David Seymour: ACT Party leader on the Treaty Principles Bill getting voted down in Parliament

Going, going - almost gone.

MPs from all parties other than ACT are shutting down the Treaty Principles Bill today, with passionate displays of rhetoric.

It's been called, 'embarrassing', 'grubby', and a 'stain on our country' during the debate.

Architect of the failed Bill, David Seymour, says he'd be happy to push for a Treaty referendum  in future coalition negotiations.  

"That is absolutely a possibility, we wouldn't rule that out. But sooner or later, the logic of this bill is going to prevail."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good evening the seven after five news talks would be
so the Treaty Principal's Bill is officially dead on its
second reading. The eyes are eleven, the noose one hundred
and twelve.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
The motion is loft.

Speaker 1 (00:14):
David Seymol's the act party leader of the architect of
the Billy's with us now, David Good Evening, get it run.
How do you feel.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
Pretty good? I don't think anyone else, frankly, would have
had the courage to put this agenda on the table.
And after listening, I stayed and I listened to every
single word of the opposition speeches, and not one of
them could explain why they don't think Parliament should be
able to make laws, which is the first principle. I propose,

(00:44):
why they don't think that the Crown should commit to
upholding Maori rights but also upholding everyone else's rights too,
or why they don't think every person should be equal
before the laws. So, as far as the debate goes,
there are three principles proposed, and speakers actually spoke about

(01:07):
what's in the bill or why they disagree with it.
Now that, on the other hand, depresses me somewhat for
the somewhat for the future of our country if this
is our parliament.

Speaker 1 (01:16):
But hey, what's next? What do you do with the
bill now?

Speaker 2 (01:21):
Well, the basic commitment that act has to equal rights
for all kiwis before the law. That stays because that
is a universal truth. As the election approaches, we will
lay out exactly how we're going to do that tactically.
I think it's fair to say that as we think
about all of this, we'll be asking how do we

(01:44):
get more people on board for that truth? Because right
now we've got a country where a large minority of
people genuinely believe that we should be ranked by the
arrival time of our ancestors, and I don't think that
that is healthy for the future of our country.

Speaker 1 (02:00):
Would you make a referendum a bottom line and a
coalition discussion? Is that how you do it?

Speaker 2 (02:06):
That is absolutely a possibility. We wouldn't rule that out
because sooner or later, the logic of this spill is
going to prevail New Zealanders our equal The Treaty does
actually give us the provision to be equal. It's just
been hijacked by a whole lot of people, mainly in
the courts and the White Tangy Tribunal. And the bureaucracy
who don't seem to see how serious this is.

Speaker 1 (02:28):
All right, David, appreciate your time tonight. David Seymoor, the
Act Party leader and the architect of the Treaty Principles bill,
voted down on second reading in the House ten minutes ago.

Speaker 2 (02:36):
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