Labour Māori Policy — Treaty, Co-Governance and Māori Authority

The Policy: Labour Treaty Principles Bill Speech — April 2025 →

Labour sits in clear opposition to the current National-led coalition government's approach to Māori and Treaty issues. The party defends Te Tiriti o Waitangi as a living constitutional document, supports co-governance arrangements as consistent with Treaty partnership, and committed — while in government — to structures like Te Aka Whai Ora (the Māori Health Authority) that have since been dismantled. Labour's defining act in opposition on this front was its role in the decisive 112-11 defeat of ACT's Treaty Principles Bill in April 2025, with leader Chris Hipkins calling it "a grubby little bill, born of a grubby little deal" and "forever a stain on our country."

The National-led coalition has moved in the opposite direction: abolishing the Māori Health Authority in 2024, reversing Māori ward protections in local government, and supporting the Treaty Principles Bill to its first reading before National withdrew its support. These rollbacks define the battleground Labour is contesting.

What it does:

• Opposes the Treaty Principles Bill — Labour voted unanimously against the ACT-sponsored bill at both its first and second readings, with Hipkins framing Te Tiriti as "a living promise" not reducible to ACT's three-principle rewrite
• Supports Māori Health Authority restoration in principle — when in government Labour established Te Aka Whai Ora under the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022; Labour's health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall has said the coalition's approach "sidelines Māori leadership" in health
• Defends Māori wards in local government — Labour MPs including Kieran McAnulty called the coalition's reversal of Māori ward protections "utterly shameful" and campaigned in favour of Māori wards in the 2025 local referendums
• Supports Māori-led approaches — Hipkins articulated a "by-Māori, for-Māori" framing in his April 2025 speech, promising partnership over top-down Crown solutions and removing government barriers to Māori self-determination
• Contests all seven Māori electorates for 2026 — Labour has recruited new candidates including environmental lawyer Tāwhiao McMaster (Te Tai Hauāuru) and Ngāi Tahu leader Mananui Ramsden (Te Tai Tonga), positioning for a Māori seat sweep

Where things stand:

Labour's opposition record on Māori issues has been consistent but tested by a difficult messaging environment. Māori caucus co-leader Willie Jackson acknowledged in late 2024 that David Seymour and Christopher Luxon had "successfully transitioned a section of the New Zealand public into thinking that [co-governance] is all part of a Māori take-over." Jackson positioned Labour as the pragmatic centre — distinguishing itself from Te Pāti Māori's more radical proposals (such as a Treaty Commissioner with power to veto legislation) while remaining committed to Treaty partnership and co-governance in principle.

The Waitangi Tribunal found the Crown failed to meet its Treaty obligations in the manner the Māori Health Authority was disestablished, giving Labour ongoing grounds to criticise the government on this front. However, Labour has not yet released a detailed Māori policy platform for the 2026 election, with Hipkins' February 2026 State of the Nation address focusing on "Jobs, Health, Homes" without direct Treaty or Māori-specific content.

Labour's relationship with Te Pāti Māori (TPM) is complex heading into 2026. Most polling shows Labour would need TPM to form a government, yet Labour is simultaneously contesting TPM-held Māori seats. Hipkins has said he will not support TPM's bottom-line demand for a Te Tiriti Commissioner with powers to overturn legislation, but indicated openness to stronger constitutional "checks and balances." Internal TPM turmoil — including court-disputed MP expulsions — has created electoral opportunity Labour is actively pursuing.

What to watch:

• Whether Labour releases a formal Māori policy document ahead of the 2026 election, including any explicit commitment to restore the Māori Health Authority
• Outcomes of the seven Māori electorate contests and whether Labour–TPM coalition talks result in agreed policy on co-governance or a Treaty Commissioner