A former National Minister's urging the Government to back down on any idea of a referendum on the Treaty. 

ACT Leader David Seymour says debate about a referendum on the Treaty of Waitangi Principles Bill being introduced to Parliament could be deferred until later in the legislative process. 

He says it’s helpful if the content of the bill and the referendum are dealt with separately. 

Former Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Chris Finlayson told Mike Hosking that Seymour should scale back his efforts in this space.  

He says the temperature's rising too high and there're bigger issues the Government needs to tackle right now. 

LISTEN ABOVE