no-new-taxes-under-national)[New Zealand First to Campaign for Referendum on Māori Seats](https://www.nzfirst.nz/nz_first_to_campaign_for_referendum_on_maori_seats)[Where political parties stand on Te Tiriti o Waitangi](https://thespinoff.co.nz/atea/25-08-2026/where-political-parties-stand-on-te-tiriti-o-waitangi) These are policy commitments, not guarantees of outcomes. Eligibility, implementation dates, funding and coalition agreements all matter. For example, a policy offering free services may reduce your out-of-pocket spending, while a policy changing how those services are governed addresses a different question: who sets priorities and is accountable for delivery. ## 4. Five questions worth asking before you vote You can use these questions to compare party manifestos, electorate candidates and any coalition agreements announced before election day. ### Your voting checklist 0 of 5 reviewed Te Tiriti obligationsWill the party retain, strengthen, narrow or repeal statutory references to Te Tiriti and its principles? Decision-making authorityWill Māori be consulted, share decision-making power, or exercise Māori-led authority? Over which decisions? RepresentationWhat is the party's position on Māori electorates, Māori wards, iwi and hapū representation, and Māori participation in public boards? Everyday costsWhat would its policies mean for my household's after-tax income, rent or mortgage, groceries, transport, childcare and health expenses? Delivery and accountabilityIs there a costed policy, a clear implementation date, an accountable agency and a way for Māori communities to challenge poor delivery? Copy checklist ## 5. Where to verify the policies These resources provide more detail than campaign slogans: - [Policy.nz — 2026 Te ao Māori policy comparison](https://policy.nz/2026/party-vote/policies/te-ao-maori): compare policies on Treaty principles, Māori seats, land and resources, te reo Māori and Māori wellbeing. - [The Spinoff — Where political parties stand on Te Tiriti o Waitangi](https://thespinoff.co.nz/atea/25-08-2026/where-political-parties-stand-on-te-tiriti-o-waitangi): a current party-by-party analysis, including constitutional proposals and areas where policy details remain unclear. - [Labour's 2026 policies](https://www.labour.org.nz/policy): specific commitments on household costs, health and employment. - [Green Party's 2026 manifesto](https://www.greens.org.nz/manifesto_2026): its proposals for Treaty partnership, rangatiratanga and community wellbeing. - [ACT's 2026 policy announcement](https://www.act.org.nz/news/one-law-for-all-with-one-future-together): its proposals concerning constitutional principles and equality before the law. - [NZ First's Māori seats referendum proposal](https://www.nzfirst.nz/nz_first_bill_to_enable_binding_referendum_on_maori_seats_at_2026_election): the party's stated position on Māori electoral representation. The election is scheduled for Saturday 7 November 2026, with advance voting beginning on 26 October. Check [Vote NZ](https://vote.nz/) for current enrolment and voting information. [Policies for Party vote - NZ Election 2026](https://policy.nz/2026/party-vote/policies/te-ao-maori)[Where political parties stand on Te Tiriti o Waitangi](https://thespinoff.co.nz/atea/25-08-2026/where-political-parties-stand-on-te-tiriti-o-waitangi) ## Bringing it back to your priorities For your decision, it may help to keep two questions separate, then consider how they interact: 1. Constitutional and democratic: What role should Te Tiriti, tino rangatiratanga, and Māori representation have in shaping public decisions? 2. Material and practical: Which policies would make a measurable difference to your household budget and access to good-quality services? You do not have to assume that one answer automatically determines the other. Compare the specific commitments, their funding and their likely effects, and consider what each party might agree to in a coalition. One final question to help make the comparison more useful: which matters most to you right now — stronger Te Tiriti protections and Māori decision-making, reducing everyday household costs, or giving both equal weight? I can use that to build a more detailed, evidence-based comparison without choosing a party for you. **End captured answer** ## Gemini · asked nationally Answer ID: e6e0ab30-9b0e-49b3-ba99-6c2b547b7a13. Captured 16 October 2026. **Begin captured answer — shown as given, not verified** When considering your vote in the 2026 general election, understanding how political parties approach Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Māori participation in public decisions