# Treaty Principles Bill

The Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill, commonly known as the Treaty Principles Bill, is a government bill promoted by David Seymour of the ACT New Zealand party. It aims to define the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi and put them to a nationwide referendum for confirmation. The bill is promoted by ACT, who campaigned against the Sixth Labour Government's co-governance policies and advocated a binding referendum on co-governance.
ACT and Seymour say the current principles have distorted the original intent of the treaty and created different rights for some New Zealanders, resulting in Māori having different political and legal rights and privileges compared with non-Māori, and provides an opportunity for parliament, rather than the courts, to define the principles of the treaty. A 1News-Verian poll conducted from 30th November to 4th December 2024 showed that 23% of participants support the bill, 36% oppose it and 39% say they don't know enough about the bill.
The bill has sparked significant controversy in New Zealand society. National-led coalition government partners National and New Zealand First will not support the bill past a first reading by a select committee. The bill has drawn criticism from opposition parties Labour, Green, and Te Pāti Māori, as well as Māori leaders and bodies including the Waitangi Tribunal. Some legal critics have argued the Bill undermines Māori rights and disrupts established interpretations of the Treaty, and have called the Government to abandon it. On 14 November, the Treaty Principles Bill passed its first reading in Parliament. On 19 November, the select committee called for public submissions on the bill with a closing date of 7 January 2025, later extended to 14 January 2025. All submissions will be published on a parliamentary website in due course.
Speaking at Rātana Pā on 24 January 2025, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said "National won't support the bill, it will be voted down and it won't become law" and also ruled out a referendum while he is prime minister. Coalition partner leader Winston Peters also stated the bill is "dead in the water". Leader of the opposition Labour Party Chris Hipkins said "we've got one more month of submissions and then the bill will be killed". As of January 2025, it remains unlikely that the bill will pass in parliament. The select committee hearings will continue nonetheless and commenced with two weeks of oral submissions beginning on 27 January 2025.

## Treaty of Waitangi

The Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840 by representatives of the British Crown and Māori chiefs. Notably, 39 chiefs signed the English version of the Treaty, while over 500 signed the Māori version, which is referred to as Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It includes a preamble and three articles in two languages, English and Māori. As some words in the English treaty did not translate directly into the written Māori language of the time, the Māori text is not an exact translation of the English text, particularly in relation to the meaning of having and ceding sovereignty.
These two versions have significant differences in wording and interpretation, particularly regarding sovereignty, government and governance. The points of difference in the Māori version were in articles 1 and 2 of the treaty. "Sovereignty" was translated as "kāwanatanga" which means 'governance' or 'government', and many chiefs believed they were ceding the government of the country but maintaining the rights to manage their affairs. "Undisturbed possession of properties" was translated as "tino rangatiratanga" of "taonga katoa", This means 'chieftainship/full authority' over 'all treasured things'.
New Zealand is a signatory to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), which emphasizes the importance of using Indigenous language versions of treaties and agreements. Despite not being incorporated into law, UNDRIP has begun to influence policy and judicial decisions in New Zealand. For example, the Declaration has been referenced in several decisions of the Supreme Court of New Zealand and extensively in findings by the Waitangi Tribunal. However, in November 2023, the National-led coalition government agreed not to recognize the Declaration as having any binding legal effect on New Zealand as part of a coalition agreement. This coalition government also agreed to stop all work on He Puapua, which is a government commissioned report on implementing the goals of UNDRIP in New Zealand.

### Principles

In 1975, the New Zealand Parliament passed the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975, which established the Waitangi Tribunal, and introduced the phrase principles of the Treaty of Waitangi. The principles were not defined as the Tribunal was intended to interpret them and apply them based on the intentions of the Treaty. Treaty principles have also been defined by the courts, Waitangi Tribunal and the Crown.

