Maori Party lobbying for UN declaration
The Maori Party has been lobbying the government to sign up to a United Nations declaration on indigenous rights and is expecting an answer very soon.
Maori Party co-leader Pita Sharples, who is also Maori Affairs Minister, was being questioned by Labour’s Nanaia Mahuta over his disagreement with the government over Auckland governance when he made the comments.
“For the past three weeks the Maori party has been in negotiations with National over that very document and we are hoping that something will be released very soon,” Dr Sharples said.
On April 3, Australia decided to support the declaration which was seen as an example for New Zealand, Canada and the United States.
The four countries, each with sizeable aboriginal populations, were the only states to vote against the declaration when it was adopted by the UN General Assembly in September 2007. —NZPA
Copyright NZPA/ Fairfax
