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October 29, 2025
UN Shadow Report Warns Māori Rights at Risk Under Current Government
Atereano Mateariki
Posted On October 29, 2025
Download AudioA new UN shadow report is warning that racial discrimination in New Zealand is escalating, driven by government policies that experts say undermine Māori rights and the Treaty of Waitangi.
The report is part of a periodic review under New Zealand’s commitment to the UN International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), due to be submitted in Geneva next month.
Professor Claire Charters, co-director at Te Puna Rangahau o te Wai Ariki (Aotearoa Centre for Indigenous Peoples and the Law), says Aotearoa’s lack of a written constitution puts minorities at risk, with Parliament able to override fundamental rights.
“Our main focus is actually on the need for constitutional reform, because in New Zealand, under New Zealand’s constitution, Parliament can override human rights and indigenous people’s rights, which makes it, internationally, a real anomaly,” says Charters.
She points to legislation like the Marine and Coastal Areas Amendment Act and changes to the Electoral Act as evidence Māori protections are being eroded.
“The problem with our constitution when you don’t have those protections is that the government of the day is incredibly powerful… the leadership can effectively make the law… implementing policies, their policies as we see today, which seem incredibly regressive, and can do so without any oversight,” says Charters.
Charters says constitutional reform, protest action, and international scrutiny will be vital for advancing Māori and human rights in New Zealand.
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