International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples was introduced by the United Nations General Assembly on te 23 o Hakihea (December) 1994 as part of its resolution 49/214. The date of te 9 o Here-turi-kōkā (August) was chosen in commemoration of the first meeting of the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Peoples which occurred on this date in 1982.
The 2024 theme is "Protecting the rights of indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation and initial contact."
This theme refers to the more than 200 groups of indigenous peoples around the world who choose to remain isolated from mainstream society. These groups face the destruction of their land, disruption of their ways of life, introduction of diseases, and other threats from the outside world.
Read more about International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples 2024 here and here.
International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples is also about celebrating all indigenous peoples and advocating for the protection of their rights, cultures, languages, and ways of life.
Māori are tāngata whenua and the indigenous people of Aotearoa NZ. International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples is a good reminder to think about the inequities Māori continue to face in society and in healthcare in Aotearoa -- and the poorer health outcomes suffered by Māori compared to non-Māori as a result.
There are many compounding factors that contribute to these inequities, but they all trace back to the European colonisation of Aotearoa as well as the failure of successive governments to fully uphold and honour to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Māori continue to fight discrimination within and outside of the healthcare system, and to navigate a healthcare system that was founded on a Western worldview and without te ao Māori, tikanga, mātauranga Māori, and rongoā in mind.
Many positive changes have been made in this regard over the years, but Aotearoa and our healthcare system have a long way to go on the journey towards health equity for all -- especially for tāngata whenua.
You can read here about Te Whatu Ora's vision to create a new health system in Aotearoa focused on pae ora (healthy futures) for all, which incorporates mauri ora, whānau ora, and wai ora, as well as about some of the initiatives that have already been implemented as part of this mahi.
