The National Iwi Chairs Forum (NICF) delivered a petition – signed by more than 24,000 people – to the Ministry of Education via the Minister of Education, urging the government to reverse recent changes and restore the legal requirement for schools to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The petition, organised under the banner “Protect Te Tiriti in Education,” responds to an amendment to Section 127 of the Education and Training Act 2020 that removed the duty on school boards to formally uphold Te Tiriti in their governance, curriculum, and operations.
Advocates argue that removing this obligation undermines the Crown-Māori partnership and weakens the guarantee that all students – Māori and non-Māori – receive education within a system grounded in Te Tiriti principles: tikanga, te reo Māori, and equity for ākonga Māori. The petition has drawn broad backing: the NICF represents 88 iwi; the call is supported by major education and union bodies including NZEI Te Riu Roa, the New Zealand Principals’ Federation, and other national school-sector rōpū.
Even though the law change has passed, a wave of commitment is coming from schools. Over 1,000 schools, kura and early-childhood centres – plus a number of principals’ and school-board associations – have publicly reaffirmed their support for Te Tiriti in education. They say many communities and whānau want to keep teaching and learning grounded in Māori language, identity and partnership – Treaty obligations or not.
For many educators and whānau, it’s not an either/or: upholding Te Tiriti and raising academic achievement go hand in hand. As one union leader put it: “You can have both – Te Tiriti o Waitangi and meaningful achievement for tamariki Māori.”
On receiving the petition, Minister of Education Erica Stanford acknowledged the concerns raised and said the government shares many of the same aspirations for tamariki Māori – including access to te reo Māori and improved learning outcomes.
But she maintains that treaty obligations are a matter for the Crown – not individual school boards. The government says its focus remains on resourcing, teacher development, and lifting achievement across the system.
The petition – and the grassroots response from schools – demonstrates a strong and growing call for education grounded in Te Tiriti values. For many whānau, tamariki, educators and iwi, this is about more than legislation: it’s about identity, equity, and safeguarding a shared future where every learner belongs.
As debate continues, one message is clear: removing Treaty obligations from education law may have passed in Parliament – but in the hearts and minds of thousands across the motu, Te Tiriti remains foundational.
