Auckland Council’s Treaty Principles Bill submission and the Destiny Church protests at pride events over the weekend w/ Councillor Shane Henderson: 20th February, 2025

On Monday, Auckland Council representatives delivered the council's submission on the Treaty Principles Bill to the justice select committee. In the submissions, Auckland Council rejected the Treaty Principles Bill as unworkable, saying there was a lack of good faith engagement with Māori, and that the bill would create legal uncertainty and damage the council’s relationship with Māori.

Additionally, over the weekend several Pride events saw intrusive protests by the 'Man Up' group linked to Destiny Church. Around 50 protestors stormed the Te Atatū library during a family-friendly Auckland Pride event where a drag king was reading to children about the science behind rainbows. Library staff were physically and verbally attacked and the around 30 attendees of the event were barricaded in a room in fear of their safety. This also came after Destiny Church members were seen disrupting the Pride Parade on Ponsonby Road on Saturday. 

For City Counselling this week, Sofia spoke to Councillor Shane Henderson about both of these topics, starting by asking what Auckland Council’s stance is on the Treaty Principles Bill.