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Treaty trust up, but still no org’ trusted by 50% of Kiwis

  • elocal magazine By elocal magazine

The Human Rights Commission has just released new research on Treaty trust.

We get most of our information from politicians and media, but neither are going to tell you that:

  • Only 13% of us trust English-language news media to provide us with accurate information about the Treaty/Te Tiriti (16% for Maori-language news media)
  • Only 15% of us trust Government departments, 10% MPs, and 8% political parties
  • No organisation is trusted by more than 50% of the population on this issue



TRUST INSIGHTS
Based on the Nov 2023 and Dec 2024 research by Horizon and commissioned by the Human Rights Commission:

  • No organisation is trusted by more than 50% of the population to provide accurate information on the Treaty/Te Tiriti.
  • Overall, trust scores increased 15% on average in 2024. This goes against the trend of declining trust in institutions in previous years, as shown by Stats NZ’s research.

  • The National Library of New Zealand is trusted by 44% of voters.
  • The Waitangi Tribunal is up from 36% to 41%, and the Human Rights Commission from 25% to 29%, but the majority of New Zealanders still don’t trust either organisation on this issue.
  • Books, websites, podcasts come in as the third most trusted on 33%.
  • Educators are trusted by only 1/4 (25%).
  • National Iwi Chairs Forum and NGO’s by only 1/5 (19% and 18%)
  • English-language News Media outlets are trusted by only 13% of Kiwis. Double the 6% score in 2023, but still very low % with 87% not trusting them.
  • Māori-language news media scored slightly higher with 16%, but that’s still 84% who don’t trust them as well.
  • Government Departments at 15%, MPs at 10%, and Political parties at 8%, and are trusted less than Friends or family at 17% (up from 11%),  similar to Advocacy/activist groups or organisations at 9%, and only slightly more than social media at 7%. Again, these are all very low trust scores.

OTHER INSIGHTS
The focus of this fact is on trust since that is a critical foundation for any discussion or debate and most of the information is coming from politicians and media, but be sure to check out the link below for other questions. There are a wealth of insights across the 26 pages.  These include:

  • 90%+ supported questions about respecting and upholding human rights and all Kiwis feeling like they belong here.
  • ~80% want less politics and better discussion and debate, but that is arguably stating the obvious.
  • 72% feel informed (up from 58%) about the Treaty/Te Tiriti, which most will agree is a good thing. < 35-year-olds are the least informed.
  • 70%+ want to honour the Treaty (72%) and have it in our laws (71%), but these questions didn’t ask about the interpretation or application of it.
  • Young people are far less likely to trust the National Library, Waitangi Tribunal, and far more likely to trust friends or family, Māori news media, and social media especially.
  • Asian/Indian Kiwis are far less likely to trust National Library, Waitangi Tribunal, HRC, and far more likely to trust friends/family, Govt departments, and social media.
  • Māori/Pasifika Kiwis are far more likely to trust the Waitangi Tribunal, HRC, Iwi Chairs, friends and family, and Māori language news media. Māori do not have trust in Govt departments on treaty matters.
  • The 2023 report showed that 35% felt Māori had NOT ceded sovereignty, and 28% felt they had. This question was not repeated in 2024.
  • Two other omitted questions from 2023 showed that 58% felt it was important for the majority to decide how the Treaty is honoured (22% felt it was not important), and conversely, 53% felt it was not important for only Māori to decide (23% felt this was important).
  • One of the least supported statements with 57% agreement and 17% disagreement was ‘The spirit and intent of the Treaty/Te Tiriti can help guide us in how we move forward as a country from here.” This perhaps reflects the social division in New Zealand right now.
  • Many other new questions were introduced in the 2024 research, including the Waitangi Tribunal’s controversial report about Māori not ceding sovereignty, several questions about ‘self-determination’, multiple political statements, and remedies for past injustices. 

KEY QUESTIONS

  1. Given that most of our information on the Treaty/Te Tiriti comes from politicians and news media, are you concerned by this lack of trust?
  2. Is it problematic that no organisation has more than 50% of the trust of Kiwis?
  3. Did the change in Government contribute to trust levels increasing 15% on average?
  4. Did the new appointments to the Waitangi Tribunal in October 2024 help increase the trust in the Waitangi Tribunal?
  5. Did the new appointments in the Human Rights, Race Relations, and Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner roles in August 2024 help increase the trust in the Human Rights Commission?
  6. In general, how do we resolve disagreements around the Treaty/Te Tiriti to achieve greater social unity in New Zealand?

Visit thefacts.nz/treaty_trust for full insights and data notes.

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