Party seeks personal votes on Treaty Principles Bill.
The Green Party has written to the Speaker of the House requesting individual Member of Parliament (MP) votes on the contentious Treaty Principles Bill. In a statement, Co-Leader Chlöe Swarbrick expressed concern over the secretive development of the bill by National MPs during the election campaign.
According to Swarbrick, National MPs told the public they would not support the bill but now intend to vote against their previous stance at the First Reading stage. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon allegedly plans to whip his MPs to vote differently from their earlier commitments, sparking concerns over a culture war.
Swarbrick believes that if MPs were allowed to vote with their conscience, many would align with regular New Zealanders and reject the bill. The Green Party's request for personal votes aims to prevent what they describe as a "divisive waste of time" from proceeding at Select Committee level.