Te Pāti Māori is calling out the “No BS Budget,” for what it really is: a Budget built on the suffering.

“This is the worst Budget we’ve seen. This Budget protects power, not people,” said Te Pāti Māori Co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.

“They didn’t forget our tamariki — they ignored them. They ignored our wāhine, our iwi, our whānau.”

Despite tangata whenua making up at least 20% of the population, Māori development is receiving only 0.27% of the total Budget — the lowest in a decade.

“This Budget is a betrayal of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It slashes our tino rangatiratanga and our ability to protect our lands, our waters, and our futures. This is a Budget that protects power, not people,” she said.

“There is no love in this Budget for Māori, for our babies, for anyone — except this government’s rich mates,” said Te Pāti Māori Co-leader Rawiri Waititi.

“The government is systematically erasing our constitutional rights, defunding Māori-led solutions, and transferring wealth from those who need it to billionaires.

“This Budget doesn’t build a future for Māori — it builds our demise. A truly responsible Budget would fund our solutions, not suppress them,” said Waititi.

A Te Pāti Māori Budget would create an Aotearoa where the rights and obligations recognised in Te Tiriti o Waitangi are honoured, and where every person has access to food, housing, and healthcare.

“For once, I agree with the Prime Minister — Te Pāti Māori will tax more. We will tax Chris Luxon’s rich mates and the people whose wealth he passes legislation to protect,” said Ngarewa-Packer.

“Our tax policy will benefit 97% of Aotearoa, provide eight weeks of free kai per year to whānau across the country, and ensure that the wealthy pay their fair share,” she said.

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