Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour called the UN "a joke". Photo / Mark Mitchell
Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour called the UN "a joke". Photo / Mark Mitchell
Two Government ministers have taken aim at the United Nations after the release of a report criticising Government policies affecting Māori.
The report from the UN’s committee for the elimination of racial discrimination (CERD) warns New Zealand was at risk of worsening Māori rights and weakening the power of theTreaty of Waitangi in legislation.
In particular, the report raises concerns with the introduction of bootcamps for youth offenders, the removal of section 7aa from Oranga Tamariki legislation and the swift disestablishment of the Māori Health Authority soon after the coalition Government came to power.
But two of the Government’s most senior ministers, including Act leader and deputy Prime Minister David Seymour, have shrugged off the report as coming from a body of people from countries with “far worse race relations” than New Zealand.
Seymour called the findings “absolutely laughable” and said the United Nations was “a joke”.
“Let’s be realistic, this is an organisation that puts people from Zimbabwe in charge of the environment, people from Middle Eastern countries who have no regard for women’s rights go on the human rights council,” he said.
“The UN is a joke.”
David Seymour, Deputy Prime Minister · Minister for Regulation during a media stand up in October. Photo / Michael Craig
Seymour stopped short of saying New Zealand should leave the UN, adding that it did perform some functions well, like helping New Zealand manage refugees.
Seymour said he was “pretty much” closed off to the idea of an external party (outside of New Zealand) reviewing New Zealand’s race relations because “New Zealand has a really great record on race relations – there are not many countries that should lecture New Zealand on race relations”.
The complaint over race relations in New Zealand was taken to the UN by prominent Māori health advocate Lady Tureiti Moxon, who said she felt as though she had no choice but to take the issue overseas after not being listened to in New Zealand.
“This is the strongest critique of New Zealand CERD has ever issued,” Moxon said.
“Unlike the 2017 review, which acknowledged progress, this report finds virtually no positive steps on Māori rights or racial equity. It is a clear international alarm bell.”
Lady Tureiti Moxon.
Meanwhile, during Question Time in the House on Thursday, NZ First Minister Shane Jones made similar comments to Seymour, calling the UN working group a “pettifogging committee” consisting of members from countries “with far worse race relations problems than New Zealand”.
Government policies, particularly the now-defeated Treaty Principles Bill led by Seymour, last year prompted the largest-ever protest over Māori rights. Complaints over the Treaty impacts of several policies have been taken to, and upheld by, the Waitangi Tribunal.
Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith was more diplomatic in the words he used to describe the report which he ultimately disagreed with.
“We always take any United Nations’ report seriously – we respectfully disagree with those conclusions; we have no doubt that this Government has been working very hard to improve outcomes for Māori across all different ranges."
Julia Gabel is a Wellington-based political reporter. She joined the Herald in 2020 and has most recently focused on data journalism.
