Act’s ‘one law for all’ policy ties it in constitutional knots and ignores history – Deborah Coddington

Opinion byNZ Herald·22 Sep, 2026 05:00 PM7 mins to readDeborah Coddington is a publisher and writer who lives in Karāpiro. She is a former Act MP.‌Supporters of Te Tiriti and anti-Government protesters turn their backs on David Seymour as he speaks at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. Photo / Dean PurcellIn the heat of the election campaign, Act is ignoring the long history of judge-made law. Parliament is sovereign, meaning it alone makes the law and judges must apply the law, right? Not always, and not since forever. For example, we have negligence laws which basically mean one person owes