## Background

In March 2022, the libertarian ACT Party announced a policy that it would introduce a new law that would redefine the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi if elected into government following the 2023 election. ACT rejected the idea that the Treaty of Waitangi is a partnership between the New Zealand Crown and Māori tribes (iwi), argued that the Crown had a right to govern all New Zealanders, and that tino rangatiratanga is only a right over property. In 2014, the Waitangi Tribunal found that the Māori chiefs who signed Te Tiriti never ceded sovereignty. The Māori population was estimated at just over 100,000 at the beginning of 1840. The settler population was 2000.
The law would only come into effect following confirmation by a referendum on Māori co-governance arrangements that would be held at the 2026 general election. The party's leader David Seymour also called for a referendum on co-governance as a condition for entering into coalition with any future government led by the centre-right National Party. Seymour argued that the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi was not a partnership between the New Zealand Crown and Māori, and therefore co-governance arrangements were not a "necessary extension" of that. He also claimed that co-governance arrangements created resentment and division. ACT's proposed law and referendum would affect co-governance arrangements at several Crown Research Institutes, state-owned enterprises and healthcare providers such as Te Aka Whai Ora (the Māori Health Authority). However, Seymour indicated that the new law would preserve existing co-governance arrangements with the Waikato, Ngāi Tahu, Tūhoe and Whanganui iwi (tribes).
In response, Māori Party co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Professor Linda Tuhiwai Smith described ACT's proposed co-governance referendum and policies as being motivated by racism and reflecting a "Pākehā" unwillingness to share power. Similarly, Waikato leader Rahui Papa claimed that ACT's co-governance policies clashed with the second and third articles of the treaty which (he argued) guaranteed Māori participation in the social sector. In response, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern reiterated the Labour Government's commitment to co-governance arrangements. Meanwhile, National Party leader Christopher Luxon refused to commit to a referendum on co-governance, but acknowledged that further clarity on co-governance was needed.
In October 2022, ACT released a discussion document entitled "Democracy or co-government?" which proposed a new Treaty Principles bill that would end the focus on partnership between Māori and the Crown and interpret "tino rangatiratanga" solely as property rights. By contrast, most scholars of the Māori language define "tino rangatiratanga" as the equivalent of "self-determination" in the English language. The proposed Treaty Principles bill does not mention Māori, the Crown, iwi (tribes), and hapū (subgroups) but refers only to "New Zealanders". ACT Party leader Seymour refused to identify whom his party had consulted when developing its co-governance and Treaty of Waitangi policies, particularly its redefinition of "tino rangatiratanga" as property rights. As part of ACT's "colour-blind" policies, its social-development spokesperson Karen Chhour advocated the abolition of Te Aka Whai Ora.
After the formation of the Sixth National-led coalition government, the National and New Zealand First parties agreed to support the legislation up to the select committee level while ACT dropped its demand for a referendum (although it remains in the draft under public consultation). Following a leak in January 2024, ACT released a draft of the proposed bill in February 2024 and embarked on a public information campaign to promote it. Since its announcement, the Treaty Principles Bill has generated much controversy and drawn criticism from Māori leaders and bodies including the Waitangi Tribunal, the opposition parties Labour, Green, Te Pāti Māori, religious leaders and lawyers. The Waitangi Tribunal found that "the Crown had breached the Treaty principles of partnership and reciprocity, active protection, good government, equity, redress, and the article 2 guarantee of rangatiratanga.
ACT party member of parliament Rodney Hide had introduced a similar private bill in 2006, which was selected, debated, and rejected at that time.

## Coalition agreement and 2024 leak

Following the 2023 New Zealand general election, a National-led coalition government was formed with the support of the ACT and New Zealand First parties in late November 2023. As part of ACT's coalition agreement with the National Party, the parties agreed to introduce a Treaty Principles Bill based on existing ACT party policy and support it to a Parliamentary select committee. In return, ACT dropped its election demand for a referendum on the Treaty of Waitangi. Notwithstanding, as of January 2025, the bill under public consultation must be submitted to a binding public referendum.
On 19 January 2024, a Ministry of Justice memo on the proposed Treaty Principles legislation was leaked. The proposed bill had three principles: that the New Zealand Government has the right to govern all New Zealanders; the New Zealand Government will honour all New Zealanders in the chieftainship of their land and all their property; and that all New Zealanders are equal under the law with the same rights and duties. The Ministry's paper expressed concerns that the proposed law would conflict with the rights and interests of Māori under the Treaty of Waitangi, that the Crown was trying to define Treaty principles without consulting with Māori, that the Bill breached international agreements such as the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and that it infringed on the Māori right to self-determination. Seymour claimed the memo was a "natural reaction" from a bureaucracy that had "presided over increasing division over these issues", but stated the Ministry of Justice was not biased in its advice.
The leak came on the eve of King Tūheitia's national hui on 20 January. In response, Minister of Justice Paul Goldsmith confirmed that the Justice Ministry would investigate the leak and described the document as a draft that had not yet been considered by the Cabinet. In addition Seymour, who had promoted the legislation, accused the Ministry of being part of a bureaucracy that was "resistant to change." Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer used the leak to rally opposition against the Government's proposed constitutional changes.
Following the leak, staff from other government agencies became required to physically visit the Ministry of Justice offices to look at hard copies of Cabinet papers relating to the Treaty Principles Bill to prevent leaks.

## Draft release

On 7 February 2024, ACT embarked on a public information campaign to promote the Treaty Principles Bill. This campaign includes the creation of a new website called "treaty.nz," which has a Questions and Answers section outlining the party's approach to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi and a video featuring Seymour. Seymour also contested claims that the government was trying to rewrite or abolish the Treaty of Waitangi. The public information campaign also came after a leaked Justice Ministry memo claimed that the proposed bill clashed with the text of the Treaty.
ACT's proposed Treaty Principles Bill consists of three articles:
Article 1
   Māori: Kawanatanga katoa o o ratou whenua.
   The New Zealand Government has the right to govern all New Zealanders.
Article 2
   Māori: Ki nga tangata katoa o Nu Tirani te tino rangatiratanga o o ratou whenua o ratou kainga me o ratou taonga katoa.
   The New Zealand Government will honour all New Zealanders in the chieftainship of their land and all their property.
Article 3
   Māori: A ratou nga tikanga katoa rite tahi.
   All New Zealanders are equal under the law with the same rights and duties.

## Legislative history
### Introduction

On 9 September 2024, a draft outline of the Treaty Principles Bill was tabled at a Cabinet meeting, with its basic outline being signed off. ACT leader Seymour also confirmed that the legislation would mention hapū (sub-group) and iwi (tribal) rights to tino rangatiratanga (self determination) and property ownership in Article 2. Cabinet agreed for the following principles to be included in the Bill:
   1. Civil Government: The Government of New Zealand has full power to govern, and Parliament has full power to make laws. They do so in the best interests of everyone, and in accordance with the rule of law and the maintenance of a free and democratic society.
   2. Rights of Hapū and Iwi Māori: The Crown recognises the rights that hapū and iwi had when they signed the Treaty. The Crown will respect and protect those rights. Those rights differ from the rights everyone has a reasonable expectation to enjoy only when they are specified in legislation, Treaty settlements, or other agreement with the Crown.
   3. Right to Equality: Everyone is equal before the law and is entitled to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination. Everyone is entitled to the equal enjoyment of the same fundamental human rights without discrimination.
While Seymour expressed hope that the coalition parties would support the Bill after its first reading, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon reiterated that the National Party would not support the bill beyond its first reading. Similarly, New Zealand First also pledged not to support the Bill beyond its first reading. The final version of the bill will be considered by Cabinet again before its introduction to Parliament in November 2024. Cabinet also agreed that the Bill would undergo a six month-long select committee process, concluding in May 2025. On 5 November 2024 it was announced the Bill's timetable was to introduce it to Parliament on 7 November, with the first reading debate advanced to the week of 11–15 November. The following table summarizes past and scheduled events:
Legislative timeframes :
| Milestone | Date |
| Parliamentary Counsel to draft Treaty Principles Bill | 2 September 2024 – 9 October 2024 |
| Cabinet Legislation Committee | 7 November 2024 |
| Seek Cabinet approval on Bill | 11 November 2024 |
| Bill introduced | 18 November 2024 |
| First reading and referral to Select Committee | 21 November 2024 |
| Original public submissions deadline | 7 January 2025 |
| Extended public submissions deadline | 14 January 2025 |
| Select Committee oral hearings commence | 27 January 2025 |
| Remaining House stages scheduled | May 2025 – June 2025 |

