You’ve heard it from the horse’s mouth now (kinda), 165 descendants of the original treaty translators have collectively submitted against the Treaty Principles Bill, saying it was a threat to the original intent and integrity of Te Tiriti.
The Williams brothers, Henry and oddly enough also William were the first to translate the treaty and present it to the Maori chiefs in 1840.
William William’s great-great-great grandson, Martin Williams said they want to see the promises of the treaty upheld.
“Fundamentally, it’s time that we as Pākeha stood up and be counted…. we prefer a future for our nation that isn’t premised on the idea that Māori were told a big lie in 1840.”
Williams said that he and his family all agreed that the principles bill would unite all New Zealanders including Maori and make them equal under the law.
“Ask Māori who are involved in abuse in state care, whether they enjoyed equal rights during that time of their lives.”
“Equality before the law is a great legal principle, but it’s not a treaty principle.”
This comes after thousands have expressed their anger after the parliamentary website crashed on the last day before the submissions deadline.
However, Parliament’s justice select committee unanimously agreed to re-open submissions to 1pm Tuesday 14 January.
Initial indications are that the committee received 300,000 online submissions, half of which were received on the last day.
Photo Credit: Pacific Media Network
