Arrangement on Cooperation on Indigenous Issues                

between

the New Zealand Commerce and Industry Office, Taipei

and

the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, New Zealand

The New Zealand Commerce and Industry Office, Taipei (NZCIO), and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, New Zealand (TECO) (the Parties) have approved an Arrangement on Cooperation on Indigenous Issues. The purpose of this Arrangement is to enhance cultural and people-to-people contacts between Taiwan’s indigenous peoples and New Zealand Māori in order to promote mutual understanding and friendly relations.

Scope of this Arrangement

1.      For the purposes of this Arrangement:

(a)   “Taiwan” means the territory in respect of which the Council of Indigenous Peoples, Executive Yuan, Taiwan, has responsibility;

(b)     “New Zealand” means the territory in respect of which the Ministry of Māori Development (Te Puni Kōkiri), New Zealand, has responsibility.

Responsibilities of the Parties

2.          The Parties designate a representative agency to administer this Arrangement.  For TECO the representative agency is the Council of Indigenous Peoples, Executive Yuan, and for NZCIO the representative agency is the Ministry of Māori Development (Te Puni Kōkiri).

3.            The representative agencies may:

i.           hold at least one meeting each year for the planning of measures designed to enhance cultural and people-to-people contacts between Taiwan’s indigenous peoples and New Zealand Māori.

ii.         promote and facilitate the exchange of experiences relating to indigenous peoples’ issues, including in the following areas:  education, culture, human rights, land ownership issues, employment, social policy, economic and business development, tourism and natural resource conservation, biodiversity, language promotion, sports and traditional medicine.

iii.        promote and facilitate the development of direct contacts with or between academic institutions, non-governmental organizations, local government bodies and tribal authorities, to support these endeavours.

iv.        promote personnel exchanges between their indigenous peoples, including academic, cultural and business exchanges.

v.        arrange funding for any exchanges facilitated under this Arrangement on a case-by-case basis.  

Application of this Arrangement

4.      Either Party may request consultations on this Arrangement by written notice.

5.     Either Party may suspend the application of this Arrangement and will notify the other Party as soon as possible in writing. The notice should explain the reason for suspension.

6.     Either Party may terminate this Arrangement by giving three months written notice to the other Party.

Signed on                         2004, in duplicate in the English and Chinese languages, each text being equally authentic.