Labour MP Willie Jackson has refused to apologise after he was ejected from Parliament yesterday for calling David Seymour a “liar” in a speech about the proposed Treaty Principles Bill.
The House saw dramatic scenes as MPs voted on the controversial legislation that would see Act’s proposed principles for the Treaty put into law, requiring them to be used when interpreting legislation.
The Bill passed its first reading and will head to a select committee before it is voted on again in six months. The legislation, which was part of the Coalition Government deal, is not expected to go any further than that because National and New Zealand First have said they will not back it past the initial stage.
As politicians debated the Bill for the first time, labels “liar” and “disgrace” were hurled at the ACT Party. (Source: 1News)
On Breakfast this morning, Jackson – Labour’s spokesperson for Māori Development – was asked if he would apologise to Act Party leader Seymour for what he said in the House. Jackson said he would not.
“As I said yesterday, I passed on information from the hīkoi.”
Jackson said his comments were because he and the people he had spoken to on the national hīkoi, which is travelling the country opposing the Bill, believed Seymour wanted to change the Treaty itself.
“This new set of principles that he’s putting up says that they want to change the Treaty.
“I won’t be apologising at all. I think it’s right to pass on the information I got from the hīkoi.”
Asked if he had any proof or justification for his comments about Seymour, Jackson cited a letter written to the Prime Minister by more than 40 King’s Counsels outlining their “grave concerns” about the Bill’s substance and wider implications for the country’s constitutional arrangements.
The lawyers said the principles outlined in the Bill did not reflect te Tiriti.
Jackson also justified his claims by highlighting findings from the Waitangi Tribunal, which recommended that the bill be abandoned because it breached the Treaty.
He said: “[The KCs] are saying this is a total breach of the Treaty, along with Waitangi Tribunal, who have said it’s a Treaty breach.”
Jackson added: “He’s trying to change the absolute fabric of this society and the special relationship between Māori and the crown.”
Seymour: ‘Reinforces the rights of the Treaty’
Seymour has repeatedly claimed he does not want to change the Treaty, instead saying he wants its principles set out in the law.
“The purpose of this Bill is to break this Parliament’s 49 years silence to define the principles in law so it’s crystal clear what the Treaty means to modern New Zealanders,” he said in Parliament yesterday.
“It commits to protecting the rights of everyone, including Māori, and upholding Treaty settlements. It commits to give equal enjoyment of the same fundamental human rights to every single New Zealander.
“It reinforces the rights of the Treaty as universal human rights.”
Jackson said on Breakfast he didn’t believe he would be ejected from Parliament because his comments were “a message from the hīkoi”.
“I thought, I can’t back down from that message.”
Jackson said there was no constructive debate around the Bill, instead calling it “destructive”, further dividing the country.
On his comments about the Prime Minister, Jackson said those at the hīkoi believed Luxon was acting in a “cowardly” way by “not being able to shut this guy [Seymour] down.”
Jackson, however, was not critical of Luxon being absent for the vote, instead heading to Peru for the annual APEC summit.
“For me, it’s not just about yesterday. It’s about the Prime Minister’s performance in not shutting this guy down.
“It was the attraction of power that made the Prime Minister do this deal. He should have said no to this because you’re seeing the division now.”
Luxon has repeatedly said his party would only support the bill to select committee, where it has now moved to – insisting its introduction was a compromise so a government could be formed.
“I didn’t get what I wanted,” Luxon said yesterday. “I’ve been very upfront about that. David Seymour and Act didn’t get what they wanted, which was a full national referendum.”
As tension around the Bill has risen, Luxon’s language around the Bill has become stronger.
“You do not go and negate, with a single stroke of a pen, 184 years of debate and discussion with a Bill that I think is very simplistic,” he added.
“It’s not helping us get New Zealand back on track.”
Fierce speeches in Parliament
Before yesterday’s vote, MPs from each party took turns expressing their opinions on the bill with one of the fiercer speeches coming from Jackson.
In his speech, Jackson called Prime Minister Christopher Luxon “too weak to stop the dangerous extremism of the ACT party”. He suggested Luxon had been “played”.
His speech prompted a warning from the Speaker Gerry Brownlee.
At the end of the speech, Jackson said he had a “message” for Seymour relayed to him by people at the hīkoi mō te Tiriti in Auckland.
“You fuel hatred and misinformation in this country. You bring out the worst in New Zealanders. You should be ashamed of yourself, and you are a liar,” Jackson said.
Jackson was asked to withdraw and apologise for his comments, but he refused and was swiftly ejected from the house by the Speaker.
