A survey of Māori Public Service Association members has warned that removing references to Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles from 19 laws will widen existing inequities for Māori and weaken Te Tiriti capability across the public service.
The survey forms part of the PSA’s evidence to an urgent Waitangi Tribunal hearing into the Government’s proposed changes to legislation containing references to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Māori PSA members working across public and community services were asked how removing or weakening Treaty references would affect their agencies, their work, and Māori staff.
PSA Kaihautū Māori Jack McDonald says the responses show the proposed reforms would significantly damage Māori capability in the public service and wider state sector.
The union says the changes would undermine the Crown’s ability to engage with Māori, deliver effective services, and address long-standing social and economic inequities.
Respondents raised concerns that removing Te Tiriti references could lead to further losses of Māori and Treaty-specific roles and teams. They also warned of increased workloads, reduced cultural safety, fewer opportunities for career progression, and a weakening of the authority given to Māori knowledge and advice in government agencies.
The PSA says members are also concerned the reforms could complicate the implementation of Treaty settlements, despite Government assurances that settlements would be protected.
The union argues that statutory Treaty provisions and Treaty settlement obligations often support one another, and weakening one part of that framework could have wider consequences.
The PSA says it was not consulted by the Crown and had no opportunity to participate in the Government’s review, calling the lack of meaningful engagement with kaimahi Māori unacceptable and a breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
The survey was distributed to delegates elected to represent Māori PSA members and received 104 responses within 48 hours, due to the tight timeframe for filing evidence to the urgent Waitangi Tribunal hearing.
The PSA represents workers across the public service, state sector, public health, local government, community organisations, and public service agencies.
The union is urging the Government not to proceed with the reforms, warning they would represent a major rollback of Te Tiriti’s role in New Zealand law and public services.
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