# Question 100: 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?

Collected 31 October 2026

[NZ Election 2026 · Edition 7 study](https://nzbrands.ai/research/nz-election-2026/editions/7)

## ChatGPT

Answer ID: ea141107-ec02-482d-8774-69134dca5a6e

# 2026 New Zealand election: Te Tiriti and Māori participation

The main difference between the parties is **what they believe Te Tiriti o Waitangi requires the Crown to do, and how much decision-making authority Māori should have in government and public institutions.**

Some parties see Te Tiriti as requiring an ongoing partnership between Māori and the Crown, including shared decision-making and recognition of tino rangatiratanga.

Others emphasise equal citizenship, parliamentary sovereignty and public services based on individual need rather than ethnicity. They are generally more cautious about Māori-specific governance arrangements.

These differences have practical consequences for whānau, including:
- Whether iwi, hapū and Māori communities have a formal role in decisions affecting them.
- Whether government departments have explicit Treaty obligations.
- Whether Māori can influence health, education, housing and environmental decisions.
- Whether Māori representation in local government is protected.
- Whether Māori communities have greater control over services and resources.

I'll concentrate on the seven parties most relevant to the parliamentary debate: National, Labour, Greens, ACT, New Zealand First, Te Pāti Māori and the Opportunity Party.

This comparison reflects publicly documented positions available on **30 October 2026**. It distinguishes announced policies from previous government actions and proposals.

## 1. How the major parties differ

| Party | General approach to Te Tiriti | Māori participation in decisions |
|---|---|---|
| National | Recognises Te Tiriti as a founding document but emphasises equal citizenship and Crown sovereignty. | Generally favours conventional government decision-making, with more limited formal co-governance arrangements. |
| Labour | Supports Te Tiriti partnership, protection and participation. | Supports Māori involvement in public decisions, including some co-governance arrangements. |
| Green Party | Treats Te Tiriti as the foundation of an ongoing constitutional partnership. | Supports iwi and hapū exercising rangatiratanga and participating as partners in government. |
| ACT | Emphasises equal legal rights, parliamentary sovereignty and individual needs rather than ethnicity. | Opposes ongoing Treaty-based arrangements that create different political or legal rights. |
| NZ First | Recognises Te Tiriti and existing settlements but opposes expanding Treaty-based governance. | Opposes co-governance and generally favours services based on individual need. |
| Te Pāti Māori | Supports constitutional transformation grounded in Te Tiriti and tino rangatiratanga. | Advocates substantially greater Māori political authority and decision-making power. |
| Opportunity Party | Supports strengthening Te Tiriti's role, although some details remain underdeveloped. | Supports greater Māori autonomy, including Māori-led health and justice services. |

Sources: The Spinoff's August 2026 party analysis and the 2026 policy comparison. [thespinoff.co.nz](https://thespinoff.co.nz/atea/25-08-2026/where-political-parties-stand-on-te-tiriti-o-waitangi?utm_source=chatgpt.com), [partymap.co.nz](https://partymap.co.nz/compare/treaty-democracy/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

## 2. Individual party positions

### National Party

**Approach: Equal citizenship and Crown sovereignty.**

National recognises Te Tiriti as a founding document but does not advocate the extensive constitutional partnership arrangements proposed by the Greens or Te Pāti Māori.

Its record in government includes:
- Disestablishing Te Aka Whai Ora (Māori Health Authority).
- Removing section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act.
- Introducing local referendums on Māori wards.
- Supporting changes to Treaty references in legislation.
- Supporting the introduction of the Treaty Principles Bill, although National did not support it beyond its first reading.

National's position places greater emphasis on consistent legal treatment and conventional government accountability than on Māori-specific decision-making structures. [thespinoff.co.nz](https://thespinoff.co.nz/atea/25-08-2026/where-political-parties-stand-on-te-tiriti-o-waitangi?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

### Labour Party

**Approach: Partnership, protection and participation.**

Labour recognises Te Tiriti as a founding document and supports Māori participation in decisions affecting Māori communities.

Its previous government initiatives included:
- Establishing Te Aka Whai Ora.
- Developing the Three Waters reforms, which included iwi participation and co-governance arrangements.
- Supporting Māori-specific approaches to addressing health inequalities.

For 2026, Labour has campaigned on restoring explicit Treaty obligations removed by the current government, including in education.

