A Maori folk song echoed through New Zealand’s parliament following the lawmakers’ decision to defeat a bill that many feared would undermine Indigenous rights.
The controversial “Treaty Principles Bill” aimed to redefine the tenets of New Zealand’s founding document, which was signed by Maori chiefs and British representatives in 1840.
Numerous critics perceived it as an attempt to roll back the special rights granted to the country’s 900,000 Maori population.
The parliament voted against the bill, with a tally of 112 opposed and only 11 in support.
Last year, over 35,000 demonstrators flooded the capital, Wellington, to protest against the bill, marking one of the largest protests in the country’s history.
David Seymour, a government minister and leader of a minor party within New Zealand’s governing coalition, was the chief architect of the bill.
Minister for Regulation David Seymour
The bill aimed to limit the “special rights” provided to Maori, as stated by Mr. Seymour, who is a vocal opponent of affirmative action.
According to the bill, Maori have been granted political and legal rights, as well as privileges, not available to non-Indigenous New Zealanders due to how the country’s founding treaty has been interpreted.
The Treaty of Waitangi, signed in 1840, was intended to establish peace between 540 Maori chiefs and British colonizers.
Its principles continue to be the foundation for promoting partnership between Indigenous and non-Indigenous New Zealanders and safeguarding the interests of the Maori community.
Maori individuals are significantly more likely to suffer from early mortality, live in poverty, or end up incarcerated.
Earlier this year, a government committee received over 300,000 public submissions regarding the Treaty Principles Bill—the highest number ever recorded—of which 90% expressed opposition.
