Summarised by Centrist
On a recent podcast with Tova O’Brien, ACT Leader David Seymour and Te Pāti Māori’s Tākuta Ferris discuss their opposing views on the Treaty Principles Bill.
Seymour wants a referendum, while Ferris strongly disagrees.
When quizzed about racist rhetoric, Seymour said the divisiveness is what his party is opposed to and accused the last government of ‘embedding’ the racism with their policies favouring Māori.
Seymour acknowledged that hapū and iwi had certain rights in 1840 but says those rights should only be recognised when specified in legislation.
“The question I’ve always raised is… should all people have the same right to self-determine?” he asks.
Tākuta Ferris, however, argued that Seymour hasn’t fully recognised or defined Māori rights within the Treaty. He calls Seymour’s ideas “opinions rooted nowhere.”
Ferris accused Seymour of “empowering the lowest rung of people in this country” repeating a refrain that support for Seymour’s Bill is tantamount to racism.
O’Brien pushed back citing instances of Te Pati Māori MPs’ use of heated rhetoric regarding accusations of white supremacy on the part of the government. Ferris struggled to define what white supremacy was before offering that “There’s no agreed understanding as to what ‘white supremacy’ is, right?” he said.
