Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has explained why he didn’t meet yesterday’s Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti at Parliament.
There were extraordinary scenes yesterday when a crowd estimated by police to be as many as 42,000 marched through Wellington to Parliament, many of them voicing opposition to the Government’s Treaty Principles Bill.
It comes after Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke started a haka, challenging David Seymour on the day the Treaty Principles Bill was introduced to Parliament. (Source: 1News)
The Bill’s architect David Seymour, alongside ACT MPs, made a brief appearance on Parliament’s forecourt during the hīkoi, however the Prime Minister did not front it.
On Breakfast this morning, the Prime Minister was asked why he chose not to face the hīkoi when so many people were outside his office.
Luxon explained: “The real reason was that a lot of the organisers were Te Pati Māori. They have an opportunity to interrogate me in the House each and every week.
“We did send a delegation of National Party MPs out to represent us and our position, which was really good.
“And importantly, I get to talk to iwi leaders up and down the country continuously, both in private and in public, and in some of the sessions and the meetings that we have.”
He called yesterday a “significant day”.
1News political editor Maiki Sherman reports from Parliament as tens of thousands of people converged for Hīkoi mō te Tiriti. (Source: 1News)
Luxon has repeatedly said his party would not support the Bill at its second reading. The Bill has gone to select committee, and submissions were opened to the public yesterday and close on January 7.
The Prime Minister said that from his point of view, his message to the hīkoi was “really clear” — that National would not be supporting the Bill any further.
Luxon has said the Bill will be voted down by National MPs at a second reading, and with NZ First taking a similar stance, it wouldn’t have the support to progress.
“And there’s good reason for why we’re not supporting it, which is that it’s overly simplistic. You don’t go and negate 184 years of debate and discussion with the stroke of a pen,” Luxon said.
“I think our approach is better, which is that you pick it up issue by issue, and importantly, we’re here to make sure that we improve outcomes for Māori and non-Māori.”
1News’ Te Aniwa Hurihanganui reports from the capital as Hīkoi mō te Tiriti arrived. (Source: 1News)
He said that “frankly” the Bill “doesn’t help us do that”.
Given the size of yesterday’s hīkoi, and how controversial the Bill has proved to be, Luxon was asked if he regretted making it part of National’s coalition agreement with ACT.
He said “no”, believing the compromise necessary for forming a government.
“Rightly or wrongly, the New Zealand people have chosen the MMP system as the electoral system here in New Zealand,” he said.
1News’ Abbey Wakefield was there as today’s hīkoi started early for many participants. (Source: 1News)
“And that means, as you see in modern MMP environments all around the world, think about Western Europe, for example, that you will have coalition agreements.
“There are now six parties in the Parliament here in New Zealand that have different views and different perspectives and represent different groups of New Zealanders. We actually have to make compromise in order to form governments and it’s the same on all sides.”