December 06, 2025

UN Warns New Zealand at Risk of Systemic Racism; Māori Rights “Under Serious Threat”

Matthew Tukaki Posted On December 6, 2025

New Zealand has received its strongest-ever rebuke from the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), which says the country is sliding backwards on racial equality and failing to protect Māori rights. The committee’s 2025 report – at 14 pages, the longest and most detailed to date – expresses “grave concern” about rising hate speech, weakened Treaty protections, cuts to Māori and ethnic agencies, and the erosion of institutional safeguards.

Lady Tureiti Moxon, Chair of the National Urban Māori Authority and Managing Director of Te Kōhao Health, has issued an urgent public statement calling the findings “unprecedented,” saying the report should serve as a major alarm bell for the Government.

“CERD is clear: New Zealand is moving backwards on racial equality, and Māori rights are under serious threat,”
-Lady Tureiti Moxon

A central concern for CERD is what it describes as recent Government efforts to reinterpret the Treaty of Waitangi and dilute its established principles. The report notes this has been done without ensuring free, prior and informed consent from Māori – a breach of international obligations.

The committee warns such moves could undermine reconciliation, weaken Māori self-determination, and threaten cultural and spiritual identity – particularly in areas involving land, governance, and resource management.

CERD delivers a strong critique of changes to Oranga Tamariki, specifically the repeal of Section 7AA, which previously required the state to uphold the rights of Māori children and prioritise their connection to whakapapa and cultural identity.

The committee says the repeal “exposes Māori children to heightened risk of abuse and neglect and further contributes to their alienation from collective Māori structures.”

It also expresses alarm over the Government’s proposal to introduce military-style “boot camps” for youth offenders, citing international evidence of harm and abuse.

CERD warns that New Zealand’s institutional framework for combating discrimination has been severely weakened by:

The disestablishment of Te Aka Whai Ora,
Significant budget cuts to the Ministry for Ethnic Communities,
Reductions at the Ministry for Pacific Peoples and Te Puni Kōkiri.

These actions, it says, place New Zealand at risk of “systemic discrimination.”

The report highlights the persistence of racist hate speech by politicians and public figures, along with the spread of rhetoric that misrepresents Māori rights and affirmative action as “racial privilege.” CERD describes this as a contributing force behind growing social division and discrimination.

CERD expresses serious concern about recent legislative developments, including amendments to:

The Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act, and
The Fast-Track Approvals Act.

The Committee warns these changes could significantly weaken Māori land rights and undermine kaitiakitanga, especially where consultation has been minimal or absent.

CERD also points to the removal of Māori wards in 24 local councils and warns future legislative proposals may further diminish Māori and Pacific political participation.

In the education sector, the Committee notes that recent amendments have repealed key provisions designed to uphold the Treaty of Waitangi in schooling and tertiary education.

CERD outlines several urgent actions for the New Zealand Government, including:

Revitalising the Māori Health Authority or creating similar Māori-led bodies to address health inequities.
Withdrawing youth justice proposals, including boot camps.
Guaranteeing free, prior and informed consent for Māori on all land, resource and governance decisions.
Strengthening the Human Rights Commission to protect it from political interference.
Considering an optional protocol enabling individuals to make complaints directly to CERD.

Lady Tureiti Moxon says the report represents the strongest international critique of New Zealand in modern times.

“Upholding Te Tiriti, reversing harmful youth justice proposals, protecting our institutional frameworks, and condemning hate speech are not optional -they are urgent obligations under international law.”
– Lady Tureiti Moxon (She is calling on the Government to act immediately to protect Māori whānau, tamariki, and the future of racial harmony in Aotearoa.)