Mataatua District Maori Council v. New Zealand

Representatives of the Mataatua District Maori Council filed a claim alleging that New Zealand breached its obligations to the Maori by failing to implement policies to address climate change, which violates provisions of the Waitangi Treaty that make the government responsible for the “active protection” of natural resources such as forests and fisheries on behalf of the Maori.

Status
In 2019, New Zealand passed the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Act 2019, setting ambitious mid-century climate mitigation targets. Plaintiffs filed an amended pleading that argues that the act still fails to adequately guard against climate change, because its targets are insufficient and unenforceable.

Links

 * Sabin Center Database
 * Grantham Research Institute