Aotearoa New Zealand is one of 196 parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) since December 1993.
Māori have been involved with the CBD since it was initially negotiated and finalised. Involvement continues as Māori participate with other Indigenous Peoples in negotiations, primarily through the International Indigenous Forum for Biodiversity (IIFB).
In 2022 Aotearoa New Zealand joined nearly 200 parties in adopting the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework(external link), at the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) meeting. This framework, agreed by parties to the CBD, commits countries to the ‘30×30’ initiative to protect 30% of land and ocean globally by 2030.
In 2024 the parties came together again in Cali, Colombia to progress a range of commitments under the Global Biodiversity Framework agreed to at COP15.
Key issues under negotiation from the perspective of AIR Trust and the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB) have included:
- the rights of Indigenous Peoples in relation to Digital Sequence Information (DSI)
- Access & Benefit Sharing (ABS) provisions in relation to Genetic Resources (GR) and associated Traditional Knowledge (TK)
- the centrality of Indigenous Peoples in the development, implementation, monitoring and review of National Biodiversity Strategies & Action Plans.
The CBD includes a number of key issues that signatories are expected to have ‘National Focal Points’ established for. These are usually key government agencies and individuals who are responsible for liaising with internal and external stakeholders on those issues.
Article 8(j) on the CBD states:
Each contracting Party shall, as far as possible and as appropriate: Subject to national legislation, respect, preserve and maintain knowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous and local communities embodying traditional lifestyles relevant for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity and promote their wider application with the approval and involvement of the holders of such knowledge, innovations and practices and encourage the equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilization of such knowledge innovations and practices.
The National Focal Point for New Zealand on Article 8(j) and related provisions (Traditional knowledge and Customary Sustainable Use) is currently:
Ms. Toni Wi
Kaimatai Matua / Senior Analyst
Te Puki Kōkiri – Ministry of Māori Development
P.O. Box 3943
Wellington 6140 New Zealand
E-Mail: cbd@tpk.govt.nz
Further information on the New Zealand government involvement with CBD is available here and a list of other National Focal Points for CBD matters is listed here.
Aotearoa Indigenous Rights Trust 