About IWGIAIndigenous peoples in Aotearoa (New Zealand)
Māori, the indigenous people of Aotearoa, represent 17% of the 4.3 million population.
Māori cultural identity is strong despite the fact that most Māori live in urban centres. The gap between Māori and non-Māori is pervasive: Māori life expectancy is almost 10 years less than non-Māori; household income is 72% of the national average; half of Māori males leave secondary school with no qualifications and 50% of the prison population is Māori.
The Treaty of Waitangi was signed between the British and Māori in 1840. It granted right of governance to the British, promised that Māori would retain sovereignty over their lands, resources and other treasures and conferred the rights of British citizens on Māori. The Treaty has, however, limited legal status in the courts and Parliament; accordingly, protection of Māori rights is largely dependent upon political will and the ad hoc recognition of the Treaty. There are, morever, two versions of the Treaty of Waitangi, an English-language version and a Maori-language version.
In 2010, the National government endorsed the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, but New Zealand has not yet ratified the ILO Convention 169.
Download the 2011 yearbook article on indigenous peoples in Aotearoa to read more about major developments and events during 2010
