Ministry Statements & Speeches:
Tēnā koutou katoa – Greetings to everyone.
Thank you, Chair. Aotearoa New Zealand would like to thank the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples for his report.
The rights of Indigenous Peoples are an international human rights priority for Aotearoa New Zealand. The culture, language, and identity of Māori, the indigenous people of Aotearoa, are important elements of our political and social fabric.
Aotearoa New Zealand’s founding document is the Treaty of Waitangi signed in 1840. It establishes a foundation of partnership, mutual respect, co-operation, and good faith between Māori and the Crown.
The Government continues to strengthen its relationship with Māori to ensure that long-term domestic and international priorities for Māori and the Government are achieved by operating in this spirit.
The Government of Aotearoa New Zealand is committed to honouring the Treaty of Waitangi and to upholding the rights affirmed by the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Earlier this year, we undertook targeted engagement with Māori communities on their aspirations for a plan to implement the Declaration.
A key theme was strengthening Māori self-determination in health, justice, education, the environment and te reo Māori, our Indigenous language. Other significant issues were Indigenous participation in the Government’s decision-making process and addressing inequality and discrimination in Aotearoa New Zealand.
We are now at the stage of developing a Declaration plan in partnership with representatives of the National Iwi Chairs Forum (an grouping of tribal leaders) and the independent New Zealand Human Rights Commission. This plan will guide the Government’s progress towards implementing the Declaration in Aotearoa New Zealand. It is not easy work and we will take the time necessary to get it right.
Aotearoa New Zealand welcomes the International Decade of Indigenous Languages as a momentous occasion to raise awareness of the critical role Indigenous languages play in sustaining the cultures and identities of Indigenous Peoples into the future.
Over the next decade we will strengthen our partnership approach to Māori language revitalisation. An entity has been established to represent Māori in these efforts, called Te Mātāwai, and it is working together with the Government towards a vision of “He Reo Mauriora” or “A living language” by 2040.
We will continue to support all countries in their vision to revitalise Indigenous languages, as these are inherent to the rights and wellbeing of Indigenous Peoples.
In addition, Aotearoa New Zealand recognises the rights for repatriation of Indigenous ceremonial objects and human remains. New Zealand’s national museum leads a repatriation programme, and has recently collaborated with museums overseas to return Māori and Moriori ancestral remains to Aotearoa New Zealand. The return of Indigenous artefacts to their communities is a significant step towards reconciliation and empowerment of Indigenous Peoples.
Aotearoa New Zealand also reiterates the importance of the rights and role of Indigenous Peoples in the fight against the climate crisis.
As a party to both the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Aotearoa New Zealand has committed to work with the international community, including Pacific Island countries, to limit future warming and ensure 1.5 degrees is not breached.
There is a lot we can learn from our Indigenous communities. For example, kaitaikitanga, or guardianship, is central to the intergenerational Māori approach to safeguarding the environment from degradation.
The values of kaitiakitanga (guardianship), manaakitanga (generosity and care) and whanaungatanga (connectedness) were critical to the success of Indigenous-led initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic. This tells us that Māori must be front and centre of decision making on issues that are important to them. Aotearoa New Zealand is working to uphold these commitments while acknowledging we have some way to go.
All of these issues emphasise the imperative to work collaboratively as Member States to advance and protect the rights of Indigenous Peoples globally.
Aotearoa New Zealand is committed to enhancing the participation of Indigenous voices at United Nations. We support Indigenous Peoples in their call to establish a unique category for their participation in the UN system.
Finally, we acknowledge the multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination that disproportionately impact the most vulnerable. We must ensure the full, effective and meaningful participation of Indigenous women, Indigenous persons with disabilities and Indigenous LGBTQI+ persons in decision-making on matters in the United Nations as well as in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou – Many thanks to you all.