is central. The political landscape is broadly divided, ranging from parties advocating for constitutional transformation and co-governance to those pushing for a color-blind approach and the rollback of distinct Treaty provisions. ### 1. Te Pāti Māori * **Te Tiriti Position:** Advocates for full constitutional transformation based on *Matike Mai Aotearoa* (the independent working group report on constitutional transformation) with a target of 2040. They pursue legally enforceable Te Tiriti obligations and the entrenchment of Te Tiriti. * **Public Participation:** Strongly champions *Mana Motuhake* (self-determination) and Māori-led decision-making authority over resources, social services, and public policy affecting Māori communities. ### 2. Green Party * **Te Tiriti Position:** Views Te Tiriti as a foundational document for a binational partnership. They oppose any efforts to redefine or undermine Treaty principles and support honouring historical and contemporary obligations across all environmental and social policy. * **Public Participation:** Promotes robust co-governance arrangements, broad public and iwi participation in environmental and local government decisions, and lowering the voting age to 16 to encourage early civic engagement, particularly among rangatira youth. ### 3. Labour Party * **Te Tiriti Position:** Supports a traditional framework of Crown-Māori partnership under the principles of the Treaty. They emphasize practical co-design and partnership in service delivery (such as health and housing) while maintaining that the Crown retains ultimate legislative authority. * **Public Participation:** Focuses on structured consultation and engagement processes through public sector guidelines (e.g., via Te Puni Kōkiri) to ensure Māori perspectives are integrated into policy development, alongside defending existing structures like Māori wards. ### 4. The Opportunities Party (TOP) * **Te Tiriti Position:** Supports honouring Te Tiriti through transparent partnership and long-term, Māori-led solutions aimed at closing outcome gaps. They opposed recent attempts to introduce a Treaty Principles Bill, favouring process-driven and transparent constitutional discussions. * **Public Participation:** Advocates for deliberative democratic methods (such as citizens' assemblies) alongside ensuring Māori participate as a Treaty partner in processes directly concerning the relationship. ### 5. National Party * **Te Tiriti Position:** Focuses on equal citizenship and practical outcomes rather than broad co-governance models. They emphasize delivering public services based on need rather than race, while continuing to settle historical Treaty grievances through the Waitangi Tribunal process. * **Public Participation:** Favours standard public consultation and local input, but generally rolls back race-specific co-governance mandates in public infrastructure, water management, and local government structures (such as supporting legislative changes around Māori wards). ### 6. New Zealand First * **Te Tiriti Position:** Strongly opposes co-governance and the use of distinct Treaty principles in modern legislation, arguing for a single standard of citizenship where all New Zealanders have equal rights under the law. * **Public Participation:** Critiques race-based representation models and advocates for mechanisms like binding referendums on matters concerning Māori seats and local Māori wards, emphasizing a centralized parliamentary democracy model. --- As a working parent balancing household expenses and local services, your vote on these approaches will weigh whether you prefer parties that advance formal co-governance and entrenched Treaty protections (left/progressive bloc) or those that prioritize universal public service delivery and uniform citizenship frameworks (centre-right/conservative bloc). **End captured answer** ## Google AI Mode · asked nationally Answer ID: eeb2fe3a-ad04-4e13-8665-7de4f4a42983. Captured 16 October 2026. **Begin captured answer — shown as given, not verified** In the context of the 2026 New Zealand general election, political parties present starkly different visions for Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the constitutional place of the Treaty, and Māori participation in public decision-making. For a working Māori parent balancing household costs, local services, and civic duty, understanding these ideological divides helps clarify how different party platforms impact whānau and communities. The political landscape divides broadly into two camps: parties advocating for constitutional transformation and co-governance/Māori-led decision-making, and parties advocating for a "equal citizenship" or limited, uniform interpretation of Crown obligations. * * * 1\. Te Pāti Māori * * **Te Tiriti Stance:** Seeks comprehensive constitutional transformation, targeting 2040 for a new framework based on _He Whakaputanga_ and Te Tiriti. Promotes making Te Tiriti fully binding on the Crown. * **Māori Participation & Decision-Making:** Proposes establishing an independent Te Tiriti Commission (an Officer of Parliament) with powers to investigate Crown breaches and issue compliance orders, making Waitangi Tribunal recommendations binding, and setting up a $220 million _Mātike Mai_ fund to resource iwi and hapū-led constitutional transformation. * 2\. Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand * * **Te Tiriti Stance:** Advocates for upholding Te Tiriti as a foundational constitutional document and strongly opposes measures that diminish Treaty references in legislation. * **Māori Participation & Decision-Making:** Focuses on Māori-centred decisions and local democracy. Supports a national conversation on constitutional transformation utilizing the _Matike Mai_ framework, entrenching the Māori electorates, extending roll-switching timeframes, and embedding partnership models across resource management, conservation, and social services. * 3\. New Zealand Labour Party * * **Te Tiriti Stance:** Views Te Tiriti as a foundational partnership document requiring ongoing Crown engagement with iwi and hapū, while emphasizing practical socio-economic advancement (housing, health, and cost-of-living relief) for whānau. * **Māori Participation & Decision-Making:** Supports negotiated settlements, Māori health authorities/localized delivery models, and Crown-Māori partnerships in public services. However, Labour has also drawn boundaries regarding co-governance applications in certain operational portfolios and maintains a moderate approach compared to Te Pāti Māori or the Greens. [Policy.nz] * 4\. New Zealand National Party * * **Te Tiriti Stance:** Recognizes Te Tiriti o Waitangi as the foundational document for government, but emphasizes a regularized interpretation focused on equal rights for all New Zealanders rather than distinct co-governance structures in public service delivery. * **Māori Participation & Decision-Making:** Focuses public service delivery on measurable social and economic outcomes (such as education achievement and health metrics) rather than race-based or co-governance decision-making structures. The current National-led environment has emphasized removing specific Te Reo Māori naming conventions in public agencies and streamlining public sector language usage. [Policy.nz] * 5\. ACT New Zealand * * **Te Tiriti Stance:** Advocates for a strict, narrow definition of the Treaty principles, arguing that the Treaty established the same rights and duties for all New Zealanders. * **Māori Participation & Decision-Making:** Opposes co-governance provisions in public services, resource management, and local government, contending that public decisions should be entirely blind to ethnicity through a uniform democratic process. * * * * What This Means for a Working Māori Household * * **For Services and Cost of Living:** Parties on the left (Labour, Greens, Te Pāti Māori) lean heavily into targeted public investment, Māori-led health/social service commissioning, and welfare support to ease household costs. Parties on the right (National, ACT) favor universal economic management, tax relief, and mainstreaming public services rather than separate Māori-designed service delivery. * **For Voice and Self-Determination:** If your priority is expanding formal Māori authority, binding legal mechanisms, and constitutional reform, the policies of **Te Pāti Māori** and the **Green Party** align closely with those aspirations. If your priority is individual civic equality and rolling back distinct co-governance mechanisms across public infrastructure, **ACT** and **National** represent that direction. **Labour** sits in a middle space of trying to balance partnership obligations with standard parliamentary administration. * To review specific policy details or local electorate candidates, you can explore the non-partisan voter guide on [Policy.nz](https://policy.nz/) or check party manifestos directly via the Green Party Manifesto and [Te Pāti Māori](https://www.maoriparty.org.nz/). **End captured answer** ## Google AI Overviews · asked nationally Answer ID: aa5e8aaf-217e-44cc-921e-6f6042afb41c. Captured 16 October 2026. **Begin captured answer — shown as given, not verified** As you consider your vote for the **2026 New Zealand general election** on