Treaty Principles Bill

The Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill, commonly known as the Treaty Principles Bill, was a government Bill that aimed to define the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi and put them to a nationwide referendum for confirmation. The ACT New Zealand Party, who introduced this Bill, campaigned against the co-governance policies of the Sixth Labour Government and advocated a binding referendum on co-governance, claiming that the current principles distorted the original intent of the Treaty of Waitangi and created an inequality in peoples' rights. National-led coalition government partners National and New Zealand First did not support the bill past its first reading and referral to a select committee, and some legal critics argued the Bill sought to undermine Māori rights and disrupt established interpretations of the Treaty. On its second reading, which occurred on 10 April 2025, the Bill was voted down.