An international indigenous leaders’ collective has slammed the New Zealand government’s handling of Māori rights as the proposed Treaty principles bill enters a new phase of discussion in cabinet.
The indigenous leaders, representing groups such as the Indigenous Environmental Network, have called on the coalition to act in good faith and respect Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the foundational document of New Zealand’s bicultural relationship.
At the 18th Protecting Mother Earth Conference, held last month in the Eastern Cherokee Nation, the collective endorsed a statement denouncing the proposed Treaty principles bill, asserting it violates democratic processes, Treaty law and contractual ethics.
The bill, alongside proposals to review the Waitangi Tribunal, have been described as “a profound violation” and akin to past colonial attempts to undermine Indigenous treaties in countries such as the United States and Canada, Indigenous Environmental Network executive director Tom BK Goldtooth said.
“It is a reminder of racist colonial attitudes that still persist in colonial governments today,” he said, likening the bill to a “termination and erasure agenda” aimed at dismantling Māori legal and political status.
Tonatierra spokesperson Eve Reyes-Aguirre echoed the sentiment, stressing the government should recognise the importance of treating treaties as “living agreements” between sovereign nations.
“To honour the treaties is to honour justice and the sovereignty of indigenous nations,” she said.
The statement also criticised the coalition government for using Te Tiriti o Waitangi as a means to avoid fully endorsing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and for failing to honour commitments under Article 37 of the declaration, which calls for respect of treaties with indigenous peoples.
The National Iwi Chairs Forum lead advisor for the Independent Action Plan Against Racism, Tina Ngata, said it was important to see global Indigenous solidarity in the face of growing far-right activities across the globe.
“We deeply appreciate the support... Our global Indigenous solidarity is crucial at this time,” Ngata said.
Dame Naida Glavish joined in the condemnation of the bill, saying the government should,“stop insisting that we are all equal, we are not.
“The data and statistics speak for themselves – racist government policy over time has worked to displace Māori.”
The statement concluded by calling on the New Zealand government to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and protect Māori from the harms of colonialism, cautioning against further escalating racial tensions across Aotearoa.
This week, ACT leader David Seymour, architect of the Treaty principles bill, presented his first draft to the cabinet and has returned to the drawing board to add more context around iwi and hapū rights.
The bill is expected to be introduced in the House later this year, before heading to a select committee, when National and New Zealand First’s Seymour’s office has been asked for comment.