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Defending Equal Rights & Democracy
The logic of equal rights is irresistible. If it is not a reality today, it will be eventually. In the meantime, we are doubling down on our efforts to remove divisive race-based policies from health services, education, resource management, and more.
Our Values
ACT stands for the inherent humanity and dignity of all New Zealanders, regardless of their race, ancestry, or gender. We reject the idea that public services, democratic representation, or legal obligations should differ based on who is in your family tree. Equal rights means one person, one vote, and the same rules for everyone. We stand for a government that treats each New Zealander as an individual, not as a member of an ethnic or identity group.
Our Achievements
ACT has driven many of the Government’s actions to restore democracy and equal rights. These include:
Repealing section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act: ACT removed the legal requirement for Oranga Tamariki to prioritise racial identity in decision-making, ensuring the focus is now firmly on the safety and wellbeing of children, not ethnicity.
Scrapping the Māori Health Authority: ACT supported the removal of a separate health entity based on race, returning the focus to delivering care based on patient need across the whole population.
Ending race-based procurement quotas: ACT secured the removal of requirements for Government contracts to favour Māori-owned businesses, restoring a level playing field where contracts are awarded on merit.
Making ‘need-not-race’ the guiding principle of all policy: A Cabinet Circular, passed as part of ACT’s coalition agreement.
Stopping unelected appointees from gaining voting rights on councils: ACT restored the public’s right to challenge the creation of Māori council wards, putting democratic control back in local hands.
Our Next Goals
The coalition Government has not gone as far as ACT would like, but it’s gone further than it would have without ACT. We always have more ideas ready, and here are some we continue to advocate.
Define the Treaty principles
ACT will continue to push for a clear definition of the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi as based on what was actually written and signed in 1840 – including Article 3, the same rights and duties for all New Zealanders. New Zealanders deserve clarity and a shared national understanding of what the Treaty means in practice.
End co-governance in resource management and local services
ACT opposes co-governance arrangements that give unelected groups decision-making power in public bodies. We will keep working to ensure water, infrastructure, conservation, and other services are governed by democratic institutions accountable to all citizens equally.
Eliminate race-based policies across all areas of Government
Wherever policies divide New Zealanders based on ethnicity, ACT will challenge and remove them. That includes reviewing remaining regulations and legislation that embed race-based considerations into law and public funding decisions.