Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Consitutional Lawyer Annette Sykes has launched a scathing attack on the Regulatory Standards Bill (RSB), calling it a “resurrected assault on Māori sovereignty” and a threat to Aotearoa’s constitutional foundations.

Her colleague Maia Te Hira also told the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee that the Bill represents a “new wave of colonisation,” warning it would cement corporate power, undermine Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and erase Māori from future lawmaking.

“This is the fourth attempt to pass this Bill. It’s the Bill that just won’t die. It’s the most rejected, refiled, and resurrected piece of legislation in our history. At what point does this become procedural harassment?” she asked.

Sykes, who has represented Māori across multiple Waitangi Tribunal inquiries and constitutional hearings, said the Bill grants primacy to individual property rights at the expense of collective Māori rights, particularly over whenua, wai, and customary resources.

“It promises protections to today’s property owners, yet denies retrospective justice to Māori whose land and water interests have been taken without consent or compensation for 185 years,’ she said.

“This Bill doesn’t just undermine Te Tiriti. It erases it.”

When she was asked by Green Party MP Ricardo Menedez who the Bill benefits, Skyes was clear.

“I don’t want to be pejorative, but this Bill benefits rich white men, and maybe a few women. It’s not for the ordinary citizens who are the glue of our society. It’s certainly not for Māori.”

She described the RSB as “rooted in neoliberal ideology” that prioritises profits over people and individual gain over collective responsibility.

“It enables the corporatisation of Aotearoa, money over mana, property rights over whakapapa. It limits the government’s ability to act in the public good and fulfil Treaty obligations.”

The lawyer also raised serious concerns about the process and tone of public engagement. She criticised the Select Committee for giving extended time to pro-RSB submitters like The New Zealand Initiative while cutting short constitutional experts such as former Prime Minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer.

“I was appalled to see Sir Geoffrey Palmer cut off, while lobbyists were given generous time. That’s not democratic balance, that’s ideological bias,” she said.

Sykes further condemned the threats of violence directed at fellow Māori submitters.

“One of my colleagues had to bring security to this House of Parliament just to submit. That is the level of intimidation we are facing for daring to speak out,” she said.

“If this has been fuelled by media aligned with the Bill’s supporters, there must be accountability.”

Her firm, which operates in both the state and tikanga Māori legal systems, opposes the Bill in its entirety and is calling for it to be abandoned before second reading.

Sykes also warned that the Bill’s vague definition of “property” creates legal uncertainty, a gift to wealthy corporate litigants and foreign investors.

She cited previous Tribunal findings and submissions from Māori collectives, warning that Investor State Dispute Settlement mechanisms (ISDS) under free trade agreements could be triggered by the Bill’s property provisions, opening the door to billion dollar claims from offshore companies.

“Breaching these principles could fuel international investor claims for compensation. That would paralyse government decision making, particularly around upholding Te Tiriti,” she said.

Sykes directed her ending comments to National and New Zealand First MPs.

“The power is in your hands. You can stop this travesty of justice. Listen not just to a vocal few, but to the people of this nation who have spoken loudly and clearly.”

Today is the final day for submissions. The Bill is due back into the House in September.