Former Act leader and Labour minister Richard Prebble has resigned from the Waitangi Tribunal.
He was appointed to the role in October 2024, by Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka.
He told RNZ he had become increasingly alarmed by the Tribunal's decisions over the summer but "it was only when I had the strategic plan drawn to my attention, about 10 days ago" that led him to resign.
"One of the purposes of the Tribunal - and I know this because I voted for it - was that we knew that there were some historic grievances and they ought to be resolved, and the intention was that the Tribunal would, over time, reduce the number of grievances.
"But as a result of its decision that there's not one Treaty, but two, and the Treaties themselves are basically a socialist manifesto, there's going to be endless numbers of grievances and I can see division in New Zealand being increased rather than decreased.
"And I don't want to be part of it."
Asked what he meant about it being a "socialist manifesto", he pointed to the Tribunal's strategic direction - updated in 2020 - which points to inquiries into various aspects of social life including "citizenship rights and equality".
"When you say that the treaty promises equality, that's the socialist dream. That's what socialists are in favour of. And socialist regimes, communist regimes, have all attempted to make everyone equal, and they've all failed," he said.
"To have it now as a Treaty guarantee means that we're going to have successive governments will have claims that they haven't achieved equality. Well, I hate to be the first person to say this, but they, regardless of their intentions, they will never achieve that. People just aren't equal.
"I think aiming for equality and equality of opportunity is a very worthwhile endeavour. What I'm saying is that no one puts in their constitution that you can bring a court case against the government if the outcome of a programme you went to wasn't equal. That's how life is."
In a statement, Potaka said his focus was now on "moving swiftly to complete the appointment of a new member".
"The Waitangi Tribunal achieves its mahi thanks to the commitment of a diverse range of members providing extensive experience and knowledge. Mr Prebble has made the decision to resign of his own accord - I respect his choice and wish him well," he said.