However, Labour has rejected Te Pāti Māori's proposal for a Treaty commissioner and generally favours parliamentary decision-making over more extensive constitutional transformation. [thespinoff.co.nz](https://thespinoff.co.nz/atea/25-08-2026/where-political-parties-stand-on-te-tiriti-o-waitangi?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

### Green Party

**Approach: Strong constitutional partnership under Te Tiriti.**

The Greens support a more substantial role for Te Tiriti across government.

Their proposals include:
- Recognising the Māori text of Te Tiriti as authoritative in law.
- Making government decision-making more explicitly Treaty-based.
- Giving iwi and hapū meaningful decision-making authority rather than simply consulting them.
- Strengthening the Waitangi Tribunal.
- Supporting the return of whenua wrongfully alienated from Māori.
- Reforming Treaty settlements to recognise hapū rangatiratanga more fully.

The Greens see Māori participation as a constitutional responsibility, rather than simply an opportunity for consultation. [thespinoff.co.nz](https://thespinoff.co.nz/atea/25-08-2026/where-political-parties-stand-on-te-tiriti-o-waitangi?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

### ACT New Zealand

**Approach: Equal legal rights and parliamentary sovereignty.**

ACT takes a substantially different position.

It argues that:
- Everyone should have equal legal rights.
- Government assistance should be based on need rather than ethnicity.
- Parliament should remain sovereign.
- Treaty principles should not create different political rights.

ACT's Treaty Principles Bill sought to redefine the principles of Te Tiriti in legislation.

Although that bill was rejected by Parliament on 10 April 2025, ACT has continued advocating its One Law for All approach.

Its proposals would also restrict some circumstances in which courts could draw on tikanga Māori. [thespinoff.co.nz](https://thespinoff.co.nz/atea/25-08-2026/where-political-parties-stand-on-te-tiriti-o-waitangi?utm_source=chatgpt.com), [justice.govt.nz](https://www.justice.govt.nz/justice-sector-policy/key-initiatives/a-treaty-principles-bill/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

### New Zealand First

**Approach: Recognition of the Treaty, but opposition to expanding Treaty-based governance.**

NZ First recognises Te Tiriti and existing Treaty settlements.

However, it opposes:
- Co-governance arrangements.
- Treaty-based constitutional transformation.
- Expanding undefined Treaty principles.
- What it describes as separatism in public services.

It prefers public services organised around individual need rather than ethnicity.

NZ First has also advocated a referendum on the future of the Māori electorates, making Māori political representation an important election issue. [thespinoff.co.nz](https://thespinoff.co.nz/atea/25-08-2026/where-political-parties-stand-on-te-tiriti-o-waitangi?utm_source=chatgpt.com), [partymap.co.nz](https://partymap.co.nz/compare/treaty-democracy/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

### Te Pāti Māori

**Approach: Tino rangatiratanga and constitutional transformation.**

Te Pāti Māori advocates the most extensive transfer of political authority towards Māori among the seven parties discussed.

Its proposals include:
- Entrenching Te Tiriti in New Zealand's constitutional arrangements.
- Making Waitangi Tribunal recommendations binding.
- Establishing a Parliamentary Commissioner for Te Tiriti.
- Requiring Treaty impact statements for legislation.
- Strengthening Māori political representation.
- Returning whenua and recognising Māori authority over matters affecting Māori communities.

The party has indicated that constitutional recognition of Te Tiriti would be a bottom line in potential coalition negotiations.

An important consideration is that some of its proposed mechanisms still need further detail around implementation, costs and timelines. [thespinoff.co.nz](https://thespinoff.co.nz/atea/25-08-2026/where-political-parties-stand-on-te-tiriti-o-waitangi?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

### The Opportunity Party (TOP)

**Approach: Strengthening Te Tiriti and Māori autonomy.**

TOP is broadly supportive of strengthening Te Tiriti's role.

Its proposals include:
- Supporting equitable Treaty settlements.
- Repealing changes that made customary marine title harder to establish.
- Improving the teaching of Te Tiriti and Aotearoa history.
- Devolving health and justice services to Māori with meaningful resources and autonomy.

However, its policies are less developed on exactly how far Māori decision-making authority should extend. [thespinoff.co.nz](https://thespinoff.co.nz/atea/25-08-2026/where-political-parties-stand-on-te-tiriti-o-waitangi?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

## 3. What does this mean for Māori participation in everyday decisions?

The constitutional debate can sound abstract. However, it affects practical decisions about services and resources.

