A United Nations committee has issued its strongest warning yet to New Zealand, cautioning that government policies risk undermining Māori rights and entrenching long‑standing disparities for the Indigenous population.
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) released a 14‑page report on 5 December following its eight‑year review of New Zealand’s compliance with the international convention. The findings represent the most critical assessment of the country’s record to date, raising alarm over recent reforms that, it said, could erode protections for Māori.
Among the committee’s concerns were the disestablishment of the Māori Health Authority, cuts to funding for Māori services, and moves to minimise the role of the Treaty of Waitangi in schools and governance. The treaty, signed in 1840, is widely regarded as the country’s founding document and a cornerstone of Māori rights. CERD warned that such measures “may seriously risk weakening the legal, institutional and policy framework for the implementation” of the convention.
Lady Tureiti Moxon, a prominent Māori leader who presented a complaint to the committee in Geneva, described the review as “unprecedented in both its length and its language”. She said: “CERD is clear: New Zealand is moving backwards on racial equality, and Māori rights are under serious threat. This is the strongest critique CERD has ever issued. Unlike the 2017 review, which acknowledged progress, this report finds virtually no positive steps on Māori rights or racial equity.”
The committee highlighted persistent disparities for Māori across education, housing, health, and participation in political and public life. It expressed concern that some political and public figures were misrepresenting affirmative action policies designed to address structural discrimination as “racial privilege” and “at odds with universal human rights”.
CERD also warned that Māori political expression in parliament was being “disproportionately scrutinised and sanctioned”. It said recent legislative changes risked “significantly curtailing statutory protections of Māori land rights” and urged the government to strengthen efforts to revitalise the Māori language.
Moves to remove treaty clauses from legislation were singled out as particularly damaging, with the committee warning they could “risk entrenching historical, structural, and systemic discrimination against Māori”. It requested that New Zealand report back on “concrete measures taken” to implement its recommendations, including environmental protection, reducing the over‑representation of Māori in the justice system, and safeguarding Māori land rights.
In response, Tama Pokata, the Minister for Māori Crown Relations, said he had not yet read the report but insisted that the government remained committed to improving the quality of life and equity for Māori. He described the review as one of several sources offering “useful insights on issues of considerable importance in New Zealand” that were “longstanding and complex”.
The current coalition government, led by the centre‑right National Party alongside its partners Act and NZ First, has pledged to end what it calls “race‑based policies”. Since taking office in 2023, it has introduced sweeping reforms affecting Māori. These include reducing obligations on schools and public services to consider the treaty and allowing a controversial bill that sought to radically alter its interpretation to be debated in parliament. The bill was ultimately defeated at its second reading.
The reforms have provoked widespread opposition. Māori leaders have lodged multiple claims with the Waitangi Tribunal, initiated judicial reviews, and organised large nationwide meetings. The changes have also sparked the largest protest movement in New Zealand’s history over Māori rights, reflecting deep concern that decades of progress could be reversed.
CERD’s report underscores the gravity of the situation, warning that without urgent action, New Zealand risks breaching its international obligations and entrenching systemic discrimination.
