In November 2000, former Prime Minister David Lange stated:
“Democratic government can accommodate Maori political aspiration in many ways… What it cannot do is acknowledge the existence of a separate sovereignty. As soon as it does that, it isn’t a democracy. We can have a democratic form of government or we can have indigenous sovereignty. They can’t coexist and we can’t have them both.”
He specifically warned about the Treaty of Waitangi:
“The treaty is a wonderful stick for activists to beat the rest of us with.” He described it as “a source of alternative authority – the basis of a self-perpetuating industry in academic and legal circles” and he made the point that “many on the left of politics who sympathise with Maori aspiration have identified with the cause of the treaty, either not knowing or not caring that its implications are profoundly undemocratic.”
Twenty-four years later, the battle for democracy is still raging as the Coalition Government defends Parliamentary sovereignty against attack by tribal leaders – along with their allies in the judiciary, the media, academia and State sector – who are using a ‘weaponized’ version of the Treaty to advance Maori sovereignty.
While the Treaty of Waitangi was a contract that established the Queen as our Sovereign, protected private property rights, and gave Maori the same rights and privileges of British citizenship as every other New Zealander, activists have reinvented it as a partnership with the Crown.
This false narrative is being used by tribal leaders to bully and coerce their way into positions of power and control, demanding co-governance and special rights.
As one of the world’s oldest continuous democracies, let’s remind ourselves of how we have reached this point where our democratic rights are being eroded, and control of our society is being incrementally passed into the hands of sovereignty activists.
New Zealand’s journey to democracy was long and slow.
It began in 1769 at a time when European countries were building empires, claiming and colonising lands all over the globe. After a British mission to record the transit of Venus from Tahiti, Captain James Cook was sent south in search of ‘Terra Australis’ – an undiscovered continent thought to lie in the South Pacific.
As a result of instructions to chart any land he discovered and claim it for Great Britain, in the name of His Majesty King George III, Captain Cook took formal possession of New Zealand on 15 November 1769 at Mercury Bay, and New South Wales on 22 August 1770 at Possession Island.
In 1788, when Britain established the colony of New South Wales under the commission of Captain Arthur Phillip as Governor, the jurisdiction not only covered the entire eastern coast of Australia but also New Zealand.
The relationship was formalised in 1839, when Britain officially extended the colony of New South Wales to include New Zealand.
This set the scene for the appointment of Captain William Hobson as Lieutenant Governor, with the mission of obtaining sovereignty over New Zealand for Britain.
The signing of the Treaty of Waitangi by 43 chiefs on 6 February 1840, ceding sovereignty to Queen Victoria, set the scene for a proclamation of British sovereignty over New Zealand by Governor Hobson on 21 May 1840: the North Island on the basis of cession through the Treaty, and South and Stewart Islands by right of discovery.
A charter establishing New Zealand as a separate colony ruled by a Governor representing the Queen was issued on 16 November 1840, stipulating that New Zealand would cease to be part of New South Wales on 1 July 1841.
Growing calls from settlers for self-government led to the British Parliament passing New Zealand’s first Constitution Act in 1846, followed by a second in 1852. This led to our first general election in 1853 and the establishment of our New Zealand Parliament on 24 May 1854.
We remained a British Colony until 1907, when we became a Dominion, then a Realm of the British Commonwealth. Ties with Britain’s Parliament continued until 1986, and with their Courts until 2003.
From the day Captain Cook first set foot on New Zealand soil it was just a matter of time until we became part of the British Empire. The claim by Britain, the annexing to New South Wales, the signing of the Treaty, the proclamation of British sovereignty, the establishment of Parliament and our independence from Britain, have all been part of our journey to democracy and nationhood.
While the Treaty was an important step along the way, that’s all it was. Signing the Treaty was not even necessary for the proclamation of British sovereignty over the South Island.
In other words, while the Treaty is part of our history, it is not our future.
Yet that’s what Maori sovereignty activists are trying to change. They want it to dominate – not the real Treaty, of course, but the weaponized version they claim means the country belongs to them.
Undermining a nation is not easy, and over the years tribal activists have had many attempts.
In 2011, the Maori Party sought to overturn the sovereignty of Parliament through a Constitutional Review that attempted to enshrine their radicalised Treaty and give unelected Judges the power to strike down any laws passed by Parliament that did not advance tribal interests.
Fortunately, the public rejected a new written constitution based on the Treaty so overwhelmingly, that this approach has not been attempted again.
Undeterred, the strategy of the separatists has become more covert.
Under cover of enacting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, Jacinda Ardern’s Labour Government introduced He Puapua after the 2020 election to embed tribal rule, without any mandate from the New Zealand public.
Government agencies were infiltrated with new staff hired to promote their bogus Treaty partnership. And the Office of Maori Crown Relations – a public service agency with 200 staff established in collaboration with tribal leaders – drove the agenda to ensure the weaponized Treaty not only dominates the State Sector, but also private sector organisations regulated or funded by government.
To prevent media scrutiny, Labour introduced a $55 million Public Interest Journalism Fund (which the NZ On Air website states will run “until January 2026”) requiring recipients to promote Treaty partnership propaganda.
They also fast-tracked the radicalisation of the justice system through appointments like Justice Joe Williams, the former head of the Maori Land Court and the Waitangi Tribunal, to the Court of Appeal in 2017, then the Supreme Court in 2019.
Along with others on the Supreme Court bench, Justice Williams has been at the forefront of the ‘decolonisation’ movement, not only introducing Maori custom or tikanga into the common law, but proactively promoting its inclusion in legal training. Given the ethereal nature of tikanga, the effect has been to remove certainty, predictability, and clarity from the law, fundamentally subverting the Rule of Law, which is a cornerstone of democracy itself.
Fortunately, some well-regarded legal professionals are now fighting back and calling on Parliament and the Government to take action.
King’s Counsel Gary Judd has taken a complaint against the compulsory teaching of tikanga to law students from 2025 to Parliament’s Regulations Review Committee. He has asked them to disallow this new regulation promoted by the New Zealand Council of Legal Education:
“If a member of this Committee moves a resolution to disallow the regulations, and Parliament adopts the resolution, it will send a signal to the judiciary and to the legal and academic establishments that Parliament is sovereign and that parliament not the judiciary has the constitutional authority to make and unmake the laws of New Zealand.”
