UNDRIP – Let’s Go – Green Party
The Green Party welcomes the next steps towards implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in Aotearoa, and calls on the government to pursue the mahi to uphold the rights of Tangata Whenua.
“The implementation of UNDRIP has been a long time coming, especially since Aotearoa was one of the last countries to support it, even though Maori helped write it, so let’s continue with the mahi and let’s do what Maori have always said for decades,” said Dr Elizabeth Kerekere, spokesperson for Māori Development.
“Thousands of people took part in the consultations for Matike Mai; these voices form the foundations of the dock that we must build together here in Aotearoa.
“These practical steps to upholding the rights of Tangata Whenua through the implementation of UNDRIP are important, and the comments clearly show that this requires a restoration of the tino rangatiratanga. This should form the basis of our journey towards constitutional transformation.
“Iwi and hapū have been excluded from decision-making for too long, and it has prevented us all from realizing the benefits that come from honoring Māori mātauranga,” says Dr Elizabeth Kerekere.
Jan Logie, spokesperson for Te Tiriti o Waitangi, said, “Embracing tino rangatiratanga and indigenous rights brings positive benefits to all who live in Aotearoa. The Crown has a legal and moral obligation to uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi and it also provides a model of government that moves away from the one and only failed way of doing things.
“We have the opportunity to build solidarity through the health of our communities and ecosystems, and to meet the needs of everyone in Aotearoa through co-governance with tangata whenua and honoring Te Tiriti.”
