In recent weeks, the so-called New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union has criticised the Ministry of Education for investing nearly $1 million over three years in Te Tiriti o Waitangi training for its staff. They have labelled the $987,772.60 expenditure an “unjustifiable expense.” But such a claim demands scrutiny — not only of the investment itself, but of who is making the accusation.
First, let us consider the facts. From 2022 to 2024, the Ministry spent $508,380 on course delivery for 1,076 staff. The additional $479,392.60 reflects staff time spent undertaking 10 hours of professional development. Over three years, this equates to less than $1 million to strengthen the Treaty literacy of the very people entrusted with shaping the education system of Aotearoa. In the context of a multi-billion-dollar education budget, this is not reckless spending. It is prudent governance.
Education in Aotearoa does not sit outside history. It is grounded in the constitutional reality of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The Crown has binding obligations under Te Tiriti — obligations of partnership, active protection, equity, and participation. These are not ideological preferences; they are foundational commitments. When the Ministry invests in strengthening staff capability in Te Tiriti literacy, it is acting in accordance with justice, tikanga, and its statutory and moral responsibilities.
Justice requires more than equal treatment; it requires equitable outcomes. Tikanga calls us to act with integrity, reciprocity, and balance. Treaty partnership demands informed leadership. A workforce that understands the historical and contemporary implications of Te Tiriti is better equipped to design policy, allocate resources, and serve tamariki and whānau in ways that reduce disparity rather than entrench it.
So who, then, is the Taxpayers’ Union?
Despite its name, it is not a union of ordinary working taxpayers. It is widely understood to be a right-wing lobby group aligned with interests connected to Hobson’s Pledge, The New Zealand Initiative, the ACT New Zealand, and the international think tank Atlas Network. These networks have consistently opposed co-governance frameworks and Treaty-based reforms. They were vocal in campaigns against Three Waters reforms, deploying rhetoric that often stoked fear rather than fostered understanding.
A pattern emerges: resistance to structural change that acknowledges Te Tiriti as a living covenant. Quick-fix populism over long-term nation-building.
The Ministry’s investment represents the opposite approach. It is a generational solution. Ten hours of structured learning for public servants is hardly radical. It is basic due diligence in a nation founded on a Treaty partnership. Strengthening institutional understanding reduces policy missteps, enhances cultural competence, and builds trust between the Crown and Māori communities.
Those who dismiss this investment as wasteful fail to account for the cost of ignorance. The long-term social and financial consequences of inequitable systems — disengagement, disparity, litigation, fractured relationships — far exceed the modest cost of education and capability building.
We must decide what kind of nation we want to be. One driven by short-term outrage and ideological resistance? Or one grounded in justice, tikanga, and social responsibility?
This is money well spent. It upholds the integrity of our education system by ensuring that those who shape it understand the Treaty framework within which they operate. It affirms that partnership is not optional. It signals that Aotearoa takes its founding covenant seriously.
If you are part of the solution, get on board. If you are determined to undermine long-term progress for short-term political gain, then step aside.
Investing in Te Tiriti literacy is not an extravagance. It is an obligation — and a commitment to a more just future for all.