Here are five areas worth examining.

| Area | Questions to consider |
|---|---|
| Healthcare | Do Māori have meaningful authority over health services? Are Māori health providers adequately funded? |
| Education | Are schools required to recognise Te Tiriti? Is te reo Māori supported? Do whānau have influence over education decisions? |
| Local government | Do iwi and hapū have formal involvement in planning, infrastructure and environmental decisions? |
| Housing | Are Māori communities involved in decisions about whenua, papakāinga and affordable housing? |
| Justice and social services | Can Māori communities develop and govern services that reflect their own needs and tikanga? |

### Māori wards and local government

This is a particularly important issue.

Māori wards provide opportunities for Māori representation on local councils.

The parties differ over whether these arrangements should be protected or whether their continuation should depend on local democratic processes.

- National introduced local referendums on Māori wards.
- ACT emphasises equal electoral rights and opposes ethnicity-based political arrangements.
- NZ First has advocated a referendum on Māori electorate seats.
- Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori support maintaining or strengthening Māori political representation, although their approaches differ.

This matters because local councils make decisions about:
- Water infrastructure.
- Public transport.
- Libraries and community facilities.
- Housing developments.
- Environmental protection.
- Local spending priorities.

The question is not simply whether Māori are consulted, but whether Māori have meaningful influence over the final decisions.

[thespinoff.co.nz](https://thespinoff.co.nz/atea/25-08-2026/where-political-parties-stand-on-te-tiriti-o-waitangi?utm_source=chatgpt.com), [partymap.co.nz](https://partymap.co.nz/compare/treaty-democracy/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

## 4. Where are the biggest differences?

There are three particularly important dividing lines.

### A. Consultation versus partnership

There is a meaningful difference between asking Māori communities for feedback and giving iwi, hapū and Māori representatives an ongoing role in making decisions.

- ACT and NZ First generally favour conventional democratic decision-making.
- National emphasises equal citizenship and conventional Crown authority.
- Labour supports some partnership arrangements.
- Greens and Te Pāti Māori advocate stronger Māori decision-making authority.

TOP also supports greater Māori autonomy, although its proposals are less detailed.

### B. Equal treatment versus addressing unequal outcomes

Some parties argue that public services should be based on individual need rather than ethnicity.

Others argue that treating everyone identically does not necessarily produce equitable outcomes, particularly where historical disadvantage and ongoing inequalities exist.

This difference influences policies concerning:
- Māori health outcomes.
- Educational achievement.
- Māori employment.
- Access to housing.
- Funding for kaupapa Māori organisations.

It is worth examining not just what parties say about equality, but how they intend to achieve it.

### C. The future constitutional role of Te Tiriti

The parties also disagree about whether Te Tiriti should have a stronger and more explicit constitutional role.

The Treaty Principles Bill is an important example.

It was introduced following an ACT policy commitment agreed with National. Parliament rejected it by 112 votes to 11 on 10 April 2025.

The debate nevertheless continues through other proposals concerning Treaty clauses in legislation, constitutional arrangements and Māori representation. [justice.govt.nz](https://www.justice.govt.nz/justice-sector-policy/key-initiatives/a-treaty-principles-bill/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

---

## 5. Questions worth asking parties before voting

For a working household, I would suggest looking beyond general statements about supporting Māori.

These questions can help establish whether a party's commitments would translate into practical improvements.

| Issue | Question to put to parties |
|---|---|
| Household costs | How will your policies reduce the cost of living for working whānau Māori? |
| Healthcare | What role will Māori providers have in designing and delivering healthcare? |
| Education | Will schools have explicit Te Tiriti obligations? |
| Housing | What support will you provide for papakāinga and affordable Māori housing? |
| Employment | How will you improve access to secure, well-paid employment for Māori? |
| Local services | Will iwi and hapū have formal decision-making roles in local infrastructure and planning? |
| Accountability | How will Māori communities hold government accountable for its Treaty obligations? |
| Representation | What is your position on Māori wards and Māori electorates? |

One particularly useful question is:

**If your party forms the next government, what specific decisions will Māori have more authority over than they do today?**

That helps distinguish a general commitment from an actual policy.

