My Take on the Treaty Principles Bill

I'm not a keen proponent for the Treaty Principles bill, which has just passed it's first reading in parliament. From the outset, it's not clear to me what the ultimate intentions are for this bill. I will preface this article by stating that I'm not a lawyer, and I am sharing my own opinions.

I decided to study the official version of the bill, available at https://www.legislation.govt.nz/bill/government/2024/0094/9.0/whole.html, to understand the specifics and consequences therein.

Here are my key findings and associated questions that come to mind:

• The subclause of Principle 2: "The Crown recognises, and will respect and protect, the rights that hapū and iwi Māori had under the Treaty of Waitangi/te Tiriti o Waitangi at the time they signed it.", only applies to rights agreed to in existing historical treaty claims. What if there are grievances that have yet to be settled?
• What human rights or aspects from the bill of rights are not already being upheld?
• What other legal rights held by Māori would be considered unfair or non-democratic by this bill? Does that include temporary prohibition or rahui, for example?
• What about the rights of Iwi or tribes that did not sign the Treaty? The government has recognized and awarded compensation to those tribes, but would their rights, under this bill, now not be recognized?

Lastly, regarding exclusive rights: I don’t feel disadvantaged in any way by the customary rights exercised by Māori. When a rahui has been placed over a recreational area, it’s usually for respectable reasons: to allow wildlife to recover, or to respect the lives that have been lost in that area.

I’m not sure of what the goal this legislation is leading towards, but it seems un-necessary. I don’t think this bill should progress any further.