Last Updated on April 10, 2025
The United Nations released a report that focuses in on the rights of Maori and the conduct of the New Zealand Government towards them. Among several issues raised, the UN expressed concerns over a bill that aims to remove references to all principles of the Treaty of Waitangi, and also calls for the government to ‘renew’ the dialogue over the Foreshore and Seabed Act: a law passed in 2004 in which the government granted itself exclusive title to the foreshore and Seabed of New Zealand.
The issue with the Foreshore and Seabed act is one worth noting a little further. Since atleast 1840 the Iwi and Hapu have claimed the foreshore and seabed as part of their land—but the government, instead of acting with reason and integrity, simply ignored them and just claimed all the land for themselves. This matter in particular gave birth to the Maori Party.
It’s interesting to see the governments response to the report, as noted below. You know truth is spoken when….
From the New Zealand Herald – The UN’s sober statements have been met by a combination of support and criticism, with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters particularly scathing about the report’s contents.
A bill to delete the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi from statutes is a New Zealand First initiative, and the UN did not like it.
Mr Peters said the report was “meddlesome” and its authors were not experts on the issues they were dealing with.
“If they can tell me what the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi are then perhaps they can set them out in the report,” he said.
“I bet you any money you like they can’t, so perhaps they should not try to address an issue to which they do not have the answer.” (source)
Further Reading
Tino Rangatiratanga and the Treaty of Waitangi
News archive about the Foreshore and Seabed Act
The UN Concluding Observations on New Zealand
Across the world right now, Indigenous peoples are facing a renewed assault on their lands, rights, and ways of life.
From extractive industries pushing deeper into ancestral territories, to governments rolling back hard-won protections,
the threat is global—and it is growing.
What makes this moment especially dangerous is how little attention it receives.
Stories like this are disappearing in real time. Mainstream media
barely covers it and the coverage is fragmented. The public is left without the context
needed to understand what is truly at stake.
That is exactly why IC Magazine exists..
For more than 20 years, IC has reported on Indigenous struggles worldwide — consistently, independently, and without compromise.
We don’t follow news cycles; we trace patterns. We don’t sensationalize; we provide context.
And when the world looks away, we stay focused.
But this work is increasingly difficult to sustain.
We refuse to lock our reporting behind a paywall. We don’t sell access through subscriptions.
And we don’t answer to advertisers. IC Magazine survives solely because readers like you choose to
support independent Indigenous journalism.
Please donate today if you can. Every contribution helps us to continue this crucial work.
Thank you,
John Ahni Schertow
Founder and Editor in Chief
