Earlier this year, Te Puni Kōkiri played a key role in New Zealand’s presentation to the United Nations’ Committee tasked with combating racial discrimination.

New Zealand was a founding member of the United Nations (UN) when it was created in 1945. As a country, we are actively engaged across the UN, on a range of issues. The UN established an International Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination in 1969. The Convention requires member states to:

• condemn and undertake active steps to eliminate racial discrimination, segregation and hate speech;
• provide for equality between races before the law, government and in civil society;
• promote various freedoms for all races; and
• promote harmonious relations between races.

The Convention is coordinated by an elected Committee, which is based in Geneva, Switzerland. Member states – like New Zealand - submit periodic reports to the committee.

New Zealand appeared before the Committee in February 2013, to provide an oral report about the steps that we are taking to eliminate racial discrimination in our society.

This included information about the position of Māori as the indigenous people of New Zealand, and the experiences of ethnic minorities.

The report covered a wide range of issues affecting Māori development, from the progress of Treaty Settlements, to concerns about the Māori experience of the criminal justice system, to the Māori language, to the development of Māori designed, developed and delivered services in the social sector. Following the presentation of the New Zealand report, the UN Committee took the opportunity to ask questions about the New Zealand approach to various issues.

New Zealand’s 2013 delegation was led by Justice Minister Judith Collins and included officials from Te Puni Kōkiri, Ministry of Justice, Office of Ethnic Affairs, Crown Law Office and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The delegation adopted a philosophy of celebrating New Zealand’s successes, and acknowledging concerns and issues that need to be addressed.

Te Puni Kōkiri was represented by policy director, Tīpene Chrisp. “It was a challenging and rewarding experience and highlighted the reality of Te Puni Kōkiri working as a key part of New Zealand Inc. Given the wide scope of issues relating to Māori development, I was very grateful for the support from home-base, as Te Puni Kōkiri was able to provide detailed information about the questions from the UN Committee. This support meant that we were able to put our ‘best foot forward’ and take the leading role in reporting on our strengths and challenges in Crown-Māori relationships.”