The Regulatory Standards Bill (RSB) currently under parliamentary consideration in New Zealand faces overwhelming opposition from Māori leaders, legal experts, and education advocates who argue it threatens to undermine Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Māori rights. Critics describe the bill as a disguised neoliberal and colonial power grab that prioritizes corporate property rights and individual market logic over communal Māori values, tikanga, and co-governance. They warn it grants excessive power to a single minister to veto pro-Māori policies, erases the Treaty’s legal standing, and risks the extinction of Māori language and culture by undermining Tiriti-based education frameworks.
Legal experts and organizations also caution that the bill creates constitutional confusion by blurring the separation of powers and lacks accountability, potentially leading to costly judicial challenges. The bill is seen not as genuine regulatory reform but as a deliberate attack on the foundational documents of New Zealand’s democracy and Treaty relationship. With the bill’s second reading imminent, attention focuses on New Zealand First’s stance, which could determine its fate. Opponents call for the bill’s withdrawal, emphasizing that its passage would not only dismantle Treaty protections but also threaten the democratic fabric of Aotearoa-New Zealand.
