September 21, 2022
No trade-offs in treaty debate
Māori Development Minister Willie Jackson doesn’t see the Treaty of Waitangi as been a deal breaker in any eventual shift to a republic.
Crown Maori Relations Minister Kelvin Davis says if replacing the British monarch as head of state threatens Te Tiriti, he’d rather stick with what we’ve got now.
Mr Jackson says constitutional experts such as former Labour prime minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer have argued strongly that the treaty could be part of a republican constitution.
“You just have to find a way to enshrine the treaty within the republic and within a new constitution so that is always an initial worry for Maori, the standing of the treaty. I would never agree to a republic with the treaty’s mana being reduced. It’s no trade-off,” he says.
Mr Jackson suspects most Maori would support the monarchy, but Maori activists have pushed for true independence.