Treaty, tribunal and Māori rights all on the ballot in NZ election

As the people of Aotearoa/New Zealand head to the polls, many Māori voters will be wondering what the result will mean for the nation's founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi, and the future of Māori rights.

In recent years, the coalition government has rolled back a range of policies that enshrined the special status of Māori in public life.

Māori make up about 18 per cent of the population, or close to 1 million people.

So how have Māori rights featured in this year's campaign?

And with mounting cost-of-living pressures and struggles to find stable jobs and housing, how significantly will they shape people's voting decisions?

Who are the parties and what are they proposing?

New Zealand's government is a coalition of three parties: New Zealand National Party, ACT New Zealand (ACT NZ) and New Zealand First (NZ First).

Led by David Seymour, ACT believes there should be "one law for all, one future together" and calls for the elimination of "race-based" policies.

Most controversially, it wants the Waitangi Tribunal abolished once all historical claims are completed.

The tribunal is an independent commission of inquiry that was set up to investigate breaches of the nation's founding document: the Te Tiriti O Waitangi.

"The tribunal has expanded beyond its original purpose over time, now acting like an alternative law-making body, passing judgement on decisions that properly belong to elected governments and parliament," a spokesperson for ACT told the ABC.

The party also wants to end targeted roles for Māori people and compel government departments to deliver services by "need, not race".

On Monday, NZ Prime Minister Christopher Luxon also said the tribunal "could be" abolished if the coalition was re-elected, calling for a debate about its future.

"[It] could be no role, could be evolved role, adjusted role," he told NewstalkZB.

The Waitangi Tribunal has been instrumental in protecting Te Reo Māori — the Māori language — after concerns that fluent speakers were rapidly declining.

In 1987, it was made an official language and is now embraced across New Zealand, with Māori broadcasters speaking fluently on-air and 200,000 people speaking the language in casual conversation.

NZ First also backs scrapping the tribunal and has promised to hold a referendum on the future of Māori seats in parliament.

These were created during a period when most Māori people could not vote, despite paying hefty amounts of land tax.

In response, the Māori Representation Act 1867 created four dedicated Māori electorates, which gave Māori men the right to vote, and women two decades later.

Today, there are seven Māori electorates.

ACT also backs the abolition of Māori seats, telling the ABC political rights should "not depend on ancestry".

On the other hand, Indigenous party Te Pāti Māori says Māori seats are "a democratic mechanism that enables Māori representation in parliament, representation that Māori voters continue to choose in growing numbers."

Te Pāti Māori would not only retain the Waitangi Tribunal but make its recommendations binding — saying at present governments "can simply ignore them", its leader Rawiri Waititi has said.

What do Kiwis think about Māori rights?

Māori rights have been raised by the minor parties — on the left and right — but have not been a major feature of the campaign, says Lara Greaves, an associate professor of politics at the Victoria University of Wellington

An Ipsos survey revealed the top three issues for voters were inflation and cost of living (64 per cent), access to healthcare and hospitals (45 per cent), and petrol prices (31 per cent).

Only three per cent of participants ranked Māori issues as the most significant issue.

The Whakaata Māori–Curia poll of more than 600 registered Māori voters found 84 per cent agreed that upholding the Te Tiriti O Waitangi was important.

But when asked about the election, nearly half nominated the cost of living as the most important issue.

Outside of the election, pride in Māori culture and protecting Indigenous rights is still important for many New Zealanders.

Seventy per cent think the treaty should be protected by legislation and the constitution, according to a 2026 report by the Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission.

Nearly 80 per cent agree that protecting and celebrating Māori culture, language and identity is important.

It is not that voters do not see treaty rights as important, Ms Greaves said, but it might not be "front of mind" during an election.

How should Māori flags be represented in national life?

This year there is also a live debate happening about the role of the Māori flag.

A petition asking the government to permanently fly the Māori flag alongside the NZ flag on Auckland's harbour bridge has almost 30,000 signatures.

Awerangi Tamihere, who launched the petition, said she took inspiration from Australia.

"We have to acknowledge our Indigenous brothers and sisters in Australia for having the Indigenous flag fly on the Sydney Harbour Bridge," she said.

"That really is an icon and a symbol of the maturity of the nation in some respects."

The goal is to reach 80,000 signatures by Waitangi Day in February 2027.

"It's an interesting time in our nation about Indigenous peoples and their rights," Ms Tamihere said.

"It is not about taking down the New Zealand flag, but it's saying there's actually a place for both to be able to fly in New Zealand."

She said the debate about Māori representation should not be seen as "divisive".

"It's just saying instead of … a choice between one or the other, we have to take the word 'or' and say there's a place for both and swap it with 'and'," she said.

"We call them 'Tangata Tiriti', our people who are non-Māori; they use that flag a lot now too, so it's just seen as a wonderful affirmation and pride in identity of the Indigenous peoples of this country."