"This is war' Māori treaty rights at risk from new government

More than 180 years after Mäori leaders gathered near the banks of the Waitangi River to sign the treaty that became New Zealand's founding document, their descendants fear the rights afforded to them in the agreement may be under attack.

- Michelle Duff

The country's new coalition government, sworn in last week, has said it will review the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, or Treaty of Waitangi, which upholds Mäori rights.

"For us, this is a modern-day confiscation of our treaty rights, hard-earned and fought for by our predecessors," said Tukoroirangi Morgan, hundreds of whose ancestors were killed by British troops in the invasion of the Waikato in the 1860s.

The government-led by National's Christopher Luxon and with the populist New Zealand First leader, Winston 

Peters and Act party libertarian David Seymour sharing the deputy prime minister role-has announced at least a dozen policies that provide for Mäori will be repealed or reviewed. This includes minimising Mäori language use in the public service and scrapping the Māori Health Authority, Te Aka Whai Ora, set up to reverse negative Māori health outcomes.

Luxon said voters wanted services provided on the basis of need, not race, and he was "strengthening democracy" for all New Zealanders. He told the Post newspaper: "There are some things there that we just need a bit of rebalancing and a bit of clarity." Critics say the moves are an affront to four decades of legislative decisions that form the basis of the modern interpretation of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.