ACT’s “One Law for All” Policy Aims to Reshape the Role of Te Tiriti and Tikanga in New Zealand Law

It would insert three principles into the Constitution Act 1986—parliamentary sovereignty, the rule of law, and equality before the law. The Legislation Act 2019 would be changed to limit judge-made presumptions when interpreting statutes, and the Senior Courts Act 2016 would be amended to define the rule of law as confirming Parliament’s final authority.

The New Zealand Herald

A central element is the restriction of tikanga Maori in judicial reasoning: courts could apply tikanga only when it is directly relevant to a dispute between iwi or where Parliament has expressly provided for it. The policy also requires Cabinet, before drafting any bill that references the Treaty of Waitangi, to identify the specific Treaty interests engaged, the groups to which they apply, and the obligations created. Finally, ACT proposes a property-rights clause in the Bill of Rights Act 1990 to give “peaceful enjoyment of property” equal standing with other rights.

ACT’s ‘one law for all’ policy an attempt to re-litigate Treaty Principles Bill, expert says

ACT introduced a Treaty Principles Bill in 2024. The bill triggered a record-breaking public submission process, receiving more than 307,000 submissions and 80 hours of oral evidence before being defeated 112 votes to 11 at its second reading in April 2025. The defeat followed the withdrawal of support from coalition partners National and New Zealand First.

ACT’s ‘one law for all’ policy an attempt to re-litigate Treaty Principles Bill, expert says

Since then, the National-New Zealand First coalition has been reviewing Treaty clauses across existing statutes, narrowing its scope from 28 Acts to 19 Acts administered by 11 agencies. Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith rejected the Waitangi Tribunal’s recommendation to pause those reforms and confirmed that any related legislation would not be passed before the November 7 election.

ACT’s ‘one law for all’ policy an attempt to re-litigate Treaty Principles Bill, expert says

• David Seymour – Leader of ACT, architect of the policy.

The New Zealand Herald

• Dr Carwyn Jones – Treaty-law expert, critic of the policy’s approach to parliamentary sovereignty.

ACT’s ‘one law for all’ policy an attempt to re-litigate Treaty Principles Bill, expert says

• Paul Goldsmith – Justice Minister, defender of the government’s Treaty-clause review.

The New Zealand Herald

• Christopher Luxon – Prime Minister, has ruled out any new iteration of the Treaty Principles Bill.

ACT’s ‘one law for all’ policy an attempt to re-litigate Treaty Principles Bill, expert says

• Debbie Ngarewa-Packer – Co-leader of Te Pati Maori, opponent of the policy’s perceived “legislative assimilation.”

The New Zealand Herald

• 307,000 public submissions to the original Treaty Principles Bill (TeaOneNews).

ACT’s ‘one law for all’ policy an attempt to re-litigate Treaty Principles Bill, expert says

• 112 votes for and 11 votes against at the bill’s second reading (TeaOneNews).

The New Zealand Herald

• Review reduced from 28 Acts to 19 Acts (TeaOneNews).

The New Zealand Herald

Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith rejected the Waitangi Tribunal’s call to pause the reforms, stating the legislation will not be enacted before the upcoming election.

ACT’s ‘one law for all’ policy an attempt to re-litigate Treaty Principles Bill, expert says

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon reiterated that his government will not consider another version of the Treaty Principles Bill, citing the damage the 2025 debate caused to Maori-Crown relations.

ACT’s ‘one law for all’ policy an attempt to re-litigate Treaty Principles Bill, expert says

Te Pati Maori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer described the policy as “legislative assimilation,” contending it would repeat the divisive approach of the failed bill and waste public resources.

The New Zealand Herald

• “My first reaction is that it does look like they’re trying to re-litigate the Treaty Principles Bill,” — Jones

ACT’s ‘one law for all’ policy an attempt to re-litigate Treaty Principles Bill, expert says

• “We cannot allow tikanga to become a separate source of law applying to broad areas of unrelated law without Parliament ever deciding that it should,” — David Seymour

The New Zealand Herald

ACT has pledged to campaign on the “One Law for All” platform during the 2026 election cycle. The government’s Treaty-clause review will continue, but Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith confirmed that any related legislation will not be completed before the November 7 election, leaving the policy’s legislative fate unresolved.

The New Zealand Herald