Treaty & Māori Affairs · Party position

Te Pāti Māori on Treaty & Māori Affairs

Te Tiriti-based constitutional change to return power to Māori

Te Pāti Māori wants to change New Zealand's constitution so it is based on Te Tiriti o Waitangi. They say this would give Māori, hapū, and iwi real decision-making power over their own lives, land, and resources. They also want to return land to Māori, give Māori authority over freshwater, and build Māori-led services in health, education, and justice.

What they say they'll do

Change the constitution so it is based on Te Tiriti o Waitangi
Strengthen Māori political authority and governance structures
Progress return of land to Māori under Te Tiriti
Assert Māori rights and authority over freshwater, requiring Māori consent for decisions
Build Māori-led authorities in health, education, and justice
Protect Māori food systems and uphold WAI262

Who this affects

Māori whānau, hapū, and iwi

The proposals would shift decision-making authority over land, water, health, education, and justice toward Māori communities and governance structures.

People living near or using freshwater resources

Decisions about freshwater management would require Māori consent under this policy.

Māori students and their families

A Māori-led education authority would be established and mātauranga Māori would be embedded across learning.

Māori food producers and local kai sellers

The policy would invest in Māori-owned food systems and protect local kai sellers from corporate competition.

In their own words

“Without constitutional transformation, every gain can be undone by the next government; power must return to tangata whenua, hapū, iwi and whānau.”

“Water is life; decisions about wai must sit with those who have carried responsibility for it.”

“Assert Māori rights and authority over freshwater. Stop decisions being made without Māori consent.”

Verify at Te Pāti Māori — official policy page

Summarised neutrally from Te Pāti Māori’s own official policy (as at 2026-07-16) and checked by an editor. Nothing is paraphrased without the source linked. Read the original ↗ Arapono is non-partisan. Compare all parties on Treaty & Māori Affairs →

In depth — from Te Pāti Māori’s policy document · 6 August 2026

Making Waitangi Tribunal recommendations binding

Te Pāti Māori would make Waitangi Tribunal recommendations binding rather than advisory, establish a Parliamentary Commissioner for Te Tiriti, and require every Bill before Parliament to carry a Te Tiriti Impact Statement. The problem they identify is structural: the Tribunal can investigate, hear evidence and make findings, but a government can simply ignore them. It sits under their wider Mana Motuhake commitment to Te Tiriti-based constitutional change.

Tribunal findings

Would bind

New office

Also contesting, without seats in Parliament
Women’s Rights
Animal Justice
ALCP
Conservative
Outdoors & Freedom
Vision NZ
Alliance
Free Palestine
NZ Loyal											∅
Te Tai Tokerau											∅

Te Pāti Māori on Treaty & Māori Affairs

What they say they'll do

Who this affects

In their own words

Making Waitangi Tribunal recommendations binding

Coverage at a glance