## 6. Where to check the parties' commitments

These resources provide useful starting points:

- [The Spinoff – 2026 party positions on Te Tiriti](https://thespinoff.co.nz/atea/25-08-2026/where-political-parties-stand-on-te-tiriti-o-waitangi?utm_source=chatgpt.com) — a detailed comparison of the seven parties.
- [PartyMap – Te Tiriti and democracy comparison](https://partymap.co.nz/compare/treaty-democracy/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) — compares published positions and identifies where evidence is missing.
- [The Conversation – 2026 Policy Tracker](https://stories.theconversation.com/nz-policy-tracker-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) — compares policies across a wider range of issues, including household economics.
- [Electoral Commission – 2026 General Election](https://elections.nz/media-and-news/2026/candidate-and-party-lists-released?utm_source=chatgpt.com) — official candidate and party information.
- [Ministry of Justice – Treaty Principles Bill](https://www.justice.govt.nz/justice-sector-policy/key-initiatives/a-treaty-principles-bill/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) — official legislative history.

---

## 7. A final way to approach your voting decision

I would separate your assessment into two broad questions:

**First: What will make life more affordable for your household?**
- Housing and rent.
- Food and groceries.
- Power and transport.
- Wages and employment.
- Healthcare and education costs.
- Support for working parents.

**Second: What kind of relationship should Māori have with government?**
- Is Te Tiriti an ongoing constitutional obligation?
- Should iwi and hapū share decision-making authority?
- Should Māori have greater control over Māori health and education services?
- Should Māori representation be protected?
- How should the Crown be held accountable for its Treaty obligations?

These questions are related, but they are not interchangeable. A party might have extensive cost-of-living policies without supporting greater Māori autonomy, or strong Treaty commitments without providing sufficiently detailed household economic policies.

**My suggestion is to assess both sets of commitments independently before deciding how to cast your party vote and electorate vote.**

The 2026 election is an opportunity to consider not only which policies might improve household finances, but also what kind of decision-making relationship between Māori and the Crown you want to see in the future.

Your vote is yours to make, and it is worth asking parties to explain how their promises would translate into measurable changes for whānau.

## Gemini

Answer ID: 0de4fcda-d8d1-4912-a0a0-9f52233bd7a3

For a working Māori parent, the debate around **Te Tiriti o Waitangi** and **Māori participation in public decisions** is central to how public resources, service delivery, and local governance affect whānau day-to-day. 

New Zealand political parties hold vastly different philosophical frameworks on Te Tiriti, ranging from calls for constitutional transformation to a focus on universal citizenship and the removal of race-based provisions.

---

### 1. Te Pāti Māori (TPM)
* **View on Te Tiriti:** Views Te Tiriti as a foundational covenant and a document of constitutional partnership that requires a full rewrite of New Zealand’s constitutional arrangements (often aligning with the *Matike Mai* constitutional transformation framework). 
* **Māori Participation & Decisions:** Advocates for self-determination (*tino rangatiratanga*) and Māori-led systems across health, education, disability, and justice. Their policies include making Waitangi Tribunal recommendations legally binding, establishing an independent Te Tiriti Commissioner, and embedding the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) into domestic law.

### 2. Green Party
* **View on Te Tiriti:** Strongly supports honoring Te Tiriti o Waitangi as a core constitutional document and partner to *He Whakaputanga* (Declaration of Independence). 
* **Māori Participation & Decisions:** Supports resourcing a national conversation on constitutional transformation utilizing *Matike Mai*. They advocate for entrenching the Māori parliamentary seats, extending the window for the Māori electoral option, and ensuring robust, permanent partnership mechanisms in environmental, resource management, and social service decisions.

### 3. New Zealand Labour Party
* **View on Te Tiriti:** Views the Crown as having a clear obligation to honor the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi through practical policy, co-design, and partnership, though with a more moderate approach to structural reform than the Greens or TPM.
* **Māori Participation & Decisions:** Favors embedding partnership into public services (such as past health reforms focusing on Māori health authorities or regional partnerships), though past implementations have been criticized by both sides for either going too far or not going far enough. Labour supports maintaining the Māori seats and working alongside iwi and hapū on localized decision-making, while balancing centralized state accountability.

### 4. New Zealand First (NZF)
* **View on Te Tiriti:** Emphasizes the principle of "one law for all New Zealanders" and pushes back against what they describe as "sep separatism" or race-based co-governance in public services and local authorities. 
* **Māori Participation & Decisions:** Supports democratic processes based strictly on universal suffrage rather than separate co-governance structures. While they recognize historical grievances and settlement processes, they generally oppose dedicated co-governance arrangements over public assets (like water infrastructure, conservation land, or local government boards), arguing that public decisions should be made through traditional, elected representative bodies.