### First reading

On 14 November, the Treaty Principles Bill passed its first reading despite opposition from the Labour, Māori and Green parties. Support from the National Party and NZ First was guaranteed under the Coalition agreement, but only up to the second reading.
During the debate, Labour MP Willie Jackson was ordered to leave by Speaker Gerry Brownlee after refusing to withdraw a comment accusing ACT leader Seymour of lying about the Treaty of Waitangi. Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke was also suspended for 24 hours by the Speaker after leading a haka ("Ka Mate") involving members of the public that caused parliamentary proceedings to be delayed for half an hour. In response, Speaker Gerry Brownlee cleared the House and Hana-Rawhiti was suspended for 24-hours. As of November 2024, the video of the haka has been viewed more than 700 million times.
On 10 December, House Speaker Gerry Brownlee referred Hana-Rawhiti, Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Labour MP Peeni Henare to the Parliamentary Privileges Committee for their role in the haka that disupted the first reading's vote. Packer defended the group's actions, claiming that Parliament did not respect Māori.
Votes at first reading (14 November 2024) :
| Party | Party | Voted for | Voted against |
| | National | 49 | 0 |
| | Labour | 0 | 34 |
| | Green | 0 | 15 |
| | ACT | 11 | 0 |
| | NZ First | 8 | 0 |
| | Te Pāti Māori | 0 | 5 |
| Totals | Totals | 68 | 54 |

### Select committee stage

Public submissions on the Treaty Principles Bill opened on 19 November 2024 and were expected to close on 7 January 2025. A website failure meant that the select committee opted to extend the deadline until 14 January 2025.
In mid-December 2024, several local and regional councils including the Hutt City Council, the Auckland Council, the Dunedin City Council, the Gisborne District Council, the Selwyn District Council, Environment Canterbury and the Stratford District Council voted to pass motions to send submissions to Parliament opposing the Bill. However, the Ashburton District Council declined to make a submission, with Mayor Neil Brown citing "the likelihood of a wide range of views within the community on the Bill."
One Māori lawyer and educator Roimata Smail developed an online submissions template for those opposing the Treaty Principles Bill. By 9 January 2025, her webpage had reported 15,905 visits since late November 2024. A group consisting of 165 descendants of the British missionaries Henry and William Williams, who had translated the Treaty of Waitangi, collectively submitted against the Bill, saying that it went against "the original intent and integrity of Te Tiriti."
Public submissions on the Treaty Principles Bill through Parliament's website were due to conclude at 11:59 pm on 7 January 2025. Hard copies could also be sent by mail or delivered to Parliament until 5pm on 8 January. According to Radio New Zealand, the large volume on online submissions overwhelmed Parliament's website, with people sending submissions on the night of 6 January and the morning of 7 January encountering error messages or being unable to submit their documents. In response to the large volume of submissions and technical problems on Parliament's website, the justice select committee decided to reopen submissions from 1pm on 9 January and extend the dateline to 1pm on 14 January 2025. By 9 January, the committee estimated that Parliament had received 300,000 online submissions regarding the Treaty Principles Bill.
On 16 January 2025, Parliament's justice select committee convened to consider the Bill and confirmed that hearings would commence on 27 January 2025. Without releasing the number of total submissions, the committee estimated that it would listen to 80 hours of oral submissions for a month. To cope with the large number of submissions, the justice committee was split into two sub-committees. The first sub-committee consisted of Chair James Meager, Deputy Chair Tamatha Paul, Todd Stephenson, Ginny Andersen, Paulo Garcia, Tracey McLellan while the second consisted of Chair Duncan Webb, Deputy Chair Jamie Arbuckle, Tākuta Ferris, Cameron Brewer and Rima Nakhle. Duplicate submissions, those providing first names only, initials only, or pseudonyms, and those containing racist material would be excluded.
The Post reported that about 70% of the available written submissions were against the bill, with about 20% in support.
Each select committee is responsible for how it handles its submissions. In this case, the Justice Committee has chosen to reject submissions with "swear words, racist language, [or] abusive comments towards MPs", while allowing form submissions. About 35 parliamentary officials then attempt to summarize content, record support or opposition, and classify specific themes. The 16 000 requests for oral presentations cannot all be serviced, so the committee has allowed each political party to nominate 100 names for consideration. A further 112 oral presentations are to be selected at random.
The cost of additional parliamentary staff to oversee this public consultation has been estimated at NZ$270000. The Labour Party have criticized the ACT party for not providing an MP to participate in the Justice Select Committee hearings, despite having initiated the bill.

