A major international indigenous leaders' collective has slammed the government of Aotearoa for its attack on Māori rights in the proposed Treaty Principles Bill.
The First Nations leaders called on the NZ government to act in good faith and respect Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
The collective endorsed a statement last month at the 18th Protecting Mother Earth Conference, held in the Eastern Cherokee Nation, asserting that the proposed Treaty Principles Bill is in breach of democratic processes, fundamental contractual principles, and Treaty law.
Indigenous Environmental Network executive director Tom BK Goldtooth said the bill, and the government's proposals to review the Waitangi Tribunal, are "a profound violation", and are similar to the many settler state attacks on treaties which took place in the USA and Canada
"It is a reminder of racist colonial attitudes that still persist in colonial governments today," he said.
Mr Goldtooth warned of a "termination and erasure agenda" aimed at dismantling Māori legal and political status in Aotearoa.
Tonatierra spokesperson Eve Reyes-Aguirre said the government should recognise the importance of treating treaties as "living agreements" between sovereign nations.
"To honour the treaties is to honour justice and the sovereignty of indigenous nations," she said.
The collective statement from global indigenous leaders also criticised the NZ government for failing to honour commitments under Article 37 of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which calls for respect of treaties with indigenous peoples.
The joint statement concluded by calling on the government of Aotearoa to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and protect Māori from the harms of colonialism.
The NZ Herald reports that National Iwi Chairs Forum lead advisor for the Independent Action Plan Against Racism, Tina Ngata, said it was important to see international indigenous solidarity in the face of growing attacks on the rights and status of First Nations peoples.
"We deeply appreciate the support ... Our global indigenous solidarity is crucial at this time," Ms Ngata said.
Dame Naida Glavish said the NZ government should, "stop insisting that we are all equal, we are not".
"The data and statistics speak for themselves – racist government policy over time has worked to displace Māori," she told the NZ Herald.
ACT Party leader and principal architect of the Treaty Principles Bill, David Seymour, presented the first draft to Cabinet earlier this week and is reportedly now revising the draft to add more context around iwi and hapū rights.
It is expected the Bill will be introduced in parliament later this year.