### 5. National Party
* **View on Te Tiriti:** Focuses on meeting the Crown's historical settlement obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi and addressing practical socio-economic disparities (often framed around "by-numbers" outcomes or English disease/social metrics rather than co-governance).
* **Māori Participation & Decisions:** Generally opposes co-governance mandates in public service delivery and local government, arguing that public services should be delivered based on economic or social need rather than ethnicity. They support direct engagement with iwi via economic development and historical settlements, but have consistently repealed or restricted co-governance provisions in entities like health and regional water management, favoring local democratic accountability.

### 6. ACT New Zealand
* **View on Te Tiriti:** Strongly opposes the inclusion of "principles of the Treaty of Waitangi" in legislation, arguing they have created legal uncertainty and division. ACT famously advanced a Treaty Principles Bill debate to redefine the Treaty principles through a parliamentary referendum framework.
* **Māori Participation & Decisions:** Advocates for the complete removal of race-based provisions, statutory co-governance arrangements, and dedicated Māori wards or seats across local and central government. Their stance is that all citizens should have equal political rights through standard democratic mechanisms, prioritizing individual citizenship over collective indigenous rights.

---

### Summary Table for Voters

| Party Approach | Parties | Core Philosophy on Te Tiriti & Decisions |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| **Constitutional Transformation & Self-Determination** | Te Pāti Māori, Green Party | Te Tiriti as a power-sharing partnership; binding obligations; expansion of Māori-led governance and authority. |
| **Partnership via Crown-Māori Engagement** | Labour Party | Practical application of Treaty principles; co-design within state frameworks and protection of existing Māori seats. |
| **Universal Citizenship & Opposition to Co-governance** | National, NZ First, ACT | Focus on "one law for all"; scaling back co-governance in public services; prioritizing need-based or standard democratic models over race-based structures. |

***

*Are there specific local services—such as health, housing, or regional council representation—that matter most to your whānau when weighing these party approaches?*

## Google AI Mode

Answer ID: 72c83cee-2115-4ab3-a808-6063b2f0c494

When considering your vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election, political stances on Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Māori participation in public decisions span a clear spectrum—from parties seeking to expand co-governance and constitutional recognition of Te Tiriti, to those aiming to strictly limit or remove Treaty principles from legislation.

To compare how different political blocks approach Te Tiriti obligations and Māori participation, parties generally fall into distinct ideological approaches:

 * **Māori-led and Progressive/Left Parties (e.g., Te Pāti Māori, Green Party, and to an extent the Labour Party)**
 * **Te Tiriti Obligations:** View Te Tiriti o Waitangi as a foundational constitutional document requiring active partnership, active protection of taonga (including te reo Māori and freshwater), and honoring _tino rangatiratanga_ (self-determination).
 * **Māori Participation:** Support binding Waitangi Tribunal recommendations, entrenching the Māori electoral seats, expanding whānau-led and iwi-led commissioning of social services, and integrating te Tiriti and local Aotearoa history deeply into public education. Te Pāti Māori specifically champions independent Māori authority over resources like water and distinct constitutional transformation.
 * **Context for Working Households:** These policies often tie Māori participation to broader socio-economic support via whānau-centred social service funding, Māori-led job training frameworks, and investments in public health and education providers.

 * **Centrist / Status Quo Parties (e.g., The Labour Party)**
 * **Te Tiriti Obligations:** Generally support honoring Treaty settlements and working within existing legal frameworks to incorporate Treaty principles into public sector agencies and legislation.
 * **Māori Participation:** Favor structured consultation, advisory boards, and representation within mainstream public services rather than separate governance structures, balancing Crown obligations with universal public administration.

 * **Centre-Right and Right-Leaning Parties (e.g., ACT New Zealand, New Zealand First, and to a degree the National Party)**
 * **Te Tiriti Obligations:** Advocate for scaling back or redefining the use and effect of "Treaty principles" in legislation. They generally argue that contemporary legislation should treat all citizens equally without race-based or co-governance provisions, viewing broad interpretations of Treaty principles as divisive.
 * **Māori Participation:** Seek to remove or limit specific statutory co-governance arrangements, review or disestablish dedicated advisory structures like the Independent Māori Statutory Board from local authorities, and restrict or re-evaluate customary marine title claims or special provisions. Some right-leaning perspectives even propose moving toward the eventual abolition of the Waitangi Tribunal once historical grievances are formally finalized.

Exploring Further Resources

To review specific, up-to-date party manifests and side-by-side comparisons on Te Ao Māori, household incomes, and local public services for the 2026 election, you can explore the non-partisan Policy.nz Te Ao Māori Guide or check enrollment and voting details on [Vote.nz](https://vote.nz).