November 7, political parties are presenting fundamentally different paths regarding **Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations** and **Māori participation in public decisions**. These policies sit alongside daily working-class concerns like household costs and local service delivery. Here is how the major political parties differ on these issues. The Left-Aligned Parties (Favouring Treaty-centric Systems) These parties view Te Tiriti as a foundational partnership that requires distinct Māori participation and target restoring or expanding Māori-led delivery structures. * **Te Pāti Māori:** Campaigning on an ambitious **Te Tiriti Entrenchment Policy** as a strict bottom line for post-election negotiations. They propose making all Waitangi Tribunal recommendations legally binding on the Crown. They also want to establish an independent **Te Tiriti Commission** with the power to investigate and issue compliance orders to halt Cabinet decisions that breach the Treaty. * **Labour Party:** Focusing primarily on reversing the current government's rollbacks. Labour promises to **restore explicit Te Tiriti obligations** in state systems, such as education, and return to partnership frameworks. They advocate for devolving public services to Māori-led providers, but leader Chris Hipkins has explicitly **ruled out** Te Pāti Māori’s proposed Te Tiriti Commission and co-governance models like Three Waters. * **Green Party:** Maintains that Te Tiriti is an absolute promise of protection for whānau and the environment. They strongly support co-governance models, the expansion of Māori-led local health and social services, and structural protections for systemic Māori decision-making power. The Right-Aligned and Coalition Parties (Favouring Universal Citizenship) The current government parties generally advocate for a model of "equal citizenship", arguing that public services should be designated by universal need rather than race-specific frameworks. * **National Party:** Focuses public decisions on decentralized local delivery and an "equal citizenship" approach. They prefer direct, outcomes-based local services rather than separate structural entities (such as the previously disestablished Māori Health Authority). While National did not support the controversial Treaty Principles Bill past its first reading, they favor a strict interpretation of the Treaty that avoids what they define as co-governance split systems. * **ACT New Zealand:** Continues to push for fundamental changes to how Treaty principles operate within government law. They advocate for a colorblind legislative framework that explicitly limits race or ethnicity as a factor in public service prioritizing and health delivery. * **New Zealand First:** Campaigning on an explicit policy to **abolish the Waitangi Tribunal** entirely. They plan to replace it with a _Treaty of Waitangi Completion Commission_ tasked strictly with finalizing all historical claims made prior to 2008, firmly stating that public service structures must be based solely on need. * * * Directly Comparing the Party Platforms Party| Stance on Waitangi Tribunal| Approach to Public Decision-Making| Local / Public Service Model ---|---|---|--- **Te Pāti Māori**| Make findings fully binding.| Constitutional transformation by 2040.| Mana motuhake; fully independent Māori-led services. **Green Party**| Support and protect its powers.| Structural co-governance.| Heavily funded Māori-led local service delivery. **Labour**| Return to its core purpose.| Crown-Māori partnership mechanisms.| Partnership and devolved services to Māori providers. **National**| Retain under a strict/limited scope.| Equal citizenship framework.| Mainstream local services focused strictly on need. **ACT**| Review and heavily restrict influence.| Individual universal rights; no co-governance.| Decentralized services with zero ethnic prioritization. **NZ First**| Abolish the Tribunal.| End separate legal frameworks for Māori.| Strictly uniform public services based on universal need. If you want to look deeper into specific working-class metrics, I can provide details on how these same parties differ on **working-class tax relief** , policies for **early childhood education/childcare support** , or how they intend to fund **local infrastructure and councils**. Which of those would help you most? **End captured answer** ## Publication and corrections Published and funded by Onsomble Limited. NZBrands.ai takes no view on any party or policy. [Independence](https://nzbrands.ai/about/independence/) · [Corrections](https://nzbrands.ai/about/corrections/) · [Contact](https://nzbrands.ai/about/contact/)