City for Peace Declaration
The City of Waitakere

- Acknowledges that peace is created through the actions of individuals, families and neighbourhoods and whänau, hapu and iwi;

- Is determined to protect and enhance the safety, security and well being of all people living in and visiting Waitakere;

- Affirms that the well being of all citizens is advanced by the peaceful resolution of conflict and the promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence;

- Celebrates the diverse backgrounds of all citizens and encourages their participation regardless of age, gender, ability, ethnicity, culture, sexuality or religion;

- Actively supports the importance of education for the development of peace, inter-cultural awareness, tolerance, human rights and conflict resolution;

- Acknowledges the unique relationships between tangata whenua and tau iwi (those who have settled more recently in Waitakere) and the place of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in our City;

- Encourages all people to treat whenua ( the land ), with respect;

- Assists those who have settled in Waitakere due to conflict or human rights violations in communities overseas, and supports the promotion of human rights and the resolution of conflicts in those communities;

- Confirms the special role of Waitakere as an Eco City in fostering peace nationally and internationally;

- Honours the United Nations International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World (2001-2010) and will maintain this commitment for future generations;

- Continues to endorse the United Nations Resolutions on Nuclear Disarmament and Non Proliferation through public education to abolish war and nuclear weapons;

- Embraces the United Nations recommendation that ‘municipal leaders, working with citizen groups, are encouraged to establish peace cities’;

- Hereby declares itself to be a City for Peace dedicated to the promotion of, and respect for peace, tolerance and non-violence.

Adopted by Waitakere City Council
21 September 2007 – The International Day of Peace

ENDS

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