Today, Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi slammed the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee’s refusal to extend the public submission period for the Regulatory Standards Bill, calling it a deliberate act to silence whānau, hapū, iwi, and community voices.

Waititi had urged the Committee to extend the submission period by four weeks, citing both procedural fairness and technical failures- after the submissions portal repeatedly crashed on day one, echoing the same systemic failures experienced during last year’s Treaty Principles Bill.

“The system is broken-again. It couldn’t handle the tidal wave of Māori opposition last year, and it’s collapsing under the same pressure now” said Waititi.

“This is already one of the most unconstitutional bills ever put before this House. Rushing it through only adds insult to injury- it’s not just bad law, it’s a bad process.”

This morning, Government members on the Committee voted down every attempt by Te Pāti Māori to extend the submission deadline or retain the standard six-month review process. They have instead locked in a shortened four-month timeframe and a hard deadline of 23 June 2025.

“Make no mistake- this is legislative sabotage. The Government is not only advancing the most dangerous bill in Aotearoa’s parliamentary history, they’re doing it with their foot on the gas and their hand over our mouths.”

“We are not surprised- we’ve seen this playbook before. But we are not powerless. We know how to mobilise. We know how to fight back.”

Waititi issued a national call to action:

“There are still 25 days left. Flood the system. Overwhelm it with our voices. Let them choke on the very democracy they’re trying to dismantle.

“Rally your whānau, your hapū, your iwi, your communities. Let’s shut this bill down the way we shut down every other attempt to erase us. Submissions are our weapons- use them” concluded Waititi.

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