Amnesty International welcomes New Zealand’s willingness to “move to support” the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as recommended by many states in the UPR Working Group. The organization calls on the government to announce its clear and unambiguous support of the Declaration and to reflect its provisions in domestic legislation. This will send an important signal to the Maori, iwi and hapu communities in New Zealand, as well as to the international community, of the government’s serious commitment to promoting and protecting Indigenous rights.
