Iwi leader to sue government for 'failing to protect Maori' from effects of climate change
The Treaty of Waitangi promised that the Government had a duty to actively protect Maori interests. One Iwi leader says that the impending catastrophe of climate change means they have failed to meet that standard. Mike Smith, chair of the Climate Change Iwi Leaders Group announced on Tuesday that he was suing the Government because "the Crown is failing to protect all New Zealanders, but especially Maori, from catastrophic effects of climate change". "Maori are particularly vulnerable to climate change, being disproportionately represented amongst the poor, who will be the hardest hit," he said. READ MORE: * Maori are among the most vulnerable to climate change * How breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi are settled * Possible name change ahead for mountain's new legal personality, national park He said that traditional resources, including fisheries, would be affected by ocean acidification, and that flooding would damage coastal communities. Smith gave the Government credit for the Zero Carbon Bill, but said it didn't go far enough. He wants the courts to declare that the Crown will be in breach of duties owed to Maori unless it reduces total greenhouse gases by half by 2030, and to zero by 2050. He filed proceedings in his personal capacity, citing the interests of all Maori. The filing argues a breach of duty under the Treaty of Waitangi and the Bill of Rights Act.