Treaty Principles Bill Defeated in Parliament

New Zealand's controversial Treaty Principles Bill, which aimed to legally redefine the principles of the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi, was decisively defeated in its second reading with a vote of 112 to 11. The bill sparked significant public protest, with over 40,000 people demonstrating against it outside parliament last year and more than 300,000 submissions made to a government committee. ACT Party leader David Seymour, who championed the bill, was the sole major political figure supporting it, while opposition from other parties, including Labour and Te Pāti Māori, was intense and vocal. Labour leader Chris Hipkins criticized the bill as a 'stain' on the country, while Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson noted that the bill inadvertently united communities in support of the treaty. The bill's defeat was characterized by heated parliamentary debates, with Labour MP Willie Jackson being ejected for calling Seymour a 'liar'. The rejection of the bill underscores the political sensitivities surrounding the Treaty of Waitangi and its enduring significance in New Zealand's national identity.