“ACT’s petition for a referendum on co-governance has been signed over 10,000 times since it was launched less than two weeks ago,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“It is clear that Kiwis want to have this conversation. Co-governance is now everywhere but it has never been openly discussed or debated

“Nobody in Government has ever asked whether we want it. There’s just an assumption that there should be two sets of political rights.

“This is why ACT has called for a referendum, so we can have meaningful debate and all New Zealanders can have their say. As I travelled the country on our “Honest Conversations Tour” co-governance was an issue I heard about time and again.

“No society in history has succeeded by having different political rights based on birth. Many New Zealanders came here to escape class and caste and apartheid.

“All of the good political movements of the past four hundred years have been about ending discrimination on the basis of race, religion, sex and sexuality to treat each person with the same dignity. We are the first country in history that’s achieved equal rights and has division as its official policy. It’s nuts.

“It’s time for honest and bold conversations. New Zealanders are up for it and ACT will keep leading the debate.”

ACT’s petition can be found at www.act.org.nz/treaty

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