ACT leader and Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour says the Treaty principles debate is far from over, pledging to revive it as a central theme of the party’s 2026 election campaign.
In an interview with state media, Seymour said he remained committed to what he frames as a vision of equality before the law, despite ACT’s Treaty Principles Bill being voted down at its second reading earlier this year after widespread protests and the largest hīkoi to reach Parliament.
The bill, which sought to replace existing interpretations of Treaty principles with a simplified framework, failed to secure coalition backing beyond its first reading. National ultimately opposed it, and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has ruled out revisiting the proposal.
He confirmed ACT would campaign again on the underlying principles, though the precise policy vehicle is still being developed, with lessons drawn from what he described as peaking too early in the 2023 campaign. Seymour also played down coalition tensions over other legislation, saying disagreement was inevitable and healthy, and insisted ACT would prioritise stability while continuing to push for structural reform.
Bring it on
Fast and furious
Plough this crap under
Where it belongs
Sad day for NZ that a what-not is leading the way
Said little “International Rules Based Order puppet.”
Pushing the same old cart, eh mate. I voted ACT in the past but after the way the party behaved, during the scamdemic, NEVER AGAIN!