#### Oral submissions

The first day of oral submissions was Monday 27 January 2025. Architect of the bill, David Seymour defended the legislation and asked "can anyone actually tell people why New Zealand is better off divided into tangata whenua — land people — and tangata Tiriti — treaty people — and what societies have succeeded by dividing people by race and are better off for it?" Hobson's Pledge argued that the second principle was "critically flawed", could conflict with the other two principles, and that the bill "is effectively saying New Zealand will treat people equally, but not really" and that "that is not equality". Hobson's Pledge also wants all mention of iwi and hapū removed. London-based The Guardian focused on comments by former high court judge Edward Taihakurei Durie, who helped establish the Waitangi Tribunal, that the bill would erase 50 years of work by the tribunal. Sixteen-year‑old Te Kanawa Wilson, speaking in te reo Māori, called for the bill to be scrapped: "the Treaty protected Māori rights to self-determination and to practise their culture freely". Lady Tureiti Moxon, former Treaty Negotiations Ministers Chris Finlayson and Andrew Little also opposed the bill, arguing that it undermined the Treaty of Waitangi. Curia Market Research manager David Farrar argued in favour of defining the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi in dedicated legislation. Retired law professor Jane Kelsey said the prospect of a citizens initiated referendum (CIR) remains even if the bill itself is rejected.
The second day of oral submissions was on Thursday 30 January 2025. The select committee heard 11 submitters, with seven opposing the bill and four supporting the bill. Former Labour MP and cabinet minister Kiri Allan denounced the bill as an "abomination", arguing that it sought to erase Māori from New Zealand history, law and their lands. She also accused the Government of claiming that the Treaty granted "extra benefits" to Māori. Retired oil industry economist John Milne supported the bill, explaining that it would mitigate sovereign risk. Sam Murton and Jo Lambert of the New Zealand Council of Medical Colleges argued that legislating for equality, rather than equity, would lead to poor health outcomes. YouthLaw general manager Darryn Aitchison said that the bill would had an adverse impact on Māori youth accessing justice while Māori Law Society co-president Tai Ahu said that the Bill would increase Māori distrust in the government. Former District Court judge David Harvey argued that the bill would clarify Treaty principles to the judiciary and also advocated a referendum. Former MP and former Mayor of Thames-Coromandel Sandra Goudie submitted in favour of the bill. University of Auckland economist Ananish Chaudhuri supported the Bill, arguing against separate health and educational systems on ethnic lines based on comparisons with India.
Day three of oral submissions took place on 7 February 2025 entirely online with Duncan Webb MP as chair. Joseph Xulué from the Pacific Lawyers Association vehemently opposed the bill. Riki Welsh, speaking on behalf of Pacific Youth Leadership and Transformation, feels that "Pasifika people should support Māori". Liz Davies from SociaLink, a charitable trust operating in western Bay of Plenty, said the bill threatened healthcare provision in underserved communities. Liana Poutu, a trustee of Te Kotahitanga o Te Atiawa Trust, pointed out discrepancies between the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill, which passed in parliament last week, and the Treaty Principles Bill. Kaea Tibble, age 23 of Poupatatē Marae spoke on behalf of young people and thought that proponents of the bill were gaslighting their supporters about Crown-Māori relationships. Former race relations commissioner Gregory Fortuin said the relationship between the Crown and Māori was worse than when he was in office from 2001–2002 and the bill would damage New Zealand's international standing. Tasha Hohaia echoed the theme of international relations and spoke about attending a recent UN conference on indigenous issues where New Zealand was widely seen as regressing. Merita Levave, a teacher at Newlands College, gave a presentation and when finished, her students in the background stood up, tore up pieces of paper representing the bill, and shouted "Toitu te Tiriti". Former Labour minister and Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick was saddened but hopeful that some good would come. Sara Cole Stratton described the work of Sir James Hēnare and his vision to reclaim the mana of te Tiriti. Murray Hawkes, from the oil and gas industry, supported the bill arguing that New Zealand currently has a corrupt and unattractive regulatory environment "because of the ambiguity and the need for preference towards Māori, there are demands of race-based payments at every step". Roger Gower supported the bill and accused successive governments of pursuing "race-based policies that undermine democracy". Mokonuiarangi Kingi of Te Taumata o Ngati Whakaue Iho Ake Trust called for a major constitutional change to honour te Tiriti and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and proposed new institutions.

