NZ Government fails! No answers over injustices at Ihumātao

The New Zealand Government delegation to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racism and Discrimination in Geneva yesterday failed to answer multiple questions about the development of a Special Housing Area on confiscated Māori land at Ihumātao near the airport in Auckland.

Special Rapporteur for New Zealand, Gay McDougall, and other committee members raised their concerns about ‘consultation’ and asked if the entire community was consulted on the SHA project by Fletcher Residential Limited. McDougall and others noted that there were reports of community groups and hapū opposing the development.

New Zealand Government delegation head, Andrew Bridgeman, could only say that the development had been preceded by negotiations with some groups in the area, but not with all of them. While he drew attention to the fact the land in question was privately owned, this ignored the fact of prior unjust confiscation from its Māori owners.

Pania Newton and Delwyne Roberts of Ihumātao travelled to Geneva to brief the Committee, representing SOUL, the mana whenua-led community group that is fighting the proposed development, pushed by transnational corporation Fletcher Residential Ltd, to build 480 high-cost houses on confiscated Māori land.

Pania stated: “It was clearly evident that the New Zealand delegation could not adequately address the questions concerning Ihumātao. During the formal meeting they had to pause and discuss the answer and person best suited to reply to it, this was not the case for other issues. The obvious failures on the New Zealand Government's part to meet the recommendations in the convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination was clear for the issue at Ihumātao, especially the failure to acquire free, prior and informed consent pre-designation of SHA62.”

“I have been amazed by the amount of support and encouragement received by the Commissioner of Race-Relations in New Zealand Susan Devoy” says Pania. “It makes this process a bit easier to navigate through”.

Delwyne noted: "Delegates claimed that ‘consultation’ had occurred but as the Committee Rapporteur Gay McDougall stated, consultation is not the same as consent. The New Zealand Government delegates' answers were superficial and unsubstantiated”.

The land was confiscated in 1863 Pania said, adding: “I am deeply ashamed that I still have to come here in 2017 trying to get justice for the land and people of Ihumātao”.

The issues were important to the Committee because of the racism and discrimination that created and sustained the disgrace at Ihumātao. Auckland University of Technology lecturer Dr Heather Came, who was also at Geneva, noted: The New Zealand Government has not mentioned the word ‘racism’. We’re here to look at the Government’s compliance in relation to eliminating all forms of racial discrimination yet they can’t say the ‘R’ word".

ENDS

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