The UN Special Rapporteur On Indigenous Peoples Is In Auckland Next Month Where He Will Be Giving A Public Lecture

Francisco Calí Tzay is Maya Kaqchikel from Guatemala. He has a background defending the rights of Indigenous Peoples, both in Guatemala and at the level of the United Nations and will be delivering a lecture at the University of Auckland’s Waipapa Marae on April 4.

Sponsoring the event are the Auckland University Law School, Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga and the New Zealand Human Rights Commission.

Auckland Law Professor Claire Charters says the lecture will be significant. “In the light of recent political developments after the last election around te Tiriti o Waitangi and the decision to end work on a national plan of action to realise the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, it is important to understand how backwards New Zealand is moving on Indigenous peoples’ rights. This lecture will support Māori endeavours to protect their rights,” she says.

“People need to realise that Indigenous peoples’ rights and Te Tiriti rights are human rights and relate to, for example, rights to self-determination, property, culture and non-discrimination,” says Professor Charters.

She says the lecture will be an opportunity for people to learn about constitutional developments concerning Indigenous Peoples globally and to “bring home” the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

When: Thursday April 4

Where: Waipapa Marae, University of Auckland

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