Blogs
PRESS RELEASE
~
PRESS RELEASE ~
GLOBAL INDIGENOUS LEADERS CONDEMN NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT TREATMENT OF MĀORI
A collective of global Indigenous leaders and environmentalists have expressed their extreme concern regarding the Treaty Principles Bill as the New Zealand government presents the bill to cabinet, expressing their solidarity with Māori and calling upon the government to act in good faith and with respect for the treaty “upon which thelegitimacy of their existence rests”, Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
The statement of solidarity was endorsed at the Protecting Mother Earth Conference, held by The Indigenous Environmental Network and supported by Indigenous embassy Tonatierra in Eastern Cherokee nation (co-existent with North Carolina) 1-5 August 2024.
The statement declares that the Treaty Principles Bill, and proposed moves to review the Waitangi Tribunal, amount to a “profound violation of democratic process, established Treaty jurisprudence and contractual ethics”. It also notes that the government has historically used Te Tiriti o Waitangi to evade full endorsement of United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a means of resolving grievances, and points to these new developments as further reason for the full endorsement of Indigenous rights “as defined by Indigenous peoples themselves”.
Executive Director of the Indigenous Environmental Network, Tom BK Goldtooth (Diné/ Dakota), said: "The Indigenous Environmental Network is deeply concerned with the efforts by the New Zealand government to abrogate Te Tiriti o Waitangi. These actions remind us of efforts in the United States and Canada in the past to try to abrogate Treaties with Indigenous Nations. It is a reminder of racist colonial attitudes that still persists in colonial governments of today. Treaty making with Indigenous Peoples establishes legal and political relations and relegating them to a race relations document is a gross form of an Indigenous termination and erasure agenda that would be devastating to the Maori peoples and their future. We fully support the efforts of the Maori Iwi and hapu to resist these efforts of the New Zealand government to terminate their legal and political status." Executive Director of the Indigenous Environmental Network.
Tonatierra spokesperson, Eve Reyes-Aguirre reiterated their support: "Treaties between colonial governments and Indigenous Peoples are living agreements between sovereign nations. Though colonial powers have often chosen to ignore them, and treat them as relics from the past, Indigenous Peoples continue to advocate for the recognition and respect of these agreements. To honour the Treaties is to honourjustice and the sovereignty of Indigenous Nations. As an organization that serves as an embassy of Indigenous Peoples, Tonatierra fully supports the Iwi Chairs in their efforts to hold the New Zealand government accountable in adhering to the Te Tiriti o Waitangi Treaty.”
Said Dame Naida, ‘to the government, the coalition and anyone else who thinks this is the right direction for Aotearoa - we are putting you, on notice. Stop insisting that we are all equal, we are not. The data and statistics speak for themselves –racist government policy over time has worked to displace Maori at every avenue and you have the cheek to lay the blame on Te Tiriti o Waitangi. NEVER!’
National Iwi Chairs Forum Lead Advisor for the Independent Action Plan Against Racism, Tina Ngata, was present at the Indigenous gathering and noted the importance of the statement. “We deeply appreciate the support of the Indigenous Environmental Network and Tonatierra. Our global Indigenous solidarity is crucial at this time, where we are seeing an unprecedented rise in right-wing hostility and co-ordinated anti-Indigenous attacks from governments and conservative think-tanks around the world. We look forward to continuing to work with our Indigenous brothers and sisters in the honouring of all Indigenous treaties, and advancement of racial justice for all communities
Statement of Solidarity with the People of Palestine
Tonatierra stands in solidarity with the Indigenous Peoples of Palestine and echo the call for a cease fire in Gaza and for a stop to the genocide against the Palestinian people.
As Indigenous Peoples witnessing the genocide and violence against the Palestinian People in Gaza we are also watching our history repeating itself; the perpetuation of violence against Indigenous People by an illegal settler colonial state for the purpose of occupation and exploitation of resources for profit. We recognize the Gaza Strip has oil and gas resources worth hundreds of billions of dollars.
Since October 7th, more than 13,000 children have been killed in Gaza, while thousands more are orphaned and wounded. Even with the ruling from the highest court in the world, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), who called for Israel to “take immediate and effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian aid” to the people of Gaza, Israel not only continues to deny entry of this life saving resources, it is using its power to further perpetuate war crimes such as using starvation of civilians as a weapon of war, continuing its attacks on civilian targets, torturing Palestinian captives, and using prohibited white phosphorus as a weapon against the Palestinian people, which are not only violations of International Humanitarian Laws, but clear and deliberate violations of both the Geneva and Hague Conventions.We further denounce the United States government who is complicit in these war crimes for their ongoing support to the state of Israel despite the ICJ ruling and public outcry.
We uplift the call for an Immediate Ceasefire, citing the Special Rapporteur on Genocide, the ICJ and UN Member States. We call on the World Bank and all UN agencies, programs and entities to withhold any funding to corporations, like Chevron and Maersk, that would profit from marine gas extraction in a conflict zone or where genocide is being committed, such as the Gaza Strip, in alignment with the World Bank’s own recommendations from the the One Planet Summit in 2017.
We also reaffirm the International Court of Justice’s demand that Israel must also take effective measures to prevent the destruction and ensure the preservation of evidence related to allegations of acts within the scope of Article II and Article III of the Genocide Convention against members of the Palestinian group in the Gaza Strip.
Historically this issue has been referred to as the “Palestinian problem”, as if allowing the self-determination of Palestinians in Palestine was a problem. The reality is this is a “Zionist settler problem” and we will continue to stand against genocide and colonization of all Indigenous Peoples.
PRESS RELEASE
Encounter of Indigenous Peoples of Abya Yala
for
Self Determination – Decolonization
Continental Commission Abya Yala
A multimedia bilingual platform for information, communications, and perspective on the struggle for Self Determination of the Indigenous Peoples of Abya Yala.
Multimedia Platform of the Nahuacalli Educators Alliance, where resources and developments of the Xinachtli Project are exchanged.
Desmantelamiento De La Doctrina Del Descubrimiento
Plataforma para la compartir al nivel del continente Abya Yala la metodología de desmantelamiento de la Doctrina del Descubrimiento de Cristiandad: Información, Concientización, Socialización, Posicionamiento Político.
Spanish language platform for sharing at the level of the continent Abya Yala a methodology for dismantling the Doctrine of the Discovery of Christendom: Information, Awareness, Socialization, Political Position.
Una crónica del movimiento y campañas de los Comités de Defensa del Barrio en su lucha por la defensa de los Derechos Civiles - Derechos - Humanos - Derechos Indígenas : DERECHOS de la MADRE TIERRA.
A local platform for reports on the ongoing community campaigns of the Comités de Defensa del Barrio.
A Network of Information and Exchange for the United Nations Permanent Forum for Indigenous Peoples.
Indigenous Peoples Forum on the Impact of the Doctrine of Discovery
A forum to address the implications of the Doctrine of Discovery in context of the standards established by the adoption on September 13, 2007, of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: Local - Regional - Continental – Global