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1st UN Intervention
Te Kawau Maro Maori
Organization from Aotearoa-New Zealand
May 15 2002
New York Permanent Forum.
Mr. Chairman
This intervention is made by Te Kawau Maro, Maori Organisation from
Aotearoa- New Zealand of the Pacific.
 This is our first intervention therefore in acknowledging time
constraints, some general comments, followed by recommendations will be
made and may I begin with greetings from the Maori people of Aotearoa to
the peoples of this land, to the Chairperson, Permanent Forum
representatives, Indigenous brothers and sisters, member States and those
who have past on. Mr. Chairman there were those who doubted the Permanent
Forum would be established, and even if it were the Permanent Forum would
lack any significant influence. Those of us who are optimistic know that
this is a first step conditional upon our full participation and equal
control of every part of the establishment of the Permanent Forum. It is
also our collective duty to ensure the permanent forum is effective and
fulfills the Mandate set before it.
In the context of Maori people, our ancestors arrived at the League of
Nations in 1926 seeking an International forum; they were among other
Indigenous peoples of that time. Successive Maori have continued the
tradition of seeking effective International forums. Today is a
continuation of such history.
The Minister of Maori Affairs for the New Zealand Government, Parekura
Horomia is also a tribal member of the tribe Ngati Porou, of which I am
also a member. In his paper he detailed the financial contribution made to
the interim Secretariat of the Permanent Forum from New Zealand. Further
support in the form of technical personnel to the Office of the High
Commission of Human Rights and financial support to the Voluntary fund.
That support is acknowledged. He underscored these facts with stating his
attendance here as a Minister, an executive Minister, showed his
governments commitment to Indigenous issues in the United Nations and
further that empowering and enabling Maori to solve their own problems is
the objective, for Indigenous peoples to take leading roles in the
economic lives of countries. In our view that is the purpose of this
exercise, of this Permanent Forum, no more continued neo-colonialsm but
empowerment, problem solving and leadership. If we see a deviation or
stalling of this purpose we have a duty as we do domestically, to
intervene and react accordingly in this International forum.
Therefore we would like to hear from member States a commitment in a
substantive manner by requesting establishing finances from the regular
budget, sufficiently to reflect the work and broad mandate of the
Permanent forum. Other speakers have suggested it helpful to analysis
other UN Agency budgets, which will indicate an estimate of the sums and
resources, required. It must be remembered the many decades Indigenous
Peoples have not had the use or access of their resources, or an
International Agency and it is common knowledge who has benefited and
where those resources have been allocated.
1 We make a first recommendation for a substantial financed Permanent
Forum, with consultation in every part of the financial process with
Representatives of the Permanent Forum or at least an established
sub-committee of the Permanent Forum Representatives, anything less is not
acceptable.
2 The Secretariat is another opportunity for Indigenous Peoples
empowerment. A second recommendation is that the Secretariat be Indigenous
led and staffed by appropriate Indigenous personnel as an independent
Secretariat linked to ECOSOC. This is not to say other support is
unwelcome, on the contrary the support of the United Nations Agency Group
is commended, as is non-Indigenous support. The intervention is simply
saying the time for an Indigenous led and driven International Agency has
arrived. Contrary objections undermine support for Indigenous empowerment.
3 Mr. Chairman, subject to time frames and administrative details of which
we have no knowledge, a third recommendation is that a full report
proposing finance and secretarial budget and administration be submitted
for discussion at the next Permanent Forum meeting.
The questions asked by the Pacific Representative Mililani Trask, of the
United Nations Agencies regarding their finance allocations should be
submitted if not before, then at the next Permanent Forum meeting.
In concluding Mr. Chairman, while it is commendable for Individual
Indigenous organizations and Peoples to offer resources to develop the
Permanent Forum, this should be seen as in addition to and not as a
substitute for our rightful resources and entitlements toward the
Permanent Forum. When the billions of dollars of Indigenous natural wealth
contributing to today's economies is taken account of, withholding
sufficient assistance cannot be justified and words which describe such
activity have been well articulated.
In concluding the Permanent Forum has been described as one of
partnership, real partnership begins with understanding simple
fundamentals, like freedom and equality as enshrined in Constitutions and
common laws. Freedom means to express oneself as Indigenous and not as
another would determine. Freedom to stand and be treated equally on the
same level without having to adopt supplicatory or fawning mannerisms.
Freedom to equal resources, not to suppress or apologize for ones
Indigenous characteristics.
Our Pacific representative to the Permanent Forum, sister Mililani Trask
epitomizes a characteristic known as kanohi ki te kanohi, face to face, no
double speak. It is a quality we hold in high regard. Our sister laid us
all a challenge in our development of partnership within the United
Nations, and our brother Chief Matthew Coon Come stated the Permanent
Forum must be more than a house of complaints. We should rise to these
challenges and seize the opportunity those before us fought to offer,
there is no other option, no going back to the old days of superior
inferior, we have taken a giant step forward.
Thank you Mr. Chairman.
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