According to a new 1News survey more New Zealanders are opposed to the Treaty Principles Bill than support it.

The poll surveyed more than 1000 eligible eligible voters and ran for a week between late November and early December.

The results showed that 23% supported the passing of the bill whilst 36% of people were opposed, however a significant number showed that 39% did not know enough about it to make a decision.

The result comes after the proposed legislation passed its first reading in Parliament last month. 

It is now at the hands of a select committee with submissions closing at the end of this year.

The first reading of the bill caused heated debate in the House, which saw a haka performed at the end of the debate that went viral across social media and made worldwide headlines.

The architect of the bill and leader of the ACT party David Seymour was not surprised at the survey results.

“The biggest result in this poll is people who would like to know more,” he said. “And that’s why I think it’s important to talk about what’s in this bill and that’s not what some of our opponents have tried to characterise it.”

Seymour also continued to deny that the bill would cause division, saying “it revealed the division that was inherent in successive governments’ policy of seeing the Treaty as a partnership between two races”.

The stats suggest those who are more likely to support the bill are ACT supporters and men over 55 and those who were opposed to the bill are Green supporters, Maori, women and graduates.

 

 

Photo Credit: SBS