## Reception
### Regulatory impact statement

The Ministry of Justice's regulatory impact statement says the bill "does not accurately reflect Article 2, which affirms the continuing exercise of tino rangatiratanga. Restricting the rights of hapū and iwi to those specified in legislation, or agreement with the Crown, implies that tino rangatiratanga is derived from kāwanatanga. It reduces indigenous rights to a set of ordinary rights that could be exercised by any group of citizens."

### Māori responses

In January 2024, the Māori King Tūheitia called for a national hui (meeting) on 20 January to unify Māori and discuss the potential impact of the Government's Treaty policies. On 15 January, Tūheitia raised the matter of the bill during a private meeting with Prime Minister Luxon and Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka.
On 9 May 2024, Ngāpuhi kaumātua (tribal elder) Hone Sadler and several claimants filed a challenge against the Treaty Principles Bill at the Waitangi Tribunal, describing the proposed bill's interpretation of the Treaty as "inaccurate and misleading." They also contended that Māori never ceded sovereignty to the New Zealand Crown. On 15 May, the Tribunal heard testimony from University of Auckland Māori Studies Professor Margaret Mutu, who described ACT's Co-Government Policy Paper as "nonsensical" and a misinterpretation of the Treaty. In addition, Northland iwi Ngāti Kahu submitted a letter to King Charles III, calling on him to stop what they called a "violent attack" on the Treaty.
On 16 August 2024, the Waitangi Tribunal released its interim report into the ACT party's Treaty Principles Bill and New Zealand First's proposed review of the Treaty clauses. The Tribunal recommended that the Treaty Principles Bill should be abandoned.

### Political parties

In November 2024, New Zealand Prime Minister and National Party Leader Christopher Luxon said of the bill: "We don't support it because we think it is divisive, and you know, we're proud of the Treaty of Waitangi."
During King Tūheitia's 18th Koroneihana (coronation anniversary celebration) in mid-August 2024, both Prime Minister Luxon and NZ First senior minister Shane Jones reiterated that National and NZ First would not support ACT's Treaty Principles Bill beyond its first reading. In response, ACT leader David Seymour said that Luxon and Jones had "closed their minds" when the legislation had not yet finished drafting.
During the annual Ratana celebrations in late January 2025, both Luxon and NZ First leader and Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters reiterated that their parties would vote against the bill at its second reading. Green MP Teanau Tuiono and Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer called on the coalition government to scrap the bill.

#### NZ First

On 23 August, NZ First leader Winston Peters said during Question Time in Parliament that he was willing to change his mind on the Treaty Principles Bill "if there was prevailing compelling evidence to change one's mind." When Labour leader Chris Hipkins pressed Peters further on the matter, Peters said that Māori leaders Peter Buck, Maui Pomare and James Carroll had concluded there were no principles of the Treaty of Waitangi.

#### Labour, Greens, Te Pāti Māori

In response to the 9 September cabinet outline of the bill, Hipkins described the Treaty bill process as shambolic and urged Luxon to jettison the "divisive" legislation. Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer described the inclusion of iwi and hapū as insufficient. Similar criticism was voiced by Green Party MP Teanau Tuiono, and Labour MPs Willie Jackson and Cushla Tangaere-Manuel.
On 7 November, the three opposition parties Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori issued a joint statement opposing the introduction of the Treaty Principles Bill claiming that it disregarded the Treaty of Waitangi and ignored Māori voices.

