Te Tiriti o Waitangi, or the “Treaty of Waitangi”, signed in 1840, is the founding document of Aotearoa New Zealand. It represents an agreement between the Māori people and the British Crown.

The history of the Treaty has been somewhat fraught, largely due to failures of the colonial powers and later, the Government, in recognising and upholding Māori rights. There has been increasing recognition of the role of Te Tiriti o Waitangi as a partnership. Its importance to Aotearoa New Zealand in legal, social and cultural spheres has highlighted the responsibilities of organisations to uphold their obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

The Local Organising Committee of the ICUH conference in Aotearoa New Zealand has worked to embed this partnership within the development and delivery of the event. This has included the active involvement of Māori throughout planning and development, to ensure Māori representation and promote partnered decision-making. We have worked to ensure that Indigenous knowledge has received equitable treatment by engaging Māori reviewers to review Indigenous-focused conference abstracts; structuring presentations to provide Indigenous peoples with balanced session priority; and supporting processes that give equal importance to Indigenous-generated knowledge and research outcomes. 

Māori customs, language, values and principles will be integrated into key events as well as the day-to-day running of sessions and conference activities, such as the Ngā Mokopuna visit, the Lost Rivers Walking Tour and the Te Papa Museum tour of the Māori collection, all of which feature activities and locations important to Māori. For the wider Indigenous community, there will be relationship-building opportunities before and during conference time. For those unfamiliar with Māori culture, guidance will be available onsite. The local organisers can also connect to you to more sources of information on te ao Māori and urban health.

Aotearoa New Zealand is among the 148 countries which endorse the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and is also a signatory to several United Nations Conventions relating to Indigenous rights that are legally binding under international law. As conference organisers, we are aware of our responsibility to uphold Indigenous rights and maintain a strong emphasis on Indigenous representation and self-determination.

This is a living document and we will pursue further opportunities to develop and uphold respectful, meaningful relationships with Māori, and Indigenous communities outside Aotearoa New Zealand. 

Further reading:

https://teara.govt.nz/en/te-tiriti-o-waitangi-the-treaty-of-waitangi

https://teara.govt.nz/en/maori/page-1

Download the ICUH 2025 Statement on Upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Indigenous Rights