Adam Pearse: NZ Herald political reporter on the Treaty Principles Bill being unveiled early

The four-page Treaty Principles Bill has been introduced - and will be the subject of Parliament debate next week.

Many are wondering about the bill's future, given that Prime Minister Chris Luxon has said his party won't support it past the select committee stage.

NZ Herald political reporter Adam Pearse says Luxon won't even be in the country for its first reading - and will be looking to put some distance between himself and the bill ahead of the APEC summit in Peru.

"He's going overseas and talking with world leaders, particularly at a time after the US election - it's a really important gig."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudgin
from News Talks EDB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Now back home. Our politics has been very much playing
second fiddle to the US this week. But to chat
local politics, I'm joined by New Zealand Herald political reporter
Adam Pearce. Good morning, Adam, Good day, How are you good?
Thank you? Now tell me the introduction of the Treaty
Principles Bill. It was abruptly moved forward by fortnite. What

(00:36):
happened there?

Speaker 3 (00:37):
Yeah, it was a bit of a strange one. Really.
We've got to Party Marti claiming that this was about
trying to avoid this mass protest that's supposed to come
or descend on Parliament in a week's time or two
weeks time actually on the nineteenth. And yeah, there's a
bit of conjecture about it and no one really knows.

(00:59):
So you've got to Party Marty saying that you know,
they're trying to pull it forward so as to avoid
the bill kind of landing in the House at the
same time this protest arrives at Parliament and then you've
got act stated Seymour, who's in charge of the bill,
saying that that actually no, he wishes government could could
work like that, could could be able to facilitate something

(01:20):
like that. It's really just just a timing thing, so
to be honest, I don't think it's going to make
too much of a difference. At the end of the day,
if the if the protest would land on this on
the same day the bill is in the House versus
a week or two weeks, it really isn't going to
make much of a difference. The protest will still be
doing or protesting what it's about the bill, and it's

(01:42):
still going to carry that same message. And I think
it's going to you know, it's going to create a
lot of the tension because by all accounts that protest
is going to be a massive one.

Speaker 2 (01:50):
Is this bill dead in order?

Speaker 3 (01:54):
There's no you know, unless we have this a massive
change or somehow David Seymore has got something on Christopher
Luxem that he has to change his mind. It's going nowhere.
And this is a This is the kind of frustrating
thing or the position that Luckson is in. And funnily enough,
when this bill is first read in the House, which
is this coming week, Lucky won't even be in the

(02:17):
country he will be at the APEC Leader summer in Peru,
so and you can kind of understand it, right. Look,
I mean, at the end of the day, Luxon doesn't
like this bill, doesn't want to be associated with it,
and as he can put some distance between himself and
Parliament and that first reading for a reason that is valid, right,
you know, going overseas and talking with world leaders, particularly

(02:40):
at a time you know, just after the US election,
it is a really important gig. So you can understand
it in that sense. But also you know he is
the one at the end of the day who signed
on that Doddle line for the coalition agreement to have
this bill and support it through. So you know, it
comes down to accountability and that's something that lucks and
talks about a lot that isn't quite shark here.

Speaker 2 (03:00):
It's the year now, bell important and summer day on Tuesday, Adam,
we've got the apology for abuse in state care. Can
you take us through what's going to happen.

Speaker 3 (03:10):
Yeah, it's going to be a really heavy emotional day obviously,
as everyone I'm sure will know or at least be
aware of that that's just a horrific scale of abuse
and State care that the government will be or that
the state will be apologizing for now, you know, and
that's not a small thing, right for the government to

(03:31):
make a national apology on behalf of the state. You know,
people will remember the apology made by then Prime Minister
Justinder are doing for the dawn rate that impacts the
Pacific communities largely and those kind of events. I wasn't
at it, but a bit covered it at the time.
And you know, it's rare for events to have such

(03:51):
such a gravity and those those events do because it's
it's such an extraordinary thing for a state to apologize
for something on there, So it will be an emotional day.
There will be lots of lots of survivors abuse survivors
at Parliament and at other events or other locations as well,

(04:12):
just watching this all unfold. There will be apologies from
several public public sector leaders, including those from autoing a Kabaikey,
health police, social development, that kind of thing, and then
that'll that will lead into the apology and the House
that promise a Chrysopher Luxe will make and I think
labor leader Cruscipicants will also will also make a statement

(04:34):
on it. Now the interesting thing to look at will
be how far the government goes as far as announcing,
you know, matching words with action, right, because that was
the thing when miss national apology was announced the survivors
and survivors groups rather yep, we like it. You know,
it's good that the government is fronting up and apologizing

(04:55):
for this. But it's not just the words. It's the action,
and specifically around compensation, you know, having a redress scheme
to be able to compensate people for for the abuse
and then the torture that they suffered at the hands
of the state. Now the government will be making some announcements,
but the Minister responsible for this whole thing, Eric Stanford,
she's already said that they won't have a compensation regime

(05:19):
ready to go come Tuesday, come the apology, and she's
been quite keen to at least ten for expectations that
a lot of this stuff is really hard and you
do understand it. It is very hard to be able
to have a scheme like this and whether you look
at having something that goes past or can be used
in future events, you know, or is it just something

(05:41):
that addresses this abuse and stake care. A lot of
questions still for the answered there, but it will be
really interesting to see what they announced and then where
the survivors think it goes.

Speaker 2 (05:51):
Far enough, Thanks so much, Adam.

Speaker 1 (05:53):
Good to catch up for more from the Sunday session
with friend Jessica Runken. Listen Lived News Talks it Be
from nine am Sunday, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio