Meet the Tāngata Whenua Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty!
The Tāngata Whenua Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty (TWC) is a collaborative forum of Māori plastic pollution experts including community leaders, educators, scientists, businesspeople, and researchers committed to honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi and ensuring the effective participation and representation of Tāngata Whenua throughout the United Nations Global Plastics Treaty (GPT) development and implementation processes.
“With Global Plastics Treaty negotiations now well underway, it is vital that Indigenous Peoples are at the decision-making table.
The Tāngata Whenua Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty (TWC) exists to advocate for a holistic, ambitious and Indigenous-led approach to the Global Plastics Treaty that safely and appropriately incorporates Indigenous Peoples, worldviews, sciences and knowledge systems. We believe that an effective Global Plastics Treaty must prioritise the health and wellbeing of our planet and whakapapa by facilitating a just transition away from plastics led by those most impacted by plastic pollution that focuses on significantly reducing the production of plastics and their chemical additives.
An effective Global Plastics Treaty must also hold polluting industries responsible for pollution prevention and recovery, while focusing on real solutions such as reuse and refill, product stewardship, container return schemes, circular product and system redesign, and community-led waste prevention education. We must equally reject false solutions such as waste incineration, plastic credits, waste-to-energy, and misleading ideas like a ‘sustainable economy for plastics’ when the vast majority of plastics are inherently toxic and wasteful.
– Matt Peryman, Coordinator
June 2023: Juressa Lee and Matt Peryman representing the TWC at INC-2 in Paris, France
The TWC is closely associated with several organisations working on the GPT, including the Indigenous Peoples’ Caucus, the Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty (SCEPT), the Plastic Treaty Coalition, the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA), and the wider Break Free From Plastic (BFFP) movement.
Our mahi involves regular hui and wānanga to develop our negotiating positions, submission writing, and attending and informing bi-annual Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) meetings. We work closely with Tāngata Tiriti plastic pollution specialists as well as with the NZ Government delegation from the Ministry for the Environment and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
We welcome any Māori plastic pollution experts interested in working on the Global Plastics Treaty, please contact our coordinator Matt Peryman: mjperyman@gmail.com
