Honoring the Treaty of Waitangi: Unity, Partnership, and Progress for NZ

E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā rau Rangatira mā.

Tēnā koutou katoa.

Ki ngā mate, haere, haere, haere atu ra.

Kia tatou te hoonga ora.

E te hau kainga, Te Whare Tapu o Ngapuhi Ki runga, i te kaupapa, o, te kotahitanga.

Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, Tēna tātou katoa.

It is a great privilege to return to this place, where modern New Zealand finds its origins.

I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge the outstanding leaders our nation has lost in the past year.

In particular, Sir Tumu Te Heuheu, paramount chief of Tūwharetoa who was widely respected nationally and revered amongst his own people.

And Jim Bolger, who had interactions with so many of you here. New Zealand is a better place I think for Jim’s moral certainty, which led to the start of Treaty settlements - and we are deeply, deeply committed to continuing that work.

We will honour their memories, and we will reap the benefit of their foresight for generations to come.

E ngā rangatira, haere, haere, haere atu rā.

The lead-up to Waitangi Day this year has been tough.

It’s been a very challenging beginning to the year for many Kiwis hit by the recent weather events across the North Island – with families losing loved ones at Mount Maunganui, Welcome Bay and Warkworth.

I’ve spent a lot of time in the past few weeks visiting affected communities and had the privilege of meeting those families. And it is in these times of challenge we see New Zealanders at their best.

In every place I’ve visited I’ve met people who just get stuck in – helping with rescue efforts, cooking food, providing a roof for family and strangers alike, or just being a shoulder to cry on.

Whether it is emergency responders, marae, local sports clubs or volunteers, I’ve been incredibly proud of all the people I’ve met – and the care and manaakitanga they’ve shown.

Marae in particular have stepped up time and time again to support whānau and their local community – and that’s why my Government will continue to invest in their resilience as community hubs.

It speaks so highly of us as a country that we come together at times like this.

But it’s also relevant on Waitangi Day, as we think about how we have grappled and wrestled with other challenging issues.

Countries all around the world have battled with their own sense of identity - and New Zealand is no different.

The atmosphere surrounding Waitangi Day, and our conversations about the Treaty itself, have sometimes been very heated.

And that’s for good reason. Part of national life in New Zealand is that we do debate difficult things.

Yesterday as an example, was no different – when Government Ministers met with Iwi Chairs to talk about a range of issues – both challenges and opportunities to work on together.

But look around the world right now. In times where difference so often leads to violence and fracture, New Zealanders have decades of experience working through our differences with words, ideas and debate.

We do not turn on each other. We turn toward the conversation. I think we have the Treaty to thank for that. Because it has made us engage better with each other, and we should take immense pride in that.

The three articles of the Treaty are three distinct promises made in the founding of our country. I think these promises are even more relevant more than 180 years later, and as we approach our bicentenary in 2040.

Article One provides the right to govern. Not to dominate, but to deliver, for all New Zealanders.

It is the agreement that there is a Sovereign, and one government elected by and responsible for all New Zealanders.

It means we have a duty to govern well and to make decisions that serve the national interest, even when they are difficult.

That is why I have been unapologetic about lifting economic productivity, restoring law and order, and raising educational and health outcomes.

Because that is what ultimately raises the quality of Kiwis lives and gives us more opportunities and choices on how we get to live our lives.

That is kāwanatanga in action. A government that governs.

Then there is Article Two: Tino Rangatiratanga. Chieftainship.

The authority of iwi and hapū to fulfil their own obligations as partners to the Treaty.

Article Two is the source of our greatest debates about the Treaty. It is a recognition not only of property rights, but of responsibility.

The promise of chieftainship over taonga must mean something. It is why iwi and hapū have a significant contribution to make to the protection of our natural environment.

It is why the Crown has reached landmark agreements over the Whanganui River, Taranaki Maunga and other natural features throughout New Zealand.

It is why our reforms to resource management law contain strict provisions to uphold Treaty settlements and always will.

But rangatiratanga is also recognition of a wider responsibility and role for iwi and hapū.

Honouring Article Two does not mean creating separate, disconnected systems for Māori and other New Zealanders. It does not mean a fractured public service. But nor does it mean an overbearing Crown centralising functions in Wellington on behalf of Māori.

Honouring Article Two does mean devolution and responsibility.

During the past year, you have seen the Government ramp up social investment - shifting decision-making power out of Wellington and empowering communities, iwi and hapū to solve their own problems and to get results. And we have much more to do in that space together.

You see this in our commitment to Whānau Ora, to charter schools – many opened by Māori providers - and in community housing projects led by iwi.

And more broadly than iwi and hapū, when we empower a charter school, whether it be Whānau Ora or another service provider, we are doing more than just contracting out a service. The Crown is deliberately standing back to allow Māori to drive for and importantly deliver better results on the ground.

That, to me, is the promise of Article Two.

So let me turn to Article Three: Ōritetanga. Equal Citizenship.

Nearby us today is Te Rau Aroha, honouring the sacrifice of Māori in service of the Crown - what Sir Apirana Ngata called the price of citizenship.

Every New Zealander should know the story of those honoured in that museum, Māori New Zealanders who went through the hell of the First World War, and then the Second World War, fighting in the desert of North Africa and then in Italy for a country that didn’t always treat them as equals.

In 2026, that promise that we are all equal in the eyes of the state is essential.

Take the justice system. It shouldn’t matter if you are a lawyer or a school leaver. It doesn’t matter who your parents are. You break the law, you face the consequences. Same standard, same judgment.

Or take our hospitals. When a New Zealander arrives at a hospital in distress or is in line for an operation, the system shouldn’t ask about their family tree to decide how fast they’re seen. It should ask about clinical need.

Article Three must guarantee equality of opportunity. And while it cannot and should not guarantee equality of outcomes – because that is socialism - it's the endless work to make the starting line in life more equal by improving education and health, expanding the opportunity to work, and increasing access to entrepreneurship.

It means a relentless and continual focus on education and health targets to ensure that the equal citizenship guaranteed in Article Three means something in practice.

And we are starting to see real results.

Late last year, Erica Stanford released the results from our first full year of structured literacy, and they were nothing short of transformational.

In just six months, the number of new entrants reading at or above expectation jumped from 36 per cent to 58 per cent. For Māori students, success rates nearly doubled.

These aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet or targets or goals. They are thousands of Kiwi kids – Māori and non-Māori - getting the start in life to create the future they dream of and ultimately deserve.

This is how we give teeth to the promise of Article Three.

So, in closing, New Zealand must continue to evolve in a way that empowers iwi and Māori while steadfastly protecting the unity of the country.

Some people will take a different view of the Treaty to me. That’s fine. We can manage our differences without tearing the house down.

We are a small nation at the bottom of the world. But we are a mature nation. We don't settle our grievances in the streets with violence. We settle them here, on the marae, and in our Parliament, with robust and sometimes passionate debate.

And we will continue to debate each other with the certainty that each and every one of us always will be, New Zealanders.

Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.