### Civil society

On 9 September 2024, 400 Christian leaders including three Anglican archbishops, the Catholic Archbishop, a Catholic Cardinal, the Methodist Church president and the Salvation Army commissioner signed an open letter calling on MPs to vote against the Treaty Principles Bill and affirming their commitment to honouring the Treaty of Waitangi. In response, Seymour accused church leaders of interfering in democracy a second time, with the first time being the End of Life Choice Act 2019.
On 13 November 2024, 40 King's Counsel lawyers wrote a letter to Prime Minister Luxon and Attorney-General Judith Collins urging the National-led coalition to withdraw the bill on the grounds that it "seeks to rewrite" the Treaty of Waitangi. In response, Seymour defended the bill and argued that it would give everyone a voice in the Treaty debate.
Hobson's Pledge, a conservative lobby group opposing affirmative action for Māori, has started a pro-Treaty Principles Bill campaign aimed at Prime Minister Luxon, referring to him as a "scaredy cat" for not supporting the bill further.
The NZ Council for Civil Liberties (NZCCL) argues that Te Tiriti cannot "be changed by just one of the signatories". That the mandatory referendum "is an inappropriate way to address the rights of any minority and this is especially so in the case of colonisation". That the bill fails to build on previous progress on constitutional reform. And that the bill "seeks to use domestic law to constrain interpretation of an international treaty" and "will lead to expensive and uncertain litigation".
Former Race Relations Commissioner Joris de Bres labeled the bill as "the most divisive piece of legislation to be put before Parliament," expressing concerns over its potential to damage race relations in New Zealand.

### Professional bodies

The New Zealand Law Society (NZLS) argued in its public submission that the bill is "fundamentally inconsistent" with Treaty principles, that bill "diminishes Māori rights", and that there are "strong constitutional, public law, natural justice and process reasons" to halt the legislation.
The New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER) argues, from an education sector perspective, that the bill "threatens progress made in revitalising te reo Māori and promoting Māori culture in schools", "risks misrepresenting the original Tiriti and white-washing our histories", and will "deeply affect the ability" of the public and professionals to "interpret Te Tiriti" going forward. NZCER recommends that the bill be scrapped.
The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RCAP) has called on the government to abandon the legislation, saying it will have "a negative impact on health outcomes for Māori". RACP Māori health committee chair Dr Matt Wheeler said "This bill undermines the state's responsibility to collaborate with Māori, rendering te Tiriti and its obligations meaningless. Consequently, equitable healthcare, a fundamental right for Māori, will continue to suffer".

### Polling

A Research New Zealand poll conducted in February 2024 showed 36% in support of a referendum, with 35% opposed, the rest undecided.
An October 2024 poll by Curia and commissioned by the New Zealand Taxpayers' Union showed 46% supported the Treaty Principles Bill, 25% opposed it, and 29% were unsure. The poll also found that New Zealand First voters were most supportive and Te Pāti Māori voters were the least supportive of the bill.
A 1News-Verian poll conducted between the 30th of November and 4th of December 2024 showed 23% of participants supported the bill, while 36% opposed it and 39% said they did not know enough about it.
A second public opinion poll by Curia and commissioned by the ACT party between 1st December and 3rd December 2024 showed 39% supporting the bill, while 36% opposed it and 25% were unsure.

### Protests

On 7 November, protesters gathered outside the New Zealand Parliament and Seymour's electorate office in Epsom to protest against its introduction.
From 11 November, a hīkoi (march) opposing the legislation called Hīkoi mō te Tiriti (March for the Treaty) began marching to Parliament in Wellington in two convoys beginning at Cape Reinga in Northland and Bluff in Southland. North Island Hīkoi supporters reached Whangārei on 11 November before travelling to Dargaville and Auckland's North Shore on 12 November. Organisers also worked with Police to minimise traffic disruption. By 13 November, the North Island convoy had crossed the Auckland Harbour Bridge and reached Ihumātao and Bastion Point.
The haka and hīkoi in opposition to the Bill has also gained the support of singer Lorde, Chris Martin of Coldplay, and actors Jason Momoa and Octavia Spencer. All Blacks player TJ Perenara incorporated a reference to the hīkoi when he led the haka for the national rugby team. He said it was important for him to acknowledge the hīkoi and the national unity at this time. There was more non-Māori support for the hīkoi than previous protests such as the Foreshore and Seabed hīkoi of 2004.
On 16 November, Brian Tamaki led a convoy down an Auckland motorway as a counter protest to the nationwide hīkoi, supporting the Treaty Principles Bill.
On 19 November 2024, tens of thousands of New Zealanders, including the Māori queen Ngā-wai-hono-i-te-Pō Paki, joined in nationwide protest, converging in Wellington to protest the bill, marking one of the largest demonstrations in the country's history. A international petition was also presented, which by 25 November 2024, had amassed 289,000 signatures.