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Exposing Erica Stanford's Blatant Deception About Treaty Erasure in Education” - 4 September 2025

When Ministers Gaslight

Ivor Jones The Māori Green Ltn

04 Sep 2025 — 7 min read

Kia ora koutou katoa. Greetings to you all.

The audacity is breathtaking. Education Minister Erica Stanford stands before cameras, hand on heart, declaring her unwavering commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi while simultaneously orchestrating the most systematic removal of Māori presence from education documents in decades. This is not mere political spin - this is calculated deception designed to gaslight Māori whānau and the wider public about a deliberate cultural erasure campaign.rnz

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/572058/minister-of-education-erica-stanford-rejects-claims-treaty-being-removed-from-school-documents

Background

Stanford's recent performance rejecting claims about Treaty removal from school documents represents a masterclass in colonial gaslighting. When confronted with overwhelming evidence from educators across Aotearoa about the systematic stripping of Te Reo Māori and Treaty references from curriculum documents, Stanford deployed the classic white supremacist playbook: deny, deflect, and claim victimhood.

Her statement that "we are committed to the treaty and commitment to the treaty means raising achievement for tamariki Māori" while simultaneously overseeing the removal of Māori content from educational frameworks reveals either profound ignorance or deliberate deception. Given the documented evidence, deception appears the more likely explanation.

Stanford Is A Liar

The controversy erupted when educators at an urgently convened conference warned that mention of the Treaty of Waitangi and Māori words were being dropped from new English and maths curriculums. Te Akatea president Bruce Jepsen described witnessing "a constant attack on the positionality of te Tiriti o Waitangi" with Treaty references either absent or deliberately removed from policy documents.rnz

Rather than addressing these legitimate concerns from frontline educators who work directly with tamariki every day, Stanford chose the path of outright denial. This matters because education is where colonisation either continues or is challenged. When the Crown systematically removes Māori worldviews from learning frameworks, it perpetuates educational apartheid that has disadvantaged our people for generations.

Exposing Stanford's Web of Lies

The Curriculum Contradiction

Stanford's first lie emerges in her claim of commitment to bilingual education while overseeing the systematic de-Māorification of curriculum documents. Tauranga principal Dorothea Collier, who worked on the maths curriculum refresh, witnessed firsthand how "the new document came out, the first thing I noticed was the removal of the majority of the te reo Māori" and "the te ao Māori concepts had been removed that we had put into the document".rnz

This direct testimony from an educator who participated in curriculum development destroys Stanford's narrative. She cannot claim ignorance when principals are publicly documenting the deliberate removal of content they helped create under the previous government.

The Te Mātaiaho Deception

Stanford's second major lie concerns Te Mātaiaho, the framework underpinning curriculum areas. When teachers expressed alarm about Te Mātaiaho's omission from the draft secondary English curriculum, Stanford claimed it "had not been dropped" but was simply delayed because "we haven't got to it yet".rnz

This explanation crumbles under scrutiny. Te Mātaiaho wasn't accidentally overlooked - its removal represents deliberate policy to sideline Treaty-based education frameworks. Te Akatea president Bruce Jepsen correctly identified this as "educational violence" and "a total whitewash of Te Tiriti out of education".rnz

The Book Ban Cover-Up

Stanford's third lie involves her intervention to limit Te Reo Māori in children's books. Documents revealed Stanford personally decided to exclude te reo from future books in the Ready to Read Phonics Plus series, worried that five-year-olds would be "confused" by Māori words.rnz

Her claim that this affects only twelve books is irrelevant - the principle is clear. Stanford believes Māori language confuses children, revealing the racist assumptions driving her educational "reforms." As Principals' Federation president Leanne Otene stated, this represents ministerial "over-reach" that sidelines teacher expertise.

The ACT Connection

Stanford's fourth lie involves denying political interference while working alongside ACT Party attempts to strip Treaty clauses from education legislation entirely. Reports confirmed ACT fought to remove Treaty clauses from amended education legislation but were overruled by coalition partners.rnz

Stanford told media that "legitimate questions were raised regarding the existing Treaty clause" and that Cabinet agreed to include Treaty references in a broader government review. This reveals the coordinated nature of Treaty erasure - Stanford isn't acting independently but as part of a systematic campaign to remove Māori rights from legislation.

The Broader White Supremacist Project

Stanford's lies serve a larger colonial project that treats Māori presence in education as an inconvenience rather than a constitutional requirement. Her government is simultaneously proposing to demote Treaty requirements in the Education Act, removing references to instilling appreciation of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in students.ppta

This represents textbook neoliberal racism - using bureaucratic language to disguise ideological attacks on indigenous rights. When education leaders from eleven major organisations unite to oppose these changes, Stanford's claims about broad support for her "reforms" are exposed as fabrication.

The pattern reveals classic white supremacist tactics: claim colour-blindness while systematically removing indigenous perspectives, then gaslight critics as divisive or extreme. Stanford embodies this approach perfectly - presenting herself as focused on "reading, writing and arithmetic" while deliberately undermining Māori educational advancement.

Implications

Stanford's deception has profound implications beyond education policy. When government ministers can brazenly lie about documented policy changes, democratic accountability collapses. Her performance demonstrates how colonial power operates in contemporary Aotearoa - through bureaucratic violence disguised as neutral policy reform.

For Māori whānau, Stanford's lies represent a direct attack on our children's cultural identity and educational success. Research consistently shows that culturally responsive education improves outcomes for Māori learners, yet Stanford systematically removes the very elements that support our tamariki.

The broader implications extend to Te Tiriti itself. If the Crown can lie about Treaty commitments in education while simultaneously undermining them, what value do constitutional guarantees hold? Stanford's actions reveal how quickly colonial governments can reverse decades of progress through administrative fiat.

The Māori Green Lantern Fighting Misinformation And Disinformation From The Far Right

Erica Stanford is not merely mistaken about Treaty removal from education documents - she is actively deceiving the public while overseeing systematic cultural erasure. The evidence from educators, curriculum developers, and policy documents demolishes her claims of Treaty commitment.

Her lies serve a white supremacist project that treats Māori presence in education as optional rather than constitutionally guaranteed. When ministers can gaslight indigenous communities about documented policy changes, we witness colonial power in its rawest form.

Whānau Māori deserve honesty from their government, not calculated deception designed to obscure ideological attacks on our constitutional rights. Stanford's performance reveals why we cannot trust this government's claims about Treaty commitment - their actions speak louder than their lies.

The time for calling out ministerial deception has arrived. Our tamariki deserve better than a Minister who lies to their faces while undermining their cultural inheritance.

Noho ora mai ra

Readers who find value in exposing colonial deception and supporting indigenous rights are invited to consider a koha to support this essential work: HTDM: 03-1546-0415173-000. The MGL understands these challenging economic times for whānau, so please only contribute if you have capacity and wish to do so.

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Read more

“The Pātaka Beside the Strait” - 25 March 2026

"THE PĀTAKA IS ASH: How Nicola Willis and Christopher Luxon Poured Petrol on the Poor and Called It Relief" - 25 March 2026

"THE POISON PEN MINISTER: How Erica Stanford Weaponised the Taxpayer-Funded State Against Her Own Critics — and Why a Wounded Luxon May Be Letting Her Burn" - 25 March 2026

"The Van Velden Vanishing: What Her Departure Really Means for ACT" - 24 March 2026