UN report shouldn’t be lost in upheaval
Thursday 24th February, 2011
Christchurch academic Rawiri Taonui says the harshness of UN rapporteur James Anaya's criticism of New Zealand should not be lost as the country is gripped by the earthquake disaster.
In his report tabled in the general assembly on Monday, the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples says Maori are extremely disadvantaged socially and economically compared to other New Zealanders.
Mr Taonui says particularly significant is a finding constitutional protection is needed to stop politicians circumscribing Maori rights through legislation like the Marine and Coastal Areas Bill.
“Parliament, the National Party and the Maori Party are defining Maori customary rights in a narrow sense and then giving a clayton’s allowance for Maori to go to court but it’s an empty promise because those rights have been pre-defined in a very narrow way by the Bill,” he says.
Mr Taonui says the New Zealand system offers weak protections for Maori rights.
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