## AI Overviews

Answer ID: 1d7b7f6d-8859-4d3d-b832-d57609e18b6d

As a working Māori household navigating the 2026 New Zealand general election, you face a distinct ideological divide across the political spectrum regarding Te Tiriti o Waitangi (the Treaty of Waitangi) obligations and Māori representation in public decisions. The parties generally split into two main blocks: those advocating for **structural protection, partnership, and "by Māori, for Māori" service delivery** , and those pushing for **universal citizenship, reduction of race-based policies, and shifting authority back to central democratic institutions**. policy.nzPolicies for Party vote - NZ Election 2026 - Policy.nzWhere does the public currently stand on Te Tiriti rights andNZ Political Parties 2026 | Party Policies Compared

Here is how the major political parties differ on these issues for the 2026 election:

Structural Protection & Expanded Māori Self-Determination

These parties view Te Tiriti as the foundational partnership document of New Zealand and support dedicated systems to ensure Māori-led public services and political representation.

 * **Te Pāti Māori:** Campaigns on absolute **tino rangatiratanga (self-determination)**. They propose dedicated legislation to make all Waitangi Tribunal recommendations legally binding on the Crown and want to establish an independent Te Tiriti Commission. They advocate for fully entrenced Māori electoral seats, a Māori-led education authority, and rebuilding a standalone Māori Health Authority to deliver tailored public services directly to whānau. facebook.comNZ Political Parties Summarised Part 1Election 2026 - Policy Tracker - anzasw

 * **Green Party:** Focuses on **statutory protection and systemic transformation**. They pledge to formally entrench Treaty clauses across all current national legislation to ensure laws always comply with Te Tiriti. They strongly support co-governance and "by Māori, for Māori" policies, including multi-billion dollar funding packages to resource marae as regional hubs for healthcare and social crisis response. facebook.com

 * **Labour Party:** Positions Te Tiriti as the **founding document of New Zealand law**. Labour maintains that Parliament must actively give effect to Treaty principles rather than scaling them back. They support community-responsive, Māori-led initiatives (such as investing $21 million annually in Māori-led job training) and push back against removing Te Reo Māori or reversing previous public sector equity frameworks. stories.theconversation.comElection policy tracker: what the parties are promisingElection 2026: Political Parties Policy AnalysisTe tiriti, gangs and grocery prices: Parties clash in Kaupapa Māori Debate

Legislative Adjustment & Shift to Universal Frameworks

These parties argue that public services and political structures should be built primarily on universal democratic values rather than distinct Treaty partnerships. whichparty.nzTe Tiriti o Waitangi Policy: Where NZ Parties Stand in 2026

 * **National Party:** Focuses on a **"practical partnership" framework**. National proposes shifting the statutory requirements for public agencies from an active mandate to "give effect to Te Tiriti" to a requirement to "take it into account." While they emphasize collaboration and empowering local iwi to deliver social outcomes, they have refused to rule out forming future coalitions with parties aiming to scale back or disestablish the Waitangi Tribunal. opportunity.org.nzHonouring Te Tiriti - The Opportunity PartyTreaty, health funding and te reo spark fiery clashes at Kaupapa Māori debate

 * **ACT New Zealand:** Stands firmly on **equal treatment regardless of race and individual freedom**. ACT seeks to pass a statutory Treaty Principles Bill to strictly redefine and limit the legal interpretation of Treaty principles in law. They oppose co-governance, want to scale back the use of Treaty principles in public agency mandates, and believe learning Te Reo Māori should be an optional personal choice rather than a public sector requirement. rnz.co.nz

 * **New Zealand First:** Pledges to **abolish the Waitangi Tribunal altogether** , arguing that it has strayed from its historical purpose and needs to be replaced by a completion commission to resolve remaining claims. They strongly oppose co-governance, advocate for a public referendum on the future of the Māori parliamentary seats, and campaign on making English the primary official language to focus on universal citizenship. nzfirst.nzOur Policy - NZ First

* * *

If you would like to explore how these positions connect to your other priorities, let me know:

 * Which specific **household costs** (e.g., grocery pricing, energy bills, public transport) are putting the most pressure on your whānau?

 * What types of **local services** (e.g., healthcare access, schools, or local council decisions) matter most to your day-to-day routine? labour.org.nzLabour's 2026 Election Policies

I can provide a direct breakdown of how the parties' economic and local government policies compare side-by-side.