Secondary principals call on minister to reverse “Te Tiriti” decision

A significant number of secondary school leaders across Aotearoa have issued a formal call to the Minister of Education, Erica Stanford, demanding a reversal of her government’s decision to remove an explicit requirement for schools to give effect to the Treaty of Waitangi (Te Tiriti o Waitangi) in the Education and Training Act 1989.

The government recently amended the Education and Training Act to remove the obligation for boards of trustees and schools to give effect to the Treaty of Waitangi. Under the new framework, this responsibility is now framed as a general expectation of “equitable outcomes for Māori students, culturally responsive teaching and Māori language provision”, rather than a specific legal duty to give effect to the Treaty.

The SPC, representing secondary principals, have expressed that the change undermines the role of schools in honoring Te Tiriti as a foundational document of the nation. They argue:

• That removing the obligation sends a signal that Te Tiriti is no longer central to school governance and strategic direction.

• That, in removing this legal requirement, leadership and governance in schools may feel less committed or accountable to Treaty-based relationships with Māori students, whānau and communities.

• That the government’s framing of the change as simply “schools being free” to decide their level of Treaty responsiveness fails to recognise how embedded Treaty and tikanga frameworks are in many schools’ identities and strategic plans.

In their letter to the minister, the SPC called for the decision to be reversed, stating that a reinstatement of the Treaty obligation would ensure clarity, consistency and integrity in how schools operate in a bicultural Aotearoa.

The Minister has stated that while the explicit Treaty obligation has been removed from the Act, schools remain “absolutely welcome” to give effect to the Treaty, and that the core expectation is improved outcomes for Māori students and culturally responsive practices.

However, opposition and Māori education advocates have raised concerns that the shift moves from a clear legal obligation to an optional or discretionary expectation – potentially weakening the mechanism by which schools and communities hold themselves and the system accountable to Te Tiriti.

From a Māori perspective, this issue has significant implications:

• Te Tiriti o Waitangi is considered a living document of partnership between Māori and the Crown. Its removal from a legal obligation in education is seen by many as a step back from that partnership.

• Schools in many communities incorporate tikanga Māori, te reo Māori and Treaty-based frameworks into their curriculum, governance and culture. A weakening of legal obligation may affect how these are resourced, prioritised and safeguarded.

• The change comes at a time when improving Māori student achievement remains a major policy challenge. A strong Treaty framework is often seen as central to culturally sustaining schooling for Māori learners.

The key questions that now arise include:

• Will schools that have embedded Treaty frameworks maintain them without the legal requirement, or will some scale back Treaty-based actions over time?

• How will the Ministry of Education monitor and support schools in Māori student achievement and culturally responsive teaching without the clearer legal anchor of Te Tiriti?

• Will there be further push-back from schools, iwi, Māori communities and education organisations to restore the obligation?

• How this shift affects the relationships between schools, iwi, Māori parents and communities, particularly in regions where treaty obligations and tino rangatiratanga are deeply woven into local education practice.

For now, the SPC’s call underscores the depth of concern among school leadership about maintaining clear treaty-based accountability in education – and whether this recent legislative change will erode the commitments many schools have made to bicultural partnership and Māori success.

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