Wind up the Waitangi Tribunal

The Waitangi Tribunal has made an important contribution to New Zealand. Its historical work helped identify Crown wrongdoing and created a pathway to resolve past injustices, including the confiscation of land and other breaches of property rights. Most historical claims have now been heard or settled. Those still outstanding should be completed properly.

But the modern Tribunal now passes judgement on day-to-day government policy, proposes alternative policy settings, and seeks to influence decisions that belong to elected Governments and Parliament. It should not operate as a parallel policy institution.

As New Zealand approaches 2040, two hundred years after the signing of the Treaty, it is time to finish the historical settlement process. Every New Zealander should have their rights protected through the same law and courts as we move forward under one law for all with one future together.

Read our full policy 'Finish the settlements, wind up the Waitangi Tribunal', here.

ACT will:

• Complete every eligible historical claim already before the Tribunal. Its jurisdiction will be limited to historical claims lodged by the existing statutory deadline of 1 September 2008, without rushing or cutting off genuine claimants.

• End the Tribunal’s jurisdiction over contemporary Crown policy and conduct, leaving it to focus solely on completing its remaining historical work.

• Strengthen property rights for every New Zealander by adding them to the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act, so unlawful interference by the Crown can be challenged through the ordinary courts.

• Amend the Treaty of Waitangi Act so the Tribunal is automatically disestablished once all eligible historical claims have been completed, rather than imposing an arbitrary closure date.

In our team’s words:

ACT Leader David Seymour says:

“The Waitangi Tribunal has been part of New Zealand’s constitutional landscape for more than fifty years. It has made an important contribution, particularly in helping address historical grievances. But no institution should exist just because it always has,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“Every New Zealander deserves strong legal protections and access to the courts, regardless of ancestry. ACT believes those protections should be strengthened for everyone, not maintained through a permanent separate system for one group.

“As 2040 approaches, we should complete the remaining historical settlements, protecting every New Zealander’s right under the same law and courts, and move forward under one law for all with one future together.”