And this week’s NZCPR Guest Commentator, Roger Partridge, the Chairman of the New Zealand Initiative and a former Head of Bell Gully, is calling on the Coalition to rein in activist Judges and restore the supremacy of Parliament:
“We stand at a constitutional crossroads. Will we allow our Supreme Court to continue its drift towards judicial supremacy? Or will Parliament act to restore the proper balance? The choice is clear. In our democracy, voters – through their elected representatives – should have the final say in shaping our laws, not unaccountable judges. It is time for Parliament to act.”
Roger suggests five ways the Coalition could restrict judicial activism, including: “When judges overstep, Parliament’s most direct response is with targeted legislation. The Government has recently taken this approach with its proposal to ‘clarify’ the Marine and Coastal Area Act. The proposal responds to controversial court rulings that have stretched the meaning of ‘exclusive’ and ‘continuous use’ beyond Parliament’s original intent. It sends a clear message: Parliament is still the supreme lawmaker in New Zealand.”
In this case, the judiciary ignored the key test in the law set by Parliament to ensure tribal claims only succeeded in remote areas of the coastline, arguing instead the inclusion of the Treaty and ‘tikanga’ in the law means Maori should control the coast.
In response, the Coalition has issued an Amendment Bill which they hope to pass by Christmas, tightening up the main test, which requires applicants to have had held their claimed area continuously and “exclusively” since 1840.
However, it appears the Bill will not stop activist judges from continuing to ignore Parliament by attempting to sidestep the new provisions and again open up a pathway for the hundreds of tribal groups that lodged opportunistic claims for customary title to succeed.
An example has emerged in a recently released Court Minute for a case scheduled for early next year. In this instance, two applicants filed claims in 2017 for a Customary Marine Title for the same stretch of coastline, stating that they and they alone had occupied the area “exclusively” and “continuously” since 1840.
The Coalition’s new requirements in the Amendment Bill would likely rule them out since it’s impossible for multiple claimants to occupy the same area “exclusively”.
However, seemingly to get around the new law, the claimants are now planning to “amalgamate their applications” into a single new application in the name of a yet-to-be-decided new entity, seeking a single Customary Marine Title for the area, which they intend to divvy up later.
Amalgamating multiple overlapping applications into new ones not only makes a mockery of the Marine and Coastal Area Act’s strict 6-year deadline for the lodging of claims, but also the Coalition’s efforts to fortify the “exclusive” test in their new law.
Furthermore, if this new claim is allowed, it would send a signal to hundreds of competing applicants to amalgamate their overlapping claims, and leave arguments about dividing up the spoils until after they gain title!
Such a move would render the Coalition’s Amendment Bill ineffective in stopping tribal control of the New Zealand’s entire coastline.
This latest development should serve as a warning to the Coalition that not only should amalgamated Marine and Coastal Area Act applications lodged after the 3 April 2017 deadline be specifically ruled out by the Amendment Bill, but given the hundreds of claims in the pipeline, mandatory review periods should be introduced into the legislation to enable on-going checks to ensure judges are delivering what Parliament intended, not creating novel ways to circumvent the intention of the law.
Without a doubt, as David Lange warned, the Maori sovereignty agenda represents a real threat to New Zealand’s future. Earlier this month the Solicitor-General issued new Prosecution Guidelines for 2025 in which she advised prosecutors to “think carefully” before prosecuting a perpetrator – if they are “Maori”.
The response from Attorney-General Judith Collins was swift: “We’re very clear that all New Zealanders should be treated equally before the law. People need to be held accountable for their actions, regardless of their background.”
While the guidelines were promptly withdrawn, what this incident highlights is the scale of the challenge faced by the Coalition as the defend New Zealand’s democracy from the constant attack of radicals now firmly entrenched within our institutions as well as our political system.
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THIS WEEK’S POLL ASKS:
*Do you agree with former Prime Minister David Lange that modern interpretations of the Treaty of Waitangi are “profoundly undemocratic”?
*Poll comments are posted below.
*All NZCPR poll results can be seen in the Archive.
THIS WEEK’S POLL COMMENTS
| The chiefs who signed in 1840 would also have said that modern interpretations of the treaty are not what they understood. | Allan |
| The modern interpretation of the Treaty is in favour of. Maori sovereignty rather than parliamentary control | Dorothy |
| Complete Rubbish | Brian |
| YES, it’s way passed time to STOP all this Maori Treaty BULLSHIT and just get on and pull there heads in and learn to get on with others and if you want something out of life, then get a job work hard save up and buy what you want like the rest of us have had to do. Stop all the wining and bitching about i want this and i want that, if you have not paid for it in cash or bank transfer or some legal tender with written prof then you DON’T own it so SHUT THE HELL UP. | COLIN |
| I agree fully. | Simon |
| One nation One People, whats so hard to under stand? Greed and power warped with intense evil will distort the truth. | Alan |
| What part of ‘ceed sovereignty’ is it that is not understood? | Mark |
| The treaty gave sovereignty not partnership | Garth |
| totally agree with this whole article | leo |
| The 3 Articles of Te Tiriti that match the final ‘Littlewood’ draft are as clear as day. | Darag |
| There is no reason why this National/ ACT/ NZ First Coalition should be obliged to defend Parliamentary sovereignty against attack by those advancing Maori sovereignty. The Democratically-elected Coalition Government MUST go ahead and enact its manifesto regardless of opposition just like Jacinda and her loony Cabinet did for 6 years. They have the majority and therefore the power to pass and enact ANY law without interference from any body except the Supreme Court. The Coalition just needs to do what it promised the majority of New Zealanders it would do i.e. 1) reject and reverse all and any legislation that the Ardern Cabinet lied about and unashamedly forced through 2) de-establish Maori influence in primary and secondary education that parents have been obliged or forced into tolerating. Pakeha parents in particular have a valid interest in, and duty to, require their own European culture and heritage to be taught and celebrated FIRST AND FOREMOST in school. PM Luxon must take the initiative and LEAD from the front to remove all elements of positive racism from our education system, our news media, our health system and society in general. The Waitangi Tribunal and the Supreme Court must be brought back into line to represent the wishes of the majority of New Zealanders instead of aggressive anti-Democratic tribal elders. | Phil |
