God, Law, and the Treaty: A Christian Reflection on Justice and Social Harmony in New Zealand
God’s Law as God’s Character
Christians have often lived in tension with the idea of law. Paul’s warnings about “the letter that kills” and “works of the law” have sometimes been interpreted as if law itself were the enemy of the spiritual life (2 Corinthians 3:6; Galatians 2:16). But when we look at the whole sweep of Scripture, it becomes clear that law is not opposed to God’s nature. Law is an expression of God’s character.
In the Old Testament, the law reveals who God is: just (Deuteronomy 32:4), holy (Leviticus 19:2), faithful (Psalm 119:90), and orderly (1 Corinthians 14:33). In the New Testament, Jesus fulfils the law not by discarding it, but by embodying it (Matthew 5:17). Paul’s critique is not of law itself, but of law without love — law used as a weapon rather than a guide (1 Timothy 1:8). Christians, then, cannot be anti‑law. We are called to reflect God’s character, and that includes His commitment to justice, order, and covenant faithfulness.
Human Law: Necessary, Imperfect, and Inevitable
If we are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), then we too must create laws — not divine laws, but human ones that aim, however imperfectly, to reflect God’s justice. Human law can be wise or foolish, just or unjust. It can unite or divide. But the absence of law is not freedom; it is chaos. Judges 21:25 describes a society without law: “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” That is not liberty — it is disorder.
Christians must therefore take law seriously. We must write laws that are practical, fair, and oriented toward the common good (Micah 6:8; Proverbs 29:4).
The Treaty as a Legal and Moral Document
The Treaty of Waitangi is not Scripture. It is not perfect. But it is a covenant — and Christians understand covenants. God Himself binds His people through covenants (Genesis 9; Genesis 15; Exodus 19), and expects His people to honour their promises (Psalm 15:4).
The Treaty represents an attempt, flawed and contested, to establish a just relationship between two peoples. The English and Māori texts differ. Chiefs debated the meaning intensely. Some warned that signing could lead to loss of authority. Others believed the Crown would act as a protector, not a sovereign. The Crown later acted on an interpretation Māori did not share. These tensions shape how New Zealanders understand justice today.
Law, Justice, and Social Cohesion in a Liberal Democracy
New Zealand is a stable, prosperous liberal democracy built on the principle that all citizens are equal before the law (Romans 2:11). But it is also built on a Treaty that promised Māori something more than assimilation into a British legal order. It promised protection, partnership, and respect for rangatiratanga — ideas that resonate with biblical themes of justice for the vulnerable (Isaiah 1:17) and faithfulness to commitments (Matthew 5:37).
These two commitments — equality and partnership — sit in tension. Christians should resist the temptation to resolve that tension too quickly.
If we emphasise equality alone, we risk ignoring historical injustice and the moral weight of promises made (Proverbs 21:3). If we emphasise partnership alone, we risk creating systems that feel, to many, like unequal citizenship — even if the legal intent is covenantal rather than racial. Both fears are real. Both deserve to be taken seriously.
The Danger of Legal Theory Without Social Wisdom
A law can be technically correct and socially disastrous. A policy can be morally motivated and still create resentment. A constitutional model can be elegant on paper and explosive in practice.
Scripture teaches this:
- law without love leads to hardness (1 Corinthians 13:2),
- law without wisdom leads to folly (Proverbs 28:16),
- law without justice leads to oppression (Isaiah 10:1–2),
- and law without unity leads to conflict (Psalm 133:1).
New Zealand’s current debates about co‑governance, Treaty interpretation, and constitutional identity are not merely legal debates. They are debates about belonging, identity, fairness, and fear. If people feel unheard or sidelined — Māori or non‑Māori — social cohesion frays. Christians should be the first to recognise this danger (Romans 12:18).
A Christian Path Forward: Justice With Peace, Truth With Unity
Christians are called to hold together what the world often tears apart:
- truth and reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18),
- justice and mercy (Matthew 23:23),
- law and love (Romans 13:10),
- equality and covenant faithfulness (Galatians 3:28).
A Christian approach to the Treaty must therefore ask a deeper, more constructive question:
How can New Zealand honour the Treaty as Māori understood it,
without creating enduring hierarchies of citizenship or fuelling racial polarisation?
This is where the real work begins — not in slogans, but in design.
Design matters.
Co‑governance may be appropriate in specific domains such as taonga, natural resources, and Treaty‑based institutions. But one‑person‑one‑vote majoritarian democracy must remain sacrosanct in Parliament and in the general law that governs all citizens equally.
Communication matters.
People need to understand why a 50/50 model exists in a particular domain, and they need reassurance that such arrangements are not a blueprint for every institution in the country.
Restraint matters.
Political actors on all sides must avoid rhetoric that dehumanises, catastrophises, or frames neighbours as enemies. “A gentle answer turns away wrath” (Proverbs 15:1), and in a tense national conversation, restraint is not weakness — it is wisdom.
And above all, Christians must recognise that legal theory alone cannot carry this.
If institutions are designed without regard to how actual humans perceive fairness, resentment will grow. That is as true for Māori as it is for non‑Māori.
Conclusion: God’s Law, Human Law, and the Treaty Today
God’s law is perfect (Psalm 19:7). Human law is not. But Christians are called to bridge the gap — to write laws that reflect God’s justice as best we can, and to live under them with humility (James 1:22–25).
The Treaty is part of that calling in New Zealand. Not as a weapon, not as a tool for division, and not as a racial boundary. But as a covenant that must be interpreted with wisdom, fairness, historical honesty, and a commitment to unity.
Christians should not fear this work. We should lead in it — because we know that justice and peace are not enemies, but companions (Psalm 85:10). And because we know that law, when shaped by love, can be a blessing rather than a burden (Romans 13:8–10).
