HONOUR

TE tiriti

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What’s going on?

Aotearoa New Zealand is a treaty-based nation, and that’s something we can all be proud of.
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But over the last two years in Parliament there has been a continued pattern of undermining our foundation document, the Treaty of Waitangi | Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Te Tiriti is Us began its work in 2024 with campaigns focussing on the positive values of unity, aroha, sharing, fairness, promise keeping and partnership.

We joined with the majority of New Zealanders who were against the Treaty Principles Bill and who voted to keep Māori Wards. This year we need to vote to elect a government which honours the promises made in our founding document.

While we saw off the Treaty Principles Bill, there have been many other instances of this administration continuing to undermine the principles of Te Tiriti, from the Takutai Moana Act to the Regulatory Standards Act to the Education and Training Amendment Act.

‍But it hasn’t always been like this.

‍Since the 1970s governments have taken significant steps to address past wrongs, to apologise and to provide meaningful compensation for treaty breaches.

‍Previous governments worked to put things right, but that’s not happening right now. We’ve been back-sliding, and this has weakened the social cohesion that comes from living in a fair and equitable society. That’s not good for any of us.

‍Even the United Nations has raised concerns about systemic racism and potential breaches of Māori rights from wide-ranging government reforms, cutting services, and disregarding Te Tiriti in policy making. (2025 UN CERD report).

Things need to change.

Honouring Te Tiriti means engaging with Māori as principled treaty partners, committed to fairness, equity and good faith. This is what we New Zealanders expect from our government.

‍2026 is election year. Get ready to vote.

‍Use your power to vote for a government that honours Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Vote for the people and parties who honour Te Tiriti and who want to see a fair and just New Zealand.

‍Let’s get election ready by making sure we are enrolled and by checking out the policies of all political parties and candidates.‍

Email your MP

Treaty 101 - your questions answered

Why is Te Tiriti/the Treaty important?
Te Tiriti o Waitangi/the Treaty of Waitangi is this country's constitutional foundation. It is a legally binding agreement between leaders of two peoples at the formation of our nation Aotearoa New Zealand. It gives everyone the right to live here.

The three articles in the treaty set out the rights and responsibilities of each party.

Article 1 allows for the setting up of a national government (kawanatanga).
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Article 2 guarantees that Māori have absolute authority (tino rangatiratanga) over those things that are important and sacred to Māori (taonga).
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Article 3 gives the legal rights enjoyed by British subjects to everyone living in New Zealand.

If you are in Wellington, you can go and see the original Te Tiriti at He Tohu in the National Library.
Is the Māori or the English text the real Treaty of Waitangi?
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Te Tiriti was written and debated in te reo Māori and for 8 of the 9 sheets te reo version was signed by Governor Hobson (or his proxy) and the Rangatira Māori. Only 39 out of over 520 signatories signed the English version.

You can read the full text in Māori and English translations.

In multilingual treaties worldwide there may be translation errors, ambiguities or deliberate differences. This can lead to arguments about the obligations and rights of the treaty partners.

All languages in a multilingual treaty are equal. However, international law uses the contra proferenem principle when a contract is ambiguous.

This rules against the party who wrote the document (in this case the British Crown) requiring them to provide clear language.
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Where the differences between texts are fundamental, tribunals are often asked to interpret the agreement.
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This is where our Waitangi Tribunal is crucial in interpreting Te Tiriti.

The Tribunal has been legislated to look at both the English and te reo Māori texts.
What is a treaty? Is it a law?

A treaty is not a law, but it is legally binding. Treaties are governed by international law. A treaty can be altered, but both partners must agree.
New Zealand has been part of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties since 1970.
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New Zealand Treaties Online (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade) has the official record of all our binding treaty obligations. The Treaty of Waitangi is listed as B1840/04.

Treaties may be bilateral or multilateral, but they can never be unilateral. That would be a declaration. There is no Declaration of Waitangi.
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Some people see Te Tiriti as a bilateral agreement between the British Crown and Rangatira Māori, others see it as a multilateral agreement between the Crown and over 500 Māori political authorities.

