ACT's Māori Affairs Policy
ACT's Treaty Principles Bill proposes to redefine the Treaty of Waitangi principles to mean equal rights for all citizens regardless of ethnicity. They oppose co-governance, race-based policy, Māori wards, and argue for a single standard of citizenship.
In simple terms
Redefine Treaty principles to mean equal rights for all, oppose separate Māori governance arrangements, and apply one standard of law to all New Zealanders.
Impact to New Zealanders
Removal of Māori Health Authority and separate education initiatives forces consolidation, causing service delays for rural Māori communities who relied on targeted funding.
Legal challenges to Treaty settlements multiply as framework shifts, freezing land claims resolution and creating uncertainty that deters Māori business investment in disputed regions.
Persistent health and education gaps between Māori and European New Zealanders widen without targeted interventions, increasing long-term welfare costs borne by all taxpayers.
Green Party's Māori Affairs Policy
The Green Party supports tino rangatiratanga (Māori self-determination), full implementation of the Treaty of Waitangi, co-governance of all natural resources, restoring te reo Māori as a thriving language, addressing systemic racism, and Māori-led solutions to Māori issues.
In simple terms
Support Māori self-determination, implement the Treaty fully, share governance of natural resources with Māori, and fund the revival of te reo Māori.
Impact to New Zealanders
Government spending on te reo education and resource co-governance creates immediate jobs for Māori linguists and administrators, while some councils face higher compliance costs.
Shared control of water, forestry, and fishing resources shifts investment decisions away from some existing businesses toward Māori-led enterprises, reshaping regional economies unevenly.
Generational Māori wealth accumulation through resource ownership widens, but slower resource extraction may reduce government tax revenue unless new industries emerge.
Labour's Māori Affairs Policy
Labour established the Māori Health Authority, implemented co-governance in Three Waters, developed the He Puapua framework for Treaty implementation, increased Māori language funding, and worked to address Māori inequity across health, housing, education, and justice.
In simple terms
Create Māori-led health and water governance, fund the Māori language, and reduce the major gaps between Māori and non-Māori in health, housing, and education.
Impact to New Zealanders
Government spending on Māori health and water governance increases, requiring budget reallocation from other departments or tax adjustments affecting all earners.
Improved Māori health outcomes reduce emergency room visits, freeing up hospital resources but potentially shrinking private health sector profits in provincial areas.
Māori-led governance becomes institutionalised; future governments face political difficulty reversing it, locking in spending patterns regardless of economic conditions.
National's Māori Affairs Policy
National has taken steps to review co-governance arrangements, repeal the Māori Ward provisions, and conduct a Treaty Principles referendum debate. They support Māori economic development but have been critical of what they term race-based policies in public services.
In simple terms
Review Treaty co-governance arrangements, hold a public debate on Treaty principles, and support Māori economic development while opposing race-based public service policies.
Impact to New Zealanders
Legal challenges to co-governance arrangements create uncertainty, causing some Māori organisations to pause long-term planning and investment decisions.
Public debate on Treaty principles becomes politicised; Māori and non-Māori communities develop hardened positions, reducing cross-group collaboration on practical local issues.
Slower institutional trust-building between government and Māori reduces voluntary compliance with policy, increasing enforcement costs and widening health and education outcome gaps.
NZ First's Māori Affairs Policy
NZ First has historically opposed separatist race-based policy, co-governance, the He Puapua framework, and Māori wards. They support Treaty settlements on a case-by-case basis but oppose ongoing co-governance arrangements and what they see as preferential treatment based on ethnicity.
In simple terms
Oppose race-based governance and special rights based on ethnicity, support Treaty settlements where justified, but apply one standard to all New Zealanders.
Impact to New Zealanders
Māori-specific health and education programs reduce, shifting costs to emergency services and prisons where treatment costs more.
Fewer Māori leaders enter public institutions, reducing cultural competency in hospitals and courts, slowing service improvements for all.
Persistent health and income gaps widen, increasing long-term welfare dependency and productivity losses across the entire economy's tax base.
Te Pāti Māori's Māori Affairs Policy
Te Pāti Māori's entire platform is built on tino rangatiratanga — full Māori self-determination. They advocate for Māori co-governance, Treaty-based constitutional change, full implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Māori language revival, and addressing systemic inequities.
In simple terms
Fight for Māori self-determination, Treaty-based constitutional change, co-governance of all resources, revival of te reo Māori, and fixing all the inequities Māori face.
Impact to New Zealanders
Government agencies restructure quickly; some staff retraining costs rise, while Māori-led departments gain hiring priority and resources.
Resource co-governance creates slower decision-making initially; some infrastructure projects delay, but Māori communities gain veto power over land use.
Constitutional changes may shift tax/welfare policy design; non-Māori voters' influence on certain spending decisions diminishes as co-governance becomes routine.
TOP's Māori Affairs Policy
TOP opposes the Treaty Principles Bill and supports honouring the Treaty of Waitangi. They support te reo Māori language revitalisation, devolution of social services to Māori providers, and argue the Citizen's Income and Land Value Tax will disproportionately benefit Māori who are over-represented in poverty. TOP supports co-governance where Treaty obligations require it.
In simple terms
Oppose the Treaty Principles Bill, support the Māori language, and let Māori communities run their own social services. The universal Citizen's Income would directly help Māori who face higher rates of poverty.
Impact to New Zealanders
Māori language funding increases teacher demand, pulling educators from other regions and raising rural school staffing costs nationwide.
Community-run social services reduce government oversight, creating pockets of excellence but also inconsistent quality and accountability gaps some families struggle with.
Citizen's Income redistributes wealth broadly but may reduce targeted programs designed specifically for Māori health and housing, shifting who gets helped most.