NZ govt's swing right on Maori issues exposes new fault lines

Critics say policy a step backwards, govt says it is addressing concerns of voters

WELLINGTON - Plans by New Zealand's conservative government to roll back Maori rights reforms have revived race as a hot political issue in the Pacific nation, which was previously lauded globally for its advances on Indigenous matters.

Thousands of protesters have taken to New Zealand's streets in December against proposed legislation and plans that critics describe as the most significant step backwards for Maori rights in decades, but which the new government says address voters' concerns about the direction of the policy in recent years.

The right of centre government, which won power in an October election, is promising to undo policies of the previous progressive Labour government, in particular those that promote the official use of Maori language and seek to enhance Indigenous living standards and rights.

The emergence of the conservative power bloc, a coalition led by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon of the National Party, also comes as the number of Maori Members of Parliament hits a record high, some of whom are key advocates of the new agenda.

Among them is Mr David Seymour, leader of junior coalition partner ACT New Zealand, a libertarian party behind a controversial Bill that would redefine the legal interpretation of the Treaty of Waitangi, the country's founding document underpinning claims of Maori sovereignty.