| Years of solicited power grabbing needs to stop | Hugh |
| The present “interpretations” apart from being undemocratic, have attempted to turn NZ into an Ethno-State and a slide back into tribalism. Totally unacceptable. | Laurence |
| Yes, for once Labour got one thing right The modern invented tribal BS is about as undemocratic as it gets ITS TRIBAL – the two are not compatible. E V E R | Carolyn |
| Absolutely ! | Craig |
| Get rid of the corrupt judicial system judges and we will have a fair go at this. | Sky |
| and against an sane interpretation of a democracy. | Lionel |
| Absolutely, democracy does not allow this to happen | Jeffrey |
| It would appear the Treaty of Waitangi document is being manipulated through “word salads” to mean precisely the opposite to what was intended. | Karen |
| I’m sick of hearing about this terrible treaty nonsense. Burn the thing as soon as possible, and let’s get on with some positive forward thinking | Don |
| Not very often I agree with Labour politictions but in this case I definitely do!! | Sid |
| Sadly, such wisdom seems to be lost to the current political evironment and its practisioners. | Laurie |
| In the true sense of our Anglo western style democratic governing system then yes the new interpretations don’t fit the parameters of New Zealand’s current governing democracy. There certainly is no allowance for a partnership arrangement in the treaty. There is however, the underhanded disgraceful behavior of changing the meaning of the original words used in the treaty so as to attempt to lead to interpretations that simply are not the true meaning of the original treaty document. What is going on now is just plain bulling nonsensical shenanigans which requires to be confronted in a strong but respectful manner for the sake of the future New Zealand being a cohesive, co-operative and harmonious nation. Where all it’s people can achieve the pursuit of happiness and prosperity on the principles of us all being on equal terms with the prospect of fulfilling and successful living according to each citizen’s innate capabilities. | Garry. |
| NZ, in its own way faces a battle as serious and divisive as that facing the USA after the upcoming election | Alwyn |
| Absolutely they are | Julie |
| the so called ‘principles ‘are contrived to assist maori in robbing the taxpayers. in an ongoing basis | bruce |
| All activist judges should be removed from the benches. | Sven |
| Being amended to suit the occasions. | Graham |
| It is time to acknowledge the treaty as part of our history, put it in the past, and move on to fully embrace being a modern DEMOCRATIC nation | Bruce |
| There is only one Sun in the Sky. | Glenn |
| Not only undemocratic they are based on falsifications. | Bryan |
| Some NZ judges should be locked up for treason. | David |
| Yes. | Pamela |
| Let’s just get on with keeping things real | Cath |
| The TOW is a historical document that’s overriding statement is “We are One People. One thing that will start a civil war in this country is not shutting all the treaty nonsense once & for all. | NIGEL |
| Totally undemocratic | Jon |
| Agree 100% | carolyn |
| Yes he goot it right,, and yet this last Labour Government did not lidten to their own historical position. | Robbie |
| What is the definition of democracy nowadays? | Doris |
| Only the Crown had the experience to draft a treaty so the original copy must be in English and the Maori version a best attempt with a limited vocabulary. | Paul |
| It is almost too late – the Coalition Govt must revert to Clark’s seabed and foreshore decision, rein in the judiciary, academia and the media. Otherwise we slide into tribalism and it won’t be able to be undone. | Natalie |
| Hope COMMON SENSE prevails. One country- One people | colin |
| Absolutely totally!! Claims being made are intended to advance Maori governance demands. | Colin |
| Totally | Sheila |
| YES , get rid of this crap !!! Unfortunately the perversion of all things treaty by these quarter cast mongrels has deep roots, removing it will be tough there will be blood in the streets before its finished , the politicians know this and are running scared. We as New Zealanders will have to fight hard if we are to save our country from ruin. | GLYN J |
| Yes, he was correct. | Kyle |
| he was right | noel |
| his foresight has proved accurate and we need to continue to fight this continuing threat to destabilise our country | Mike |
| absolutely | gale |
| That is a fallacy promoted by the greedy tribal elite. Self interest very much to the fore! | John |
| Oh,for sure Mate. | Mark |
| The Treaty is being hijacked to suit todays tribal leaders secure an unreasonable undemocratic status in NZ’s law. | Chris |
| The Treaty is being used to give a minority a weapon to damage the democratic basis of our country’s laws. | Paloma |
| I agree with Lange, having two sovereign entities in NZ can never work. One person, one vote and everybody in NZ treated equally. Anything else is undemocratic and won’t work. | Dwane |
| If the radical Maori’s will not accept the fact that all New Zealanders should be treated equally they should jump in their Waaka’s and take off to the Chattams where the Maori Ori had to flee to to escape being wiped out and eaten by their ancestors. | Roger |
| The original treaty gave all New Zealanders equal rights under the law. New interpretations are clearly in breach of that promise and therefor undemocratic. This situation cannot be allowed to take root and flourish. | Wayne |
| Looks like my calling for patriots to unite & fight back was a bit too strong for dear Muriel. Endless preaching to the converted will not save our democracy or majority NZ from tribal rule. | Johnny |
| absolutely | gerard |
| #A stick to beat the rest of us with.# How profound. We need to use it as the normal Kiwis battle cry seeking retention of democracy | Richard |
| I can see that this Coalition Govt has a huge task ahead to reign in these radical maori activists so as to keep control of Democracy in NZ. the previous Govt have been deliberately deceitful & deceptive in ways not experienced by the NZ public probably in all our political history & all this maorification nonsense MUST STOP NOW…! | Bruce |
| a man of integrity | howard |
| The real problem is not so much the ridiculous claims being made by various grifters, but the idiots on positions of (clearly unearned) power that entertain or approve them. | Russ |
| Biased and untrusty. | David |
