Abseiler defaces Treaty exhibition at Te Papa in protest from National Iwi Chairs Forum. Video / Supplied
A Northland human rights advocate will represent Māori at a UN forum on indigenous issues, despite facing trial after a protest at Te Papa.
Catherine Murupaenga-Ikenn (Ngāti Kuri, Te Rarawa) will take part in the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York in April, as part of a global initiative called Project Peoples.
Catherine Murupaenga-Ikenn (Ngāti Kuri, Te Rarawa) will take part in the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York in April, despite facing a trial after a protest at Te Papa. Photo / Denise Piper
The Whangārei grandmother was previously appointed senior indigenous and minorities fellow for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in its Pacific regional office.
She currently does contract work for human rights, environmental defence and social justice, and is a trustee of Climate Change Taitokerau Northland Trust.
Breaches of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and health disparities between Māori and non-Māori were previously highlighted as issues of New Zealand’s human rights record, with the UN due to conduct a universal periodic review this year.
Also fresh in Murupaenga-Ikenn’s mind her own experiences with the justice system.
She was charged with intentional damage after group Te Waka Hourua defaced Te Papa’s Treaty of Waitangi exhibition in Wellington in December, to highlight problems with the way the English version was given equal weighting as the Te Reo Māori version, despite their translations being different.
After the protest, Te Papa agreed to renew the exhibition, called The Signs of a Nation Te Tiriti o Waitangi, which has been at the museum since opening day in 1998.
Murupaenga-Ikenn has pleaded not guilty to her charge and is now facing trial in Wellington at a date yet to be set.
She is also “livid” with the way she was treated by the justice system, including an arrest at her Whangārei home for a charge of failing to appear in court which proved to be incorrect.
The pending trial will not stop her from attending the UN forum, with no bail conditions set, she said.
The December 2023 protest at Te Papa Museum in Wellington was about the English text of the Treaty of Waitangi exhibition. Photo / National Iwi Chairs Forum
“The UN is a bit more nuanced, there are a lot of people who have criminal convictions - and I don’t even have a conviction - but the politics of being a defender are well understood at the UN.”
Before attending the New York forum, Murupaenga-Ikenn also plans to attend the Pacific Leaders Summit in Rapa Nui (Easter Island) in early April.
The summit’s focus is the protection of the oceans, and the challenge of plastic and microplastic pollution in the Pacific.
Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.