Treaties do not have an expiration date.

What are the Treaty Principles?

The notes from the Treaty of Waitangi Act describes it as, "An Act to provide for the observance, and confirmation, of the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi by establishing a Tribunal to make recommendations on claims relating to the practical application of the Treaty and to determine whether certain matters are inconsistent with principles of the Treaty."

The Tribunal was tasked with identifying and considering the fundamental principles underlying the agreement of the Treaty, not just the text itself.

The first principles that were recognised are often called the three Ps - partnership, protection and participation.

The principles have been refined and updated over the past 50 years to reflect the changes in New Zealand society.

These core principles have been recognised by the courts, in legislation, and in Waitangi Tribunal reports over the past 50 years:

Active protection

Article 2 of the treaty guarantees Māori can organise as iwi and manage their own resources within our government framework. Safeguarding a resource base, realising Māori aspirations, and actively protecting taonga are part of recognising tino rangatiratanga.

Equity

This requires the Crown to commit to achieving equitable outcomes for Māori, for example in health, education and employment. All New Zealanders are equal under the law, free from discrimination. Equity differs from equality. Equity is when everyone can benefit equally from living in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Mutual benefit

Tangata Whenua and Tangata Tiriti signed the Treaty/te Tiriti both expecting to benefit from the arrangement. Mutual benefit requires the needs of both partners to be met, and the rights and values of both to be honoured. Getting this balance right may involve some compromises.

Participation and options

The Crown accepted a duty to provide Māori with viable options to participate in ways that are appropriate for their needs and circumstances, along with access to mainstream services. For example social housing on a papakāinga model where a group of houses on whenua Māori work as a community under tikanga Māori (Māori way of doing things).

Partnership

The Treaty/te Tiriti is a contract between the Crown and rangatira Māori. Both have a duty to act fairly, reasonably, honourably and in good faith towards one another, and to cooperate on major issues of common concern.

Redress

The Crown has provided a process for the resolution of grievances. Where the Treaty principles have been broken, the Crown must recognise and make amends for the wrongdoing. This might mean an apology, or compensation, or the return of land or resources.

Have your say

You can have your say by voting in your local elections.
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Local elections in 2025 will elect members of city, district and regional councils. Each local council runs its own local election.
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These will run from 9 September to 11 October 2025.

You need to make sure you are enrolled to vote on either the Māori or general roll.

Check out the Electoral Commission website for more information.

You can also make your voice heard by writing to your local MP.

If you want to send an old-fashioned paper letter to an MP, it's free. Use this address:
‍Freepost Parliament,
Private Bag 18 888,
Parliament Buildings, Wellington 6160.

Send a message to your MP

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Frequently Asked Questions

Here we answer some of the questions not answered above.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is He Whakaputanga?
In 1835, five years before Te Tiriti, 52 Rangatira Māori signed He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni/the Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand.

He Whakaputanga is the official Declaration of Independence and sovereignty of Māori. It is our first constitutional document. It was not nullified by Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
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Concerned about foreigners coming here, a confederation of northern Rangatira (Te Whkakameinenga o ngā Hāpu o Nu Tireni) made a signed declaration asserting the country's independence and stating that they held soverign power and authority.
The document was sent to Britain, where King William VI formally acknowledged Māori authority and the idenpendence of New Zealand. The British Crown registered the first official flag, Te Kara.

‍What does the Waitangi Tribunal do?
The Waitangi Tribunal was set up in 1975 under the Treaty of Waitangi Act. It is a permanent Commission of Inquiry, and its role is to examine claims of breaches of Te Tiriti.
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At first it only looked at contemporary claims, but since 1985 the Tribunal can also investigate historical claims, back to 1840. The Tribunal cannot make laws, it can only make recommendations to the government for things like compensation, redress and apology. The government usually takes the Tribunal's recommendations. The Tribunal must look at both the English and the Māori text.

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