Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti - UNICEF Aotearoa's Statement

We believe that Te Tiriti is the foundational document for Aotearoa as an agreement between tangata whenua and the Crown, and cannot be renegotiated by one party without the other’s consent. 

We tautoko the advocacy that rangatahi are leading for indigenous rights in Aotearoa, especially considering that mokopuna Māori disproportionately experience worse outcomes in health, housing, income and mental wellbeing.  

We want to elevate the voices of rangatahi and tamariki Māori because like all children in Aotearoa, they have the right to be heard under the Convention of the Rights of the Child, which New Zealand has signed.  

UNICEF Aotearoa is on a journey to become a Tiriti-based organisation.  As a global advocate for children and young people, and within Aotearoa as a voice for the rights of tamariki and rangatahi, it is part of our role to ensure that Māori rights and obligations of the Crown, as described in Te Tiriti, are upheld.