| The Labour Party under Jacinda Ardern lit the match for the destruction of democracy in this country along with hatred, division and bitterness. | Jan |
| Same old arguments, let’s all be as one. | Murray |
| I have thought for some years that the judiciary is corrupt, this only reinforces my contempt for the lot. | Rob |
| The Treaty Priciples Bill needs to become law, and the Waitangi Tribunal needs to be eliminated. | James |
| Yes, Agree but it is incredulous the said Government and follow-up Govts failed to disband the TOW or narrow claims back to 1975, remove maori seats post MMP, plus pass laws to secure a solid Democracy excluding any mention of TOW since it is a redundant Document, pull up the Judiciary immediately when required, therefore it should not be a surprise power/control and Sovereignty is seriously weakened. Politicians failed to Govern to secure democracy. Appeasing a radical minority spells weakness and lack of courage. Sadly the Coalition continues continues down the same path. We voted for change. | Sam |
| Lange showed wisdom with respect to the danger the Treaty poses to democracy. Helen Clark showed wisdom with her Foreshore & Seabed Act. Where has all the wisdom gone? | Wendy |
| Stop trying to interpret The Treaty and get on with leading a united country into future prosperity. | Alan |
| colour blind is the only way forward | Brian |
| The manhad a wisdom and a vision none of our current politicians seem to have | John |
| T.O.W needs to be thrown away. Causes of so much unrest. Maori party needs to be removed from parliament for attempting a coup to overthrow our government. And tamahares daughter should face charges of sedition and be jailed along with all the corupt judges making up their own laws. | Kevan |
| never trusted the man but he had the right idea in this matter, but when the most hated woman in nz took over and she licked the un mob backside that all went out the window and now the senior judiciary are now doing the same, bastards should all be charged with treason and jailed with hard labor | Richard |
| You’ve outlined how our nation evolved & some aspects of the tribal insurgents takeover plans. So what? If you’re against the maori ethno-nationalist power grab then what are going to do about it? This is war, you won’t defeat them & save our democracy by throwing a few words around, so get real. True patriots unite & fight back when their nations sovereignty, constitution & values are threated. | Johnny |
| Very slow response from The Coalition! Nip the whole mess in the bud and act festively!! | Ray |
| I suppose I will be called a colonial racist. | Frank |
| The judiciary should be an impartial body without bias to anyone and defending the rules of law. | Alastair |
| Absolutely and there is so many untruths being stated by the radical maori | Russ |
| Yes, I did agree with him. This movie, has been running for a while now, and starts to become rather annoying, and I don’t like the way it ends….. | david |
| Most definitely. His statement also demonstrates how far Labour have wandered from the path of what is right for all New Zealand | David |
| The radical Maori lovers in NZ are trying in every way possible to undermine democracy. We must prevent this from hapening | Andrew |
| P.M. Lange, was a good P.M , he stood for Labour when they were the party of Integrity. Sadly, the present labour lot do not stand for ordinary Kiwis, anymore, and have become a rabid racist party,they may not ever be elected, due to the train-wreck Ardern and her lot left….an installed W.E.F /UN puppet….best forgotten…. | david |
| Yes, I agree David Lange’s comments are profoundly correct OTHERWISE any other way to easily change even Treaty agreements would like lead to total anarchy, just as happened in other countries where base laws were changed at the whim of radical activists. Weak vote (and probably money) chasing politicians are often easy picking for staunch activists! | Stuart |
| There is absolutuely no question that the Treaty of Waitangi has been hijacked by self interested Maori radicals. Maori absolutely ceded sovereignty for protection & British citizenship in 1840, otherwise they would have wiped themselves out with their tribal wars. The Maori radicals continue to twist the truth to their own advantage, this has to stop! | Greg |
| Absolutely. The Treaty should play no part in our lives today. It was a simple document of long ago. Also, the Waitangi Tribunal needs to be dissolved immediately. It has no place in today’s world. We need to restore our democracy and stop going on about race. We are all supposed to be treated the same and any special treatment should be based on need, not race. Rule a line under the past and lets proceed forward for everyone. | Helen |
| most certainly | Colin |
| This ongoing attack on NZ’s democracy has to be stopped..even if it means creating a legal avenue to remove these evil judges. | Peter |
| This nonsense has gone on for far too long and has to be stopped in the best interest of New Zealand. Get rid of these greedy stupid Maori | Tom |
| Your article says it all. It has become a power takeover that’s all | John |
| And David Lange was a lefty but we cant help but agree with him | Evan |
| time to start executing the treasonous? | chris |
| Lange hit the nail on the head. The sooner NZ adopts his position the better. | Ronmac |
| “Maori sovereignty” and “decolonisation” are recipes for catastrophe for NZ! | Colin |
| Sir Apirana Ngata nailed it with his interpretation -all the latest ones are absolute BULLSHIT -the whole treaty gravy train needs to be DISBANDED TOTALLY | lesW |
| The ‘Modern Versions of the Treaty of Waitangi have come straight from a Sewage Plant and should be treated as such.. Once again , certain Corporations, who don’t pay Tax, craving for more Power with their delusional, dystopian, Politically disruptive Agendas !! They all need to find a Taxidermist !! | Geoff |
| It’s about time we moved on as a nation – a united nation! Where we act as one | Kerin |
| Racism has to be taken out of our democracy. For Te Pati Maori to state that they hate Pakeha – that is racism | Warren |
| If the new meanings were democratic, they wouldn’t be pursuing as would give no advantage to them, which they seem fiercely intent on getting. | Steve |
| The so called “treaty” should be consigned to the dustbin of history | Peter |
| It is apartheid | Mike |
| I only wish that National and Paul Goldsmith would take swift action and return the seabed and foreshore back to Crown ownership and stop these M%u0101ori scum bags in their tracks. | ken |
| We either operate as a democracy or we do not. The Maori either join and accept the NZ Democracy or they don’t . | Pierre |
| absolutely! | Ann |
| Yes… it beats anything Hans Christian Anderson or the Brothers Grimm wrote, If the Master Race minority get on a run with that lot there is going to be TROUBLE. God Defend New Zealand. | Bruce |
