Maori Party Demands Treaty Commissioner as Condition for Any Coalition

Currently, only the environment has its own commissioner—a position independent of government—but the Māori Party wants one for the Treaty of Waitangi.

Maori Party co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer speak to media prior to question time at Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand, on March 6, 2024. Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

New Zealand’s Māori Party is demanding the establishment of a parliamentary commissioner for the Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand’s founding document. It will make this a condition of any future coalition agreement if a major party—most likely Labour—seeks its support to govern.

Like the ombudsman or auditor-general, commissioners are independent of government, scrutinising the government’s activity and reporting to Parliament.