On March 15, the United Nations General Assembly voted 170–4 to create a new Human Rights Council, effectively dissolving the oft-criticized Commission on Human Rights. Candidates for the Council will need to be elected by an absolute majority of 96 votes in order to secure a position, and once elected members can serve a maximum of two consecutive terms.

Canadian health officials announced a Can$5.5 million grant to support three global indigenous health research projects that focus on researching HIV/AIDS, mental health, and indigenous health workforce networks on July 5. "There is much we need to learn about indigenous peoples' health issues," said Uijal Dosanjh, Minister of Health, to the Canada Newswire.

According to the report, Maori males have a life expectancy that is 8.9 yearsshorter than non-Maori males and 48.6 percent of adult Maori smoke, almosttwo times the majority of the population. Bramley recommended enhancing theresponsiveness of non-Maori health care providers to Maori needs and increasingMaori access to quality care.

Untitled Document A Maori woman was rejected for a dishwashing job at the Brooklyne Tearooms in Sanson in February when the café owner claimed her moko kauae, a traditional Maori tattoo, would be bad for business.

Three months ago, when Australian Prime Minister John Howard shut down the country’s only elected government agency representing indigenous people, his reasoning was based in the power of "mainstreaming."

But Howard’s contention that dissolving the Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Commission (ATSIC) and integrating its work into other governmental agencies would improve services did not sit well with many indigenous leaders, who remain worried that their representation will get lost in the shuffle.

Prime Minister Helen Clark has called for increased multilingualism in schools and has received great support. The Green Party has put forth the idea that the second language school children should learn is Maori. By being proficient in Te Reo children learn about their country’s official indigenous language; the measure would also promote broader popular awareness of indigenous culture.

National Party leader Bill English has called for an end to the exclusively Maori seats in Parliament. Mr. English has argued that “modern Maori are highly skilled operators in our current political system, their voices are heard at every level and the Maori seats have outlived their usefulness." This view has been rejected by the New Zealand Government, which counters that the Maori seats “safeguard against tyranny of the majority.” The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand is also opposed to English’s plan.