| No interpretations are required, the Maori version was a translation of the Littlewood (Hobson’s) draft. National and the other coalition partners must stop messing around/appeasing and step up to stop all this nonsense in its tracks and with speed! | Doug |
| You cannot have two separate systems of government, especially one based on race. Who wants to go back to a tribal system what a joke. | Allan |
| The treaty was only meant to last until a democratic government was elected. | Alan |
| A very well written article, which completely supports the feelings held by myself and many of my collegues.. | Colin |
| Rise above artificially created divisions – we are each and every one of us first and foremost human beings | Cliff |
| The reinterpretation of the Treaty of Waitangi needs to be profoundly rejected and urgently for the sake of the nation. | Peter |
| And everyone knows it is undemocratic, but it is ignored to suit their agenda. | Gail |
| It is sickening to see how democracy is being subverted by vested interest radicals aided and abetted by a woke judiciary. Not the New Zealand I grew up in. | Allan |
| As Maori no longer exist as a race, since I understand that there is no pure Maori left. Those whose choose to identify are false. | Michael |
| One country one people equal rights for all | Jan |
| I do agree with Lange, in that the Waitangi tribunal has absolutely become a source of alternative authority, the basis of a self-perpetuating industry in academic and legal circles & is well past its use by date. The sooner National get onboard with ACT & NZ First & consigned the Tribunal to the past the better for all Kiwi’s & the country. | John |
| The population seems to agree and are already voting with their feet. Sure we can leave the country to the half Maori/white mix but it will do them no good with the economic collapse that follows and the collapse of Western institutional processes. What “Maori” don’t realise is that there are lovely parts of the world all over and the population of Western oriented people will be accepted in most places. After all NZ is nothing but a couple of islands at the end of the earth struggling to make a living. That is something for our Government to keep foremost in their minds also. Perhaps it will open the gate for invasion/influence from other parts of the globe. China seems to come to mind. Maori should look at Maori leadership and decide what really influences them. | Terry |
| The gradual but definite attack by activists on New Zealanders democratic rights is frightening. We need our politicians to protect the rights of all New Zealanders – new and old alike. | Susan |
| The democratic rights of every law-abiding New Zealand citizen is being challenged in favour of an extreme radical group and their socialist supporters. | Martin |
| Those wanting seperate govt have to be arrested as they are wanting revolt | Colin |
| I believe they are blatantly racist based on falsehoods dreamed up by Maori radicals to support their efforts for tribal rule. | Carol |
| The population seems to agree and are already voting with their feet. Sure we can leave the country to the half Maori/white mix but it will do them no good with the economic collapse that follows and the collapse of Western institutional processes. What “Maori” don’t realise is that there are lovely parts of the world all over and the population of Western oriented people will be accepted in most places. After all NZ is nothing but a couple of islands at the end of the earth struggling to make a living. That is something for our Government to keep foremost in their minds also. Perhaps it will open the gate for invasion/influence from other parts of the globe. China seems to come to mind. Maori should look at Maori leadership and decide what really influences them. | Terry |
| Tikanga being forced doen the throats of everyone is not democratic at all | hilary |
| NZ has been going to “the weeds” for over a decade. A sad situation where minorities, inept, and clearly illiterate politicians, academic idiots have convinced a “Minority” of their righteousness. | CHARLES |
| I don’t think the activists know what a democracy is. The media is of no help. They push the left agenda. | Elizabeth |
| Make an urgent change back to the original intention of the law | Ian |
| Scandalous | Lindsay |
| David Lange was right. Maori “Elite” are doing their utmost to destroy our Nation and Democracy in New Zealand. | Valerie |
| lange grew up & put patriotism b4 communism. almost exclusively todays parliament put totalitarianism before- WELL before- patriotism | mark |
| I absolutely concur with every point raised, even with pre-1840 history discussed, although forbidden in some quarters. Through all this though, it concerns many that we find our present Prime Minister sitting on the fence, unwilling to support real democracy. | Gary |
| A master stroke finding and printing the David Lange warning. Bit by bit day by day there is a communal building up of a “war-chest” of words and facts against the activist. | Peter |
| Absolutely – and deliberate deception. My close Maori friend used the word cunning – Over the years I had only tucked the description, away without any reason to consider it – The radicals have now revealed its meaning. | Maurice |
| Media in NZ needs an enema | anthony |
| Yes, he was correct. Totally undemocratic. | Kylie |
| very undemocratic and in most cases a total fabrication | john |
| he got it right, for once | Giles |
| That’s putting it mildly! | Scott. |
| Absolutely, but this is of no, or very little, interest to the average citizen who, like the frog, is unaware of the slow, but steady, rising temperature and will be astounded to wake up one morning to a tribal take-over made possible by their own apathy and indifference. This racist cultism must be nipped in the bud. | Francis |
| The sooner it goes to the history books instead of destroying or democracy and or future as New Zealand. Close down The Treaty of Waitangi tribunal. | Jackie |
| Self explanatory to anyone with a sense of values and common sense. | Gary |
| put it into History | Bill |
| It is incredible and sad that so many of the judiciary, academia, media and state sector are supporting and promoting the undemocratic and false revisionist narratives about the Treaty of Waitangi. | Alister |
| We are all immigrants to NZ and as such, should be treated equally in all aspects of the law. Maori are not indigenous as there were other settlers here before them (Mori Ori etc). | Selwyn |
| Anyone who doesn’t recognise that NZ is in the grip of Apartheid is seriously misguided. The parallels are astonishing to me and I know, having grown up in Apartheid South Africa as a politically aware person. If it walks like a duck.. | Geoffrey |
| times 100 | Murray |
| A “no brainer” Time to tell the activists enough is enough! | Rex |
| We are all one people, and not reconised by racial birth. | Robert |
| This government needs to act quickly to stop this drip feeding of hard-earned cash sacrificed by the citizens of NZ. Problem is-Maori & judiciary don’t want it to stop. | Judith |
