A petition has garnered the support of over 280,000 people to involve rangatahi in the political debate surrounding the Treaty Principles Bill.
At 203,653 signatures, the petition was handed to Te Pāti Māori Hauraki Waikato MP Hana Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke on the steps of Parliament during Tuesday’s Toitū Te Tiriti activation on Parliament grounds.
Maringi James, from Te Rōpū Rangatahi o Ngāti Whakaue – Whiri.a, who authored the petition, says she didn’t expect it to become the largest petition ever in Aotearoa.
She says the petition aimed to ensure a rangatahi voice was being included and heard on the issue.
“We wanted something by rangatahi, for rangatahi. We knew that if we did it ourselves, we’d be able to encourage a lot more rangatahi into the process as well,” says James.
Maringi James says they are developing select committee submission templates, allowing people to customise them to reflect their concerns in either te reo Māori or English.
Submissions for the Treaty Principles Bill to the Justice Select Committee are open until 7 January 2025.
