Super city among top 10 race relations issues for 2010

Ensuring an effective voice for Māori, Pacific and ethnic communities in the Auckland super city is one of the top 10 race relations priorities for 2010, according to the Human Rights Commission’s annual review of race relations published today.

Two of the priorities for the coming year relate to the new Auckland super city, and a third calls for increased representation of Māori, Pacific and ethnic communities through this year’s local body elections.

“The rejection of designated seats for Māori and the proposed three-year sunset clause on Pacific and other ethnic advisory boards has not been a good start, given that Auckland is by far New Zealand’s most multicultural city. Decisions need to have regard for that diversity”, says Race Relations Commissioner Joris de Bres.

“The likely outcome is that the Auckland council will be less diverse than its predecessors, and community boards will have little or no decision-making power. This will lead to continued disaffection by rather than inclusion of Auckland’s growing diverse communities.”

As well as stressing the need for Māori, Pacific and other ethnic communities to have a greater voice in decision-making on the new council, the report says the new council must ensure current Treaty of Waitangi relationships, cultural diversity and settlement support programmes are continued.

“There is widespread anxiety among community groups and community workers that existing initiatives will be lost or dropped in the shake-up, especially locally based programmes and events, and that would be disastrous”, says Mr de Bres.

“The hard work done by previous councils to engage with tangata whenua and diverse communities and celebrate Auckland’s unique diversity is not just feel-good activity – it is vital to the social fabric and cultural identity of Auckland’s population. Building and maintaining this social and cultural infrastructure are as important as providing for transport, rubbish disposal, sewerage and water supplies for the future of the city. They contribute to the social wealth of the Auckland community.”

Other priorities identified in the report for the coming year are:

• the constitutional review of the place of the Treaty and the Māori seats in Parliament

• action to reduce discrimination against Asian New Zealanders

• ensuring the safety of international students

• reversing the racial inequalities that have resulted from the recession, especially in employment

• initiating long-term action with specific targets to reduce the high rate of imprisonment of Māori

• completing strategies for Māori and Pacific languages, and developing strategies for community languages, interpreting services and languages in schools

• developing a second national action plan for human rights and race relations.

Mr de Bres will be at the official launch of the report with Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey at 9.30am today (Thursday 11 March) at the Waitakere Council Chamber, 6 Henderson Valley Road, Henderson.

Download Tūi Tūi Tuituiā – Race Relations in 2009 (PDF 1.6Mb).

[Scoop copy here]

ENDS

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