| Vey much so . put it back to the 1922 statement by Sir APIRANA NGATA | Rob |
| AS soon as John Key signed NZ up to UNDRIP then NZ became undemocratic on a formal basis as it states one race can self-determine in priority to all others. | Bob |
| It’s RACIALLY provocative and will create civil unrest which leads to civil disobedience. | Roger |
| Absolutely Yes | Rochelle |
| Lange had an honest motivation as a Labour leader. The current left are overrun with fanatics and power crazies who will do anything to screw up New Zealand. | Mike |
| One country, one system for all | Raymond |
| It is vital that ‘we get onto’ this matter. | JUDITH |
| Parliamentary sovereignty must be the over riding rule for the governing body in New Zealand. | Dennis |
| About the only subject I do agree with David | Warren |
| Yes he was correct. It’s all become a scam | bruce |
| Go back to the original intent of the Treaty which established British sovereignty in New Zealand, and gave (in a very unusual move in those days) British citizenship to all Maori inhabitants. There was nothing about “co-government”. | Laurence |
| No doubt about this. Lange was correct in his summation. | neville |
| i am praying that this government will get this country back on track | Barry |
| One law for all of us. If the courts look to extend this then parliament MUST Over-rule by laws which clarify the original intentions of parliament. | Mike |
| Dangerous Maori would be dictators lurk in the wings. They must be thwarted before NZ collapses into a Third World dung hole run by ignorant bullies and thugs. As Winston Peters said in 2011, it will make NZ the Zimbabwe of the South Pacific. | John |
| Why is Labour under Ardern and now Hipkins pushing co governance? What they are really pushing is apartheid, if they think we can be 2 ruling governments | Laurine |
| “profoundly” !, an understatement. More a bastardisation, comes to mind. | Alan |
| The Treaty is a founding document for our Country but it is now 2024. Democracy prevails for all | Frank |
| The deliberated and false misinterpretation of the treaty is to further the agenda of the radical arm of our part Maori non indigenous population. Whenever something occurs with which they disagree, they clamor to say that the treaty is not being honored. It is a complete nonsense. It needs to be called out for what it is. The direction and intention of these people is undemocratic but they have little respect for others in this regard. | chris |
| I used to be so proud that in New Zealand we had a treaty that honoured all New Zealanders and their rights. What we seem to have now is a document that is being used to manipulate and seed in endless possibilities for inequality. I This this is a tragedy. | Patricia |
| Absolutely – the Maori do not agree with democracy – they are tribal. As tribal leaders retain ultimate power, democracy is totally anathema to them because it would mean that they have no power. The Government must prevent Tribalism from gaining power | LAURA |
| he got it right!! | Chris |
| One law | Lindsay |
| Agree totally. One of the problems is the lie that the Treaty that is used today is the correct one — it is not !!!!! This is the one interpreted by one guy Freeman which was totally wrong but suitable for Maori agendas. It was included as the correct one in the Treaty of Waitangi Act 2005 by one Matiu Rata— this is when problems started and NEW ZEALAND began to fall apart. I am glad I am elderly and not having to face a treacherous future here in NEW ZEALAND. (NOT Aotearoa) | Alan |
| Lefty. | Mark |
| Unquestionably. | David |
| Until the Treaty is consigned to the bin New Zealand will NEVER be a united country. Maybe it is time for all ardent Maori supporters to take a DNA test. I think Shane Jones is very proud of his Croatian heritage. | Fiona |
| Stand firm on this principle | Ian |
| Modern attempts to reinterpret the Treaty of Waitangi are plainly false and profoundly undemocratic | Jerry |
| remove the Waitangi Tribunal from NZ .It has sadly become ,a woke rort. | Chris |
| More Maori duplicity. | Tony |
| Time for change….. | Carl |
| Absolutely not democratic | Derek |
| It’s taking a long time for the government to wake up what are they frightened of? | Peter |
| Jesus said “A house divided must fall” Next time you’re praying, ask him “does that refer to all houses or just the odd one?” | Mick |
| insanely undemocratic | Gill |
| Absolutely. T.O.W needs to be removed totally. It is a museum piece of paper only. No more, no less. Radical part maoris need to be blocked at every step. Shame they didnt put as much effort in their other ancestories | Allan |
| What David said is indisputable – requires no further comment | tony |
| Modern interpretations of the treaty use a language which did not exist in 1840. The language of the treaty was put into written form to the best understanding of the settlers at the time. It is a travesty to use modern invented language to manipulate the treaty for selfish gain. | Peter |
| Ardern and her Tribal Control elite pakehamaori radicals should not have any chance of any chance of continuing their vested interest advisors and Judges interpretations of the Treaty of Waitangi. Furthermore no influence whatsoever over our multicultural country and our democratic rights. | June |
| The recent trend is profoundly undemocratic | Bruce |
| If Lange’s statement on the TOW is ignored, then NZ’s future as a unified nation is doomed and we will slide into a third world status. | Warren |
| NZ beloncs to all NZers not maori | graeme |
| Not only he has said it! | Nev |
| They are deliberately fraudulently and dishonestly manipulated and misrepresented as necessary by Maori activists to suit their own purposes and objectives – and who have no problems with dishonouring their ancestral Tribal Chiefs who requested and signed the Treaty in good faith . These activists are TOTALLY without integrity. | Hugh |
| It is time the Treaty was set aside as it was intended to provide that all people in NZ were to be treated as equals. That is the only true democracy and what the Treaty states. | Keith |
| Will the press report this? Yeh Right | Mike |
| Lange wasn’t right about everything, but was spot on here. The Treaty is a record of history. That is where it should remain. It was signed by all parties in good faith It is now being abused by a bunch of opportunistic cowboys (and girls), Close the book. | Philip |
| Lange always spoke common sense. The modern activists have well and truly “screwed the scrum” in recent years by trying to embed their views in our “constitution”. | Robert |
| Profoundly! | Janine |
| Yes, he was right in that regard. Lets just get rid of it all together! Real democracy is the only answer. | Des |
| The Government must ensure that the original Treaty is not changed . | Norman |
| Our democracy is a precious thing. we cannot afford to let it be weakened. | Paul |
| We need a very strong voice from this Government and action. That’s why we voted for National | Heather |
| How do elite Maori lie straight when they sleep? | RICHard |
| Totally agree, despite disliking Lange. The woke maori that push the treaty are looking at the gravy train trough of money and privilege, without doing anything to earn it, just privilege. No different to the whities abusing the system now. We ordinary hard working folk are fed up with bludgers, stealing from us! | peter |
| Definitely YES. Also, the ‘tribes’ already have their grip on much of our money that should benefit their own people, but look at how many of them are dependent on State care, or housing, while the tribal elders are reaching privileged status. | Carl |
| Moari have continued to manipulate the radical left to push the partnership idea . This must be stopped. | Clive |
| We need to revisit what an actual Maori is!!! I would doubt there is any full blooded Maori left in New Zealand now???? Since 1840 the Maori population have completely become entwined into the why of life they they have now! Nobody lives the way they were before Captain Cook came on the seen!! | Les |
| It would appear that the only people who can ” tweak” the ToW, are Maori. They claim it is a ” living document”, but if any ” non-Maori” attempts a tweak, it is considered racism. | Alastair |
| i am tired of waitiung for Mr.Luxon to get down carrying his election promise of dumping he puapua. | Denis |
| The issue is obvious and David L was so correct in his interpretation. | Peter |
| TIhe 1860 Kohimarama event proved that Maori leadership had been well aware of the meanings and likely consequences of the Treaty. Modern interpretations are null and void. | Paul |
| These wild Interpretations could not have traction excepting for endorsement by the Waitangi Tribunal. Time for the Waitangi Tribunal to be dismantled and dissolved. Return any requirement directly back to Parliament and transparency. | Richard |
| Absoulity | Richard |
| 100% agree | Betty |
| One vote for elected officials regardless of ethnicity. Anything else is racist. | Peter |
| get rid of the treaty have one binding democratic government governing all new zealanders equally | john |
| He was and is right | Peter |
| Of course they are- it’s apathetic people who help this Maorification along with their ignorance of history. Our country is in great peril and we must act now to counter it. | Roger |
| We are in a battle to a democratic country | Arthur |
| The treaty was very simple and written first in English. | Merv |
| Totally undemocratic | Greg |
| Littlewood Draft needs to be brought out in the open!! | David |
| RAC EISM IS NOT ACCEPTABLE IN KIWI LAND WE ARE ALL ONE. | TERENCE |
| The radical Maori & judges are ruining what was a great country. It is no wonder that so many New Zealanders are leaving their country. If the judges do not interpret the law as Parliament intended they should be permanently removed. | David |
| Of course it is undemocratic. And our judiciary must somehow be forced to accept that. | Andy |
| So, our early history has been known, but ignored by successive governments since 1975? Instead, our successive governments allowed apartheid into our country by deliberately misrepresenting it, in fact, attempted to rewrite it. With the truth outing this deliberate apartheid agenda, the treaty being a simple nullity as Chief Justice Prendergast has stated, and with our parliament now a stand alone sovereign, this deliberate apartheid agenda should be stopped dead in its tracts and all apartheid acts and statutes removed from legislation forthwith. If not, why not? As for Lange, he was part of the apartheid agenda while in government, in fact his government turbo-charged it. He just got a guilty conscience after he left and let a little truth out. | neil |
| Yes, yes and yes | Evans |
| This must be addressed with urgency, or the end result will destroy our productivity, and the democracy we all enjoy. | Allan |
| Without a single doubt | David |
| New Zealand is at war with moari that not only don’t want to be known as New Zealanders but want to own our beautiful country. Well fk that and fk them | Glen |
| VERY undemocratic. The extremists, activists, i want its , will do A N Y T H I N G to subvert the course of justice, the TOW being just one of them. They commit treason imo There are just 3 articles in the TOW, all very clear. Maori ceded sovereignty (they never had it in the beginning anyway) We all became ONE – a New Zealander under protection of the Crown, Queen Victoria of the time and her subsequent heirs. END OF | Carolyn |
| As you have stated current Maori think they can railroad u into thinking they have every right to own NZ B.S This BS must be stopped. | Noel |
| Its simply self-serving greed pushed by a bunch of loud mouth half breeds ,wanting a New Zealand with all its European benefits and an endless supply of cash, apartheid based policies ,furthering only maori interests . Thank goodness ACT are fighting and fighting hard for us . I seriously believe the mindless Maori and bleeding heart Europeans may lead us down the road of civil disruption and possibly even war . Adern must be made to forfeit her shameless acceptance of becoming a Dame .She started all this rubbish . | Ray |
| There is a co-ordinated effort to destroy Judeo-Christian based Western civilisation. In Europe, it is Muslim mass migration. In the U.S.A it is the open boarder policy of the Democrats, and here in New Zealand, the Maori radicals have been encouraged by the John Key Nationals, and then the Ardern Marxists who almost finished the job. Unfortunately people still cling to ‘labels’, so National, led by a Key clone are consequently the major proportion of our current government. Consequently insufficient support is being given to ACT’s & NZ-Firsts efforts to reverse the apartheid that is now entrenched in our society. So don’t expect things to improve greatly in the very near future, as long as W.E.F participant Luxon is in the drivers seat. | A.G.R. |
| There is no room for tribalism in a democracy. | Peter |
| Most definitely. You don’t have to be a legal expert to understand that no person can be a partner of the crown. A dedicated supporter yes a partner no. It’s like saying a CEO is in partnership with his employees and they share the decision making, profits and mana. A glorious pipe dream in reality a myth. | Dave |
| It is so blatantly obvious to normal thinking humans | Peter |
| We cannot have two sets of laws | Roger |
| One person, one vote. All equal before law. End of story. Otherwise vigilantes will rule… | Mark |
| I’m sick of radical judges and the judiciary system, and the so-called indigenous people of this country. All I see is a mob of very greedy, people, too lazy to make it under their own steam, typical of a socialist system, you work we play, you pay. | Merryl |
| And more should be made of the Kohemarama Conference | Gerry |
| The modern interpretations can also be entirely different to the intent of the people who signed the treaty. | Donald |
| The Waitangi Tribunal is partisan. It should be dissolved. The Treaty claims should have been settled decades ago. | DAVID |
| So sick of all this scull duggery | Maree |
| now | Wiremu |
| Yes, he was correct. | Kelly |
| He may have been Labour but he did have some good ideas. The current bunch should use their majority quickly and positively to bring the Maoris and the judiciary to heel. We voted in a government to gover, not to sit back and let non elected government. | Peter |
| Yes I do. David Lange was very astute during his time as Prime minister. His own legal training stood him in good stead, there | Trevor |
| David Lange was right. | Chris |
| Obvious to probably most reading NZCPR that the position of any group dominating any of us is not democratically healthy. | Ray |
| Let’s unite for total democracy | Brendda |
| Undemocratic, absurd position taken by activists for their own benefit of power and money. | Henry |
| The subtilties of understanding the real meaning of what was agreed have been weaponized and are no longer subtleties but ‘war” | graham |
| Yes – but today there are new radical voices and widespread indoctrination has taken place via Education e.g. Anne Salmon – using convoluted arguments – holds that Te Tiriti is more democratic than democracy itself. | mary |
| When is this govt going to do what they campaigned on. To de Maorify this place. | Ian |
| Emphatially | Bruce |
| New Zealand needs to maintain is democratic principles. | Steve |
| A great orator & thinker. | Doug |
| We are supposed to be a democratic country. At the moment we are not. We must return to being a country where everyone is equal. If we fail to return to one rule for all then a civil war is inevitable. | Steve |
| We must hold on to our democracy at all cost. | Gifford |
| Very troubling | Don |
| Maori Apartheit is not democracy | Doug |
| Don’t agree with little he has said ever. His speech re uranium on the breath put back this country decades as only made the lefty lovies refuse and justify the idea of nuclear power. Australia recognises now like most other civilised countries it is the only way forward for cheap reliable power. So very hard to agree with anything Lange stated. | Mark |
| Sir Apirana Ngata was the last person to state publicly the original – and accepted at that time – terms of the Treaty | Terry |
| Very much so. We need to go back to the original Treaty and its clear meaning that ‘we are all one people’. Democracy is the only way forward for New Zealand. | Lee |
| Fire the judges that are making up law as they see fit | James |
| Yes – absolutely.!!!! To prosper we have to reject any notions of accommodating this ‘TOW’ into any policies necessary to govern our country in a meaningful way. | michael |
| His view profoundly insightful for a time such as this. | Bryan |
| While I disliked most of what David Lange represented he was indeed a man of great wisdom and a brilliant orator. | Chris |
| No question about it. | Andrew |
| They are indeed. All of the muddlement that dishonesty teases from a simple document of inclusion in 1840 obscures its simple quite understandable purpose.: to make every citizen accountable under a common law. | Alan |
| Absolutely. The Treaty is in the past and it’s time for us to look to the future and that means nothing done based on race. We are all one. File the Treaty away forever. | Helen |
| NZ has lost its way. | john |
| Very Undemocratic! | Murray |
| Stop undemocratic interpretations of the T.O.W. immediately. | Bruce |
| Of course. If one listens to Julian Batchelor of Stop Co-Governance his explanations are clear and precis. | Cookie |
| I never thought I would agree with David. Longley is allowed to go through democracy and New Zealand will not exist. | Michael |
| Equality for all citizens . | Doug |
| Absolutely | Bryan |
| As we all understand the Treaty has no standing in LAW, it so outdated and we live in 2024!! | Tony |
| And about time too. Far to much latitude has been provided to Maori Tribalism, a failed concept and a danger to democracy. | Norman |
| Unbelievable that the Treaty is still being debated and ‘new interpretations’ are contnuing to be allowed. | Janette |
| The beaches should belong to all New Zealanders. I hope the Coalition Government is taking this onboard fiercely, and not with the usual whimper when it comes to these sorts of topics!! | Marianne |
| The ToW was of its time. That time has long passed. | Grant |
| Definitely | Donald |
| David Lange was DEAD RIGHT! Maori Sovereignty and Democracy cannot exist simultaneously. We are ONE PEOPLE LIVING EQUALLY under a Democratic government. | Marshal |
| It is legally impossible to have two governments seeking to govern the same location. | John |
| Maori signed the Treaty with Great Britain as they knew the Dutch, Spanish/Portuguese would have terminated their existence here in New Zealand. After the Treaty was signed the words WE ARE ONE was quoted. | Wayne |
| As with most things these days, they get twisted around to suit the narrative and taken over by dick heads with a genders of their own. 1 people, 1 Country | John |
| The treaty was signed and agreed to by the chiefs who realized that there was a future for their people here and it must still stand today. | Chris |
| Democracy rules!! | David |
| Profoundly ! | Grahame |
| Equally for all | Ray |
| Absolutely. And historically illiterate too. | Trevor |
| Yes, most definitely and the govt needs to get off its collective arse and pass legislation to remove any reference to (the now falsified treaty) from all legislation including The TOW Act and any other laws. If National under Luxon won’t play ball NZ First and Act should leave the Coalition and withdraw their support. | Alan |
| The Treaty… has become a large weaponised club, to bash everyone with.Well past its’ used by date, and it needs to be flushed… as soon as possible! | david |
| Absolutely! The Treaty has been corrupted by activists beyond recognition and should play no part in the future of NZ! | David |
| All references to the Treaty should be removed from all legislation – except Treaty settlements. It should be relegated to a stepping stone in our history. | Murray |
| The Coalition must continue to fight back against Maori sovereignty activism. They need to make changes that will be impossible to reverse so that NZ is protected from a tribal takeover. It is shocking what these separatists are trying to do to our country. | Pauline |
| David Lange was exactly right. The Treaty is also being used to corrupt our schools, radicalising children into being ashamed of our past and indoctrinating them to see Maori and their culture as superior. It is appalling what’s going on and it needs to be stopped. | Hugh |
| Yes – removing the Treaty from ALL legislation is the only way forward for New Zealand. | Brian |