Debate on the Treaty Principles Bill far from over

I was talking about it a wee bit earlier on in this show, and in full disclosure, I'm not expressing my own opinion about the Treaty Principles Bill and whether I think it's right or wrong.

I'm just observing what I've found from this recent poll.

Did you see the recent One News Varian poll last night? It was on the Treaty Principles Bill.

It reveals a pretty complex picture that, dare I say, even challenges the simplistic conclusions that we seem to have reached.

The poll indicates that while 36 per cent of respondents oppose the Bill, only 23 per cent express support, the most striking figure to me was the fact that 39 per cent said they don't know enough about it.

That is a sizeable proportion of uncertain voters, isn't it?

It may even show that public opinion on the issue is far from settled.

Now for those who oppose the Bill, this result, dare I say, is hardly a resounding victory, and I will just stress that it is just a poll.

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But if almost 40 per cent of New Zealanders remain uninformed, I reckon this suggests there's perhaps an opportunity here for more education on what the Bill actually entails and its implications.

One of the things that I find quite extraordinary about the whole debate is that you've got people, both for and against this, by the way, on social platforms like TikTok, giving very, very simplistic views of this Bill.

Like I say, whether you're for or against it, I think you just need to have better education around what the Bill is, what it stands for, and what it wants to do, so that we can all make a more informed decision and not just have a hot take.

Again, I'm not just talking about those that oppose it, I'm talking about those that support it as well.

I might even ask, well why are we even talking about this, because National and New Zealand First have already committed to opposing the Bill past its first reading.

Fair point, I hear that point.

Poll suggests further information and deeper engagement could shift opinions on Treaty Principles Bill.

Frankly, I think, why are we even harping on about this Bill when we know it's going to die?

It's going to be killed, perhaps in a slow and painful way, because of the select committee process and it's a six-month process.

But results like this perhaps suggest that further information and deeper engagement could shift opinions, which Act Party leader David Seymour is probably hinging on here.

So, the polls suggest that the public debate on the Treaty Principles Bill isn't over. It is far from over, nor is the opposition a done deal.

This is interesting to me. Again, I'm not giving my view on whether the Treaty Principles Bill is right or wrong; this is merely my observation of the poll results.

That's Will's Word.