WELLINGTON Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is calling on the Government to follow Australias lead and support the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People. The Catholic agency for justice, peace and development issued the call after Kevin Rudds government reversed Australias previous stance.
In September 2007, 144 UN member states voted to adopt the declaration, a non-binding text that sets out rights to culture, identity, language, employment, health and education.
Only four nations Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States opposed the adoption. All are settler nations with similar colonial histories.
New Zealands bishops late last year called on the new Government to change its stance.
Now that the Australian Government has reversed [its] decision, and the United States and Canada are understood to be also reconsidering their support, New Zealand should also support the declaration, said Caritas chief executive Mike Smith.
Prime Minister John Key has said the Government is looking at whether it could support the declaration on a similar basis to that done in Australia.
Catholic Mission in Australia said discrepancies between the declarations principles and Australian law and government policies must now be rectified.
