Treaty Principles Bill - statement of opposition
PPTA National Executive has endorsed this statement from Te Huarahi Māori Motuhake as the Association's position on the Treaty Principles Bill
Te Huarahi Māori Motuhake (THMM), the national Māori governing body of the Post Primary Teachers’ Association, PPTA Te Wehengarua, are united in our opposition to the Treaty Principles Bill. We share the view that the Bill is based upon ‘a disingenuous historical narrative that distorts the language of Te Tiriti and undermines social progress and cohesion.
The principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi provide a mechanism to address Treaty breaches and improve relations between the Crown and iwi and hapū and should not be used to alter the intent of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Tampering with these principles is a regression of the last 50 years of positive movement forward for Te Tiriti relations. Tangata whenua, educationalists and tangata Tiriti have worked hard over many years to understand and enact practices that give life to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and we want to ensure this hard work is not wasted.
The cultural development to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi in public education is threatened through this Bill. This is an attempt to rewrite history and change the intent of our tīpuna. It will also absolve the Crown’s obligation to work with and actively protect the rights and interests of Māori, particularly the educational needs of ākonga Māori and mātauranga Māori. We oppose any actions that deliberately undermine the status of tangata whenua and relinquish the Crown’s obligation to uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Te Huarahi Māori Motuhake leads cultural knowledge, expertise, and insight essential for crafting policies and practices to ensure the Association’s constitutional objective, ‘affirm and advance Te Tiriti o Waitangi’, is upheld and culturally led at PPTA Te Wehengarua. Te Huarahi Māori Motuhake are adamant in our opposition to the Treaty Principles Bill and are committed to affirm and advance Te Tiriti o Waitangi. We will work tirelessly to ensure the promises within Te Tiriti o Waitangi are upheld.