“Today’s Curia poll shows that Kiwis’ support for ACT’s referendum on co-governance cannot be ignored,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.
“The poll shows that 45 per cent agree with having a referendum, compared to 25 per cent opposed. It is also says an overwhelming 60 per cent agree with ACT’s wording of the referendum, compared to only 22 opposed.
“The next Government can’t ignore this. New Zealanders deserve honest healthy debate on our future, and our constitutional settings as a country. We have a right to debate whether New Zealand’s future lies with co-government and different rights based on ancestry, or whether we want to be a modern, multi-ethnic liberal democracy where every Kiwi has the same rights.
“ACT proposed a referendum in March 2022. Across hundreds of public meetings, we heard from Kiwis who were sick of being divided by race. No one asked them if they wanted this division, the Government decided for them and has been forcing it upon almost every aspect of society since.
“Parliament never voted for New Zealand to sign up to UNDRIP, beyond a Ministerial Statement in 2010 that only ACT spoke against. It is not a binding document, merely a declaration, that should be ignored.
“All of the good political movements of the past four hundred years have been about ending discrimination on the basis of race, religion, sex and sexuality to treat each person with the same dignity. We are the first country in history that’s achieved equal rights and has division as its official policy. It’s nuts.
“We cannot afford to continue dividing ourselves along superficial lines. We must celebrate the common humanity that unites all people and stop seeking ways to divide us with group rights and collective identity.
“We must appreciate cultures and celebrate people’s differences without offering them different sets of rights based on factors beyond their control. Where will New Zealand be in 50 years’ time if the current path continues, where Kiwis are offered different rights based on their ancestry?
“A Party Vote for ACT will deliver a stable government which will let people have their say on co-government.”