NZ Day bill 'sell out' for Maori

Labour has been accused of selling out Maori voters over its decision to support the first reading of a bill changing Waitangi Day to New Zealand Day.

The member's bill was introduced by United Future leader Peter Dunne and passed its first reading in Parliament yesterday.

The bill would rename Waitangi Day and see the new New Zealand Day celebrated on the Monday of the week in which February 6 occurs.

Mr Dunne wants the change because he says a national day should reflect the emergent multicultural nature of the nation.

He also believes the protests that have regularly marked Waitangi Day means it is now a symbol of divisiveness, rather than unity.

"People have had a gutsful."

All political parties, barring the Maori Party and the Green Party, supported its first reading yesterday, which will ensure it goes to a select committee.

None of the parties who voted in favour yesterday has guaranteed supporting it beyond that stage.

In 2001 Mr Dunne failed in his bid to have the national day changed to Aotearoa New Zealand Day, with Labour "strongly opposed", Mr Dunne said yesterday.

He believed its change of heart reflected "a shift in the public mood that they have picked up".

Labour leaders were saying little on the subject yesterday, leaving Otago MP David Parker to speak in the House.

He reiterated the party was not promising to support the bill further and said whatever New Zealand's national day was called it "does not alter the fact that the underlying issues relating to the treaty are important and have to be dealt with".

But Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia and Green Party Maori Affairs spokeswoman Metiria Turei were scathing in their criticism.

Mrs Turia said it was ironic Mr Dunne was promoting the bill, given he was chairing the select committee review into constitutional arrangements. His bill sent a clear message the treaty was not valued and suggested it was being reneged on. The treaty enabled the Government to govern and if it was reneging on that its own legitimacy was compromised.

Referring to Labour MP John Tamihere's suggestions that Deputy Prime Minister Michael Cullen was able to dupe other parties into signing up to legislation, she suggested Labour leaders had done the same by getting its Maori caucus to vote for the first reading.

Mrs Turei said "this is another example of them taking on ultra-conservative policy on Maori issues".

Tai Tokerau MP Dover Samuels said the public was entitled to have a say, but he was unlikely to support the bill past the select committee.

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters said he was also unlikely to be convinced to support the bill further.

It marked a historic day and "why would we want to belie our history?"