“It is Treaty principles that have allowed the treaty document to move from an historical text into enforceable modern legislation."

"The report finds that 115 [Waitangi] settlements have now been made, with the total financial redress paid by taxpayers amounting to over $5 billion by June 30, 2026.

"[The report's author] explains, 'What gradually became apparent, while looking at this for months, is that without the treaty principles there would be no historical breaches of the treaty by the Crown, no financial redress totalling $5 billion, no way to mandate co-governance, and no way to direct authorities to cave in to specific Maori claims and requests.'

“'It is Treaty principles that have allowed the treaty document to move from an historical text into enforceable modern legislation. They have transformed law, enabled the treaty settlement process, and imposed a bicultural structure on the public sector where "partnership, participation, and protection" are the foundational buzz words. In short, these principles have created the situation we have today.'

"He explains that once claims back to 1840 were permitted by an amendment to the Treaty of Waitangi Act in 1985, the Waitangi Tribunal wrote extensive reports that reframed everything that had happened since 1840 in terms of Treaty principles compiled by one of their members.

"By reframing history through these invented principles, everything the Government had done since 1840 as New Zealand’s sovereign authority was able to be reinterpreted as a Treaty breach requiring massive financial redress.

"As [the author] says, 'A giant treaty rort? It’s over to you to decide'.”

~ Muriel Newman in her post 'The Battle Over the Waitangi Tribunal,' commenting on Mike Butler's new report Treaty Transparency – 1975 to 2026: