A number of points are troubling me over The Treaty Principles Bill. One is the National and NZ First’s comments that the bill will be voted down and will not become law.

The second is the continual Māori rhetoric about the bill changing the Treaty; and finally, the obvious position of a reported number of National, Labour and Act supporters, who have been said as being in favour of having a discussion about the principles, as they are written in the Treaty and have them enshrined in the law of today.

Each party running for election stated their reasons for wanting to be elected prior to election day 2023, and like it or not, the three in the coalition were selected to govern – so it is no surprise that Act’s Treaty Principles Bill would be introduced in this term of government. So why don’t all the experts just be quiet and let the people decide? There has been so much rubbish decided by the courts, the Waitangi Tribunal, activists and professors on all sides of the debate, it is clearly time it was all sorted out for the good of all New Zealanders.

Peter Burrell, Pāpāmoa Beach