Maori Affairs

• Historical breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi would continue to be settled

• The government would affirm its sovereignty over all New Zealand citizens, who would be equal before the law and not entitled to any special treatment or consultation

• English would be used as the sole language for government communication

Treaty of Waitangi:

The Treaty of Waitangi was an unprecedented historical achievement, granting the native inhabitants the protections and responsibilities of British citizenship rather than the usual colonisation by conquest. Asked for by the Maori to protect them from the growing lawlessness, this founding document for New Zealand should be celebrated for bring two races together as equals in relative peace, while not ignoring that there were incidents in the period since that failed to live up to this ideal.

92% of the land in New Zealand was voluntarily sold by the Maori. Nowhere in the Treaty of Waitangi is there any provision that allows them any control or influence over the lands they sold, it only grants them control over lands they retained. A small percentage of land was confiscated as punishment for rebellions started by the Maori, although most of this was later returned to them. It is possible that some of the land sales were a bad deal for Maori, but bad deals occur all the time and are not subject to annulment or redress, provided fraud wasn't involved. If it is solid evidence that any land confiscations were unjustified or that any land sales were based on fraud, settlements would be made to redress these errors. Any attempt to redefine or retranslate either the meaning or scope of either the treaty or any land sales would be stopped, including attempts to extend the scope of the treaty to claim control of water, the seabed, radio waves, or other resources.

The government would affirm the original intent and meaning of the treaty that all citizens are equal before the law, with no preferential treatment based on ancestry or race. Any business providing services to the government would have no requirements imposed on them on the basis of race. The owners of land (including public lands) would have no requirement to consult with any group about activities that take place on that land, unless the group owns land that is directly affected by those activities. Parliament would also be affirmed as sovereign over all New Zealand citizens.

Using multiple languages creates complexity and cost, and all government communication would be conducted exclusively in English. Modern technology makes it very simple and cheap to translate both text and audio into any other language, and anyone wishing to use another language is welcome to translate government communications themselves.

Fiscal Impact: I estimate the government will save $803 million by ending policies targeted at particular races and other demographic groups.