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Māori legal expert Carwyn Jones said Seymour's bill was a "made up" version of the meaning of the Treaty / Te Tiriti.

Modlik answered questions, saying "if you want to see what Te Tiriti o Waitangi looks like in practice, come to Porirua."

Helmut Modlik continued by describing the bill as "contemptible double speak".

"A shameful, race-based dog whistle ... a constitutional solution looking for a problem," Modlik said.

"Ngāti Toa reminds this house, on this day, treaties are for honouring, not settlement."

Modlik ended his submission by saying "Toitū Te Tiriti."

Submitting now is Te Runanga o Toa Rangatira chief executive Helmut Modlik.

Modlik started by referencing the Ngāti Toa settlement and apology which included the words "mutual trust". He said the Treaty Principles Bill was the antithesis of this.

"It was a cultural impossibility" that Ngāti Toa ceded its mana and sovereignty, Modlik said.

"Lies, manipulation ... that is the shameful whakapapa of this [Parliament]."

Moxon is supported in the select committee by other members of the National Urban Maori Authority and Waipareira, including John Tamihere and Ray Hall.

"This select committee must honour the true intent of Te Tiriti of Waitangi," Moxon said, urging the committee to ditch the bill.

Moxon said Parliament was rewriting the treaty in favour of itself.

The bill was designed to assimilate, humiliate and oppress te iwi Māori, Moxon said.

"To put the record straight, Māori never ceded sovereignty to the Crown or Pākehā colonisers."

Moxon said "it doesn't matter how you want to dress it up ... the treaty was signed by two parties who want to look after themselves."

The proposed bill perpetuated the denial of Māori tino rangtiratanga as well as breached the Te Tiriti itself, she said.

"It concerns us greatly, and it should concern you too."

Moxon has referred to a well-known historic legal case involved Wi Parata when the judge at the time described the treaty as "a simply nullity."

Te Tiriti o Waitangi is essential in addressing the inequities Māori face, including in health and wider areas of society, Moxon said.

Seymour is now done. The next group up is Te Kohao Health and National Urban Maori Authority.

At the table is Lady Tureiti Moxon, Managing Director Te Kohao and Chair of the National Urban Māori Authority.

Moxon says the group "strongly reject" this bill.

"Te Tiriti o Waitangi is the foundation document of this country. It is not one country, one size fits all for everyone."

"We sit and we have to listen to a group of people who tell us we don't belong here."

Speaking on his way into the select committee, Seymour said it was “a great day for New Zealand” and he was “absolutely” open to having his mind changed during the select committee process.“

This is a 185 year debate and counting. No doubt there will be new ideas that I haven’t heard before. That’s one of the beauties of this. That’s why I think it’s a great day for New Zealand that we are actually having an open, democratic debate open to all about the meaning of our founding document in modern times.”

He denied that it was a waste of time, given National and NZ First both intended to vote the bill down once it returned to Parliament, saying a lot of bills that were voted down later went on to be adopted. He said it was also worth having the debate, regardless.

Asked if he was ready for those who would be criticising the bill in submissions, he said he had a thick skin.

“Oh look, I’m ready for people to be name-calling, abusing, all the rest. I’ve got a thick skin. What I’m interested to hear is can anyone actually tell me why New Zealand is better off divided into tangata whenua, land people and tangata Tiriti people, and what societies have succeeded in dividing people by race and been more prosperous for it.”

He said he would listen to other submissions as much as he could, but had been listening to people of different political philosophies for all his life “and I still haven’t heard a good argument for dividing people.”

He said the committee had invited him to speak and he had accepted because it was the chance to explain the motivation behind his bill as the minister in charge of it.

“It’s just important to get on the record the why, the how and the what of this bill.”

Te Pāti Māori MP Debbie Ngarewa Packer asked how Seymour’s bill would improve outcomes for Māori.

Seymour said he does not believe the treaty was signed between two sovereign nations.