Māori Manifesto — kaupapa Māori and Te Tiriti commitments

• Amending the Treaty of Waitangi Act to recognise Te Tiriti as the authoritative text, working in conjunction with He Whakaputanga
• Te Tiriti-based decision-making across government, with iwi and hapū resourced as partners rather than advisors
• Reforming Treaty settlements — removing “full and final” clauses, ending the large natural grouping approach, validating hapū rangatiratanga
• A better resourced Waitangi Tribunal with power to make binding recommendations for return of Crown and private land
• Returning whenua wrongfully alienated outside settlements, including exploring a right of first refusal at point of sale
• A Marae Resilience Fund, an end to perpetual leases on whenua Māori, and Public Works Act protections

The manifesto proposes amending the Treaty of Waitangi Act so that Te Tiriti — the te reo Māori text — is recognised as the authoritative one, and that it works in conjunction with He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni. That is a change to which text has legal standing, not only to how it is interpreted.

Beyond more resourcing, the manifesto would give the Tribunal power to make binding recommendations for the return of land to iwi, whānau and hapū — and states this covers private as well as Crown land. The document does not set out how that would work where land is privately held.

It would amend the settlement policy guide used by negotiators to enable what it calls fair negotiations and just reparations without cessation of sovereignty, remove clauses referring to “full and final” settlement, and end the large natural grouping approach in favour of validating hapū rangatiratanga.

Separately from settlements, it proposes facilitating return of whenua wrongfully alienated from tangata whenua, including exploring a right-of-first-refusal process that would let iwi, hapū and whānau acquire private land at the point it is sold.

Two specific protections: ending perpetual leases on whenua Māori, and amending the Public Works Act 1981 so the Crown cannot acquire Māori freehold land, Māori customary land, or land within reasonable proximity to marae, urupā and wāhi tapu.

A Marae Resilience Fund would resource marae to lead initiatives for their people, wāhi tapu and whenua under their own tikanga, with ongoing funding recognising marae as community lifelines in civil emergencies. The manifesto also commits to devolving power and resources to tangata whenua, and to expanding the learning, speaking and promotion of te reo Māori in both formal and informal settings.