Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
The prime minister has admitted he is yet to see the draft Treaty Principles Bill, despite promising National will back it through its first reading, but no further.
Christopher Luxon was asked a series of questions about updates on the controversial proposed legislation, given Cabinet considered it on Monday, but was not forthcoming on further details.
"I don't talk or discuss things that are discussed in Cabinet. There'll be more to say about that shortly, I'm sure, but our position on this is well known and well understood - we support it for first reading, but not beyond that."
Luxon said ACT leader David Seymour, the bill's backer, will have more to say on it soon.
The final version will be considered again by Cabinet before it is introduced to Parliament in November.
Luxon was repeatedly asked about it at the press conference, but gave the same answer each time - he would not reveal what was said in Cabinet discussions.
Asked if he had seen the draft, Luxon said he had not: "But again, we have, Cabinet conversations and they'll be ongoing."
He said the differences between National and ACT on the issue were a "big part" of why coalition discussions took so long after last year's election.
"Quite reasonably, quite sensibly, quite calmly we came to a compromise," he explained, saying neither party got what they wanted.
Asked if he regretted the compromise, Luxon did not answer - instead repeating that National had only promised to support it to its first reading, and it was a compromise.
He said National had not changed its position since signing the coalition agreement with ACT.
Luxon has been under pressure from Māori to reject the bill, and was encouraged by opposition parties at Koroneihana to throw the policy out entirely.
Luxon said on Monday he believed in kotahitanga and "unity", but "that doesn't mean we're going to agree on the best pathway to get there… that's okay, that's normal, that's good in a democracy".
Asked if he thought the country could have a "rational, calm and sensible" conversation about the Treaty Principles Bill, Luxon said he had talked "ad nauseam" about how National would not support the bill beyond its first reading, but he had to until that point, as part of the coalition agreement.
After its first reading, he confirmed the bill would go to select committee, despite being doomed to fail in its second reading.
More than 400 Christian leaders - including senior leaders of the Catholic, Anglican, and Methodist denominations in Aotearoa - also signed an open letter calling on MPs to vote down the bill.
Treaty bill process 'shambolic' - Hipkins
Labour leader Chris Hipkins was highly critical of the process and called for more transparency.
"I think it's been a shambolic process and I think National and ACT should be more upfront with New Zealanders. They're talking about a bill nobody's actually seen as yet - it's about time they actually fronted up and showed New Zealanders what's going on.
"It absolutely defies belief that we've got this far down the track with this particular debate and the prime minister's still saying that he hasn't seen a draft bill... what exactly is going on here? It suggests that there's not only a lack of leadership, but acutally the ministers in government aren't talking to each other.
"I think New Zealanders do deserve to know what's in the Treaty Principles Bill. They also deserve to have an honest conversation about our history, and I think there's a role for responsible political leaders to talk about that - and that does include looking at the implications of findings from the Waitangi Tribunal. I don't think Parliament should be afraid to engage with the tribunal."
He said National never should have agreed to progress the bill in the coalition agreement, and the party should stand on its principles and stop the legislation to prevent a divisive debate.
"Frankly I don't think they should be doing it at all," he said. "This is going to be a divisive debate, Christopher Luxon said it's going to be a divisive debate, he should show some leadership, just stop it right now. Jettison the bill and let's focus on bringing the country together rather than creating division."
He said the bill would bring out some "fiery rhetoric, no doubt, that I think will take the whole debate around the Treaty backwards by several decades".
Read back on updates from today's post-Cabinet conference below:
