The legislation – which has dominated debate in New Zealand for months – later passed its first reading, but is highly unlikely to garner enough support on a second reading to pass into law.
It is seen by many Maori and their supporters as undermining the rights of the country’s indigenous people, who make up around 20 per cent of the population of 5.3 million. The move, they argue, threatens to promote racial discord and constitutional upheaval.
Thousands of New Zealanders are travelling the length of the country this week to protest against it.
The Treaty of Waitangi has long been a source of contention because key distinctions exist in its English and Maori forms.
Rulings by the courts and a separate Maori tribunal have progressively expanded Maori rights and privileges over the decades. However, critics of the pact argue that this has discriminated against non-indigenous citizens.
The ACT New Zealand party, a junior partner in the ruling coalition government, last week unveiled the bill to enshrine a narrower interpretation of the Waitangi treaty in law.
David Seymour, the leader of ACT and the author of the bill, argued on Thursday that, for two centuries, the treaty has afforded Maori “different rights from other New Zealanders”.
However, those who champion the treaty argue that is the point because it has helped them win billion-dollar land settlements, guaranteed representation in national and local governments, and had the Maori language more widely embraced.