Sovereignty is based on area, not race

The Herald reports:

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has told Parliament he believes Māori ceded sovereignty to the Crown.

During Question Time, Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick pushed him on the issue multiple times, asking, “does the Prime Minister believe that Māori ceded sovereignty?”

Luxon responded, saying “our position is the Crown is sovereign”.

Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters interjected, citing prominent former Māori MP Sir Apirana Ngata from 1922.

“Is it a fact that, 102 years ago in a major thesis, Sir Āpirana Ngata set out the very circumstances of the Treaty, and he said that Māori ceded sovereignty.”

“As I said, our position is the Crown is sovereign,” repeated Luxon, “and also, importantly, the Treaty of Waitangi has protections in there for both Crown and Māori interests.”

It is a somewhat pointless debate. You can argue all you like about what was the intention of 200 chiefs 180 years ago, but it doesn’t change the reality that the elected Government of New Zealand has sovereignty over the Realm of New Zealand, and has exercised it for many scores of years.

Sovereignty is not based on ancestry or race, but territory.