Opposition to Treaty Principles Bill
Fair Food is a food rescue charity committed to reducing food waste and promoting equitable food systems in New Zealand.
Guided by Te Tiriti and He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Niu Tireni, we are working to prioritise Māori food sovereignty and equity in West Auckland and wider New Zealand. We are working with tangata whenua to build a sustainable food system that reduces the drivers of food poverty and climate change. We envision a future where everyone has access to healthy, affordable, and culturally appropriate kai. Without this our community cannot thrive.
To achieve our vision, we need positive and respectful relationships with iwi, hapu and tangata whenua within a community that respects Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The Treaty Principles Bill 2024 makes this challenging and does not support this approach. The Bill is counterproductive and we are frustrated by the distraction and division caused by this process.
The Treaty Principles Bill 2024 should be rejected.
Grounds for Opposition
Threats to Food Sovereignty
Colonisation has caused profound harm to Māori food systems, including the loss of māra kai (communal gardens), mahinga kai (customary food practices), and mātauranga Māori (traditional knowledge). These losses have significantly eroded Māori self-determination in the food system.
Māori now face systemic barriers to food sovereignty, which include limited access to land and resources for growing kai and the prioritisation of commercial over indigenous practices in food production.
In recent years, progress has been made to address these issues and inequities.
Fair Food, for example, has been actively supporting initiatives like Mana Motuhake o te Kai, a kaupapa developed by Māori for Māori in West Auckland. This plan centers mātauranga Māori approaches to kai sovereignty and community well-being.
The Bill risks sidelining such community-led efforts, further marginalizing Māori voices, exacerbating existing inequities, and undermining mana motuhake (self-determination).
Erosion of Equity for Māori and Pacific Communities
West Auckland has one of the largest Māori populations in Aotearoa, along with a significant Pacific community.
These communities are disproportionately affected by food deserts, high concentrations of unhealthy food outlets, and regulatory barriers to local food production.
Without the principles of Te Tiriti to guide equitable policy-making, systemic inequities in access to healthy and culturally appropriate kai will only deepen.
The Bill also undermines community efforts to address these disparities, threatening the progress non government actors have made in creating a fairer food system.
Weakening Te Tiriti commitments risks disenfranchising Māori and Pacific communities further and obstructing meaningful solutions to food insecurity.
Jeopardising Community-Led Food Resilience
Ecological or economic emergencies continue to reduce the strength of communities in New Zealand. Fair Food is helping to meet the challenges these emergencies present by building food resilient communities.
The success of our work depends on partnerships rooted in authentic and collaborative application of Te Tiriti principles. The Bill undermines these partnerships. It also diminishes the Crown’s responsibility to protect and support initiatives that foster resilience.
Community-led food systems require sustained trust and shared leadership to thrive. This Bill risks disrupting these relationships, ultimately leaving communities more vulnerable to crises.
Fair Food’s Recommendations
Fair Food urges the Government to:
Reject the Treaty Principles Bill 2024: This Bill undermines Te Tiriti and risks reversing decades of progress in equity and partnership.
Strengthen Obligations to Te Tiriti: Commit to actively upholding Te Tiriti principles in all legislation, policy, and decision-making processes.
Support Māori-Led Initiatives: Recognise and fund initiatives like Mana Motuhake o te Kai that prioritise Māori sovereignty and equity in food systems.
Adopt Co-Design Processes: Ensure Māori are at the forefront of all legislative developments that impact their rights and sovereignty.
Conclusion
Fair Food envisions a sustainable, equitable food system where all people have access to healthy, affordable, and culturally appropriate kai. This vision can only be achieved through a genuine commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. We urge the Justice Select Committee to reject the Treaty Principles Bill 2024 and instead uphold the principles of partnership, protection, and participation that are essential to the well-being of all communities in Aotearoa.
Nā tō rourou, nā taku rourou ka ora ai te iwi.
With your food basket and my food basket, the people will thrive.