Former Treaty minister Chris Finlayson slams Act’s Treaty referendum idea

Chris Finlayson, the former minister for Treaty of Waitangi negotiations and attorney-general, and political commentator Matthew Hooton agree on one point – the National-led Government should not support the Act Party’s Treaty referendum.

Finlayson, who held those key portfolios under former National Party leader Sir John Key, and NZ Herald columnist Hooten, a political analyst and advisor, said the Act Party’s desire for a referendum would derail years of good faith bargaining and empower weirdos.

“It will bring out of the woodwork the sort of people who used to write to me and say, ‘why don’t you get cancer?’, ‘how dare you give property rights to people above their station’ or, as sometimes even happens now walking along Lambton Quay, someone will call me a ‘Māori-loving c***’,” Finlayson told current affairs host Moana Maniapoto on Te Ao with Moana.

The former politician’s unvarnished warning comes in the wake of the coalition Government’s pledge to introduce a Treaty Principles Bill. The Act Party is proposing that the Treaty principles should be put to a referendum.

Political commentator Matthew Hooton – a respected commentator with ties to both Act and National – agrees.

“The principles of the Treaty were put into legislation to the disadvantage of Māori because the risk was that if the Māori text was taken as authoritative, then the Crown’s not sovereign…,” Hooten said.

“You do not want to put the words ‘tino rangatiratanga’ into statute.”

Finlayson and Hooten describe the proposed Treaty Principles Bill as “radical”.

The five principles under consideration include:

1. Kāwanatanga – the principle that the Government has the right to govern and make laws.

2. Rangatiratanga – the right of iwi to control the resources they own.

3. Equality – all New Zealanders are equal under the law.

4. Co-operation – there must be co-operation between the Government and iwi on big issues of common concern.

5. Redress – that the Government acts responsibly to provide a process to resolve Treaty grievances.

Act is committed to replacing and rewriting those principles.

Te Ao with Moana returned for another season last week with an exploration of Waitangi Day and looked at the vocal expression of Māori fear and anger over proposed reviews of the Treaty, the Waitangi Tribunal and Act’s possible referendum.

Te Ao with Moana – Whakaata Maori, 8pm.