A/61/490 13. A progress report on this study was presented to the Human Rights Council during its recent session (E/CN.4/2006/78/Add.4). In that report, the Special Rapporteur stated that “[t]he information received to date, while extremely interesting, is still not quite what is needed in preparing a study that is supposed to make it possible to move forward on this issue in some way. The Special Rapporteur believes it is essential to ... find out about specific measures taken on the basis of the recommendations made in each of his reports”. 14. The Special Rapporteur intends to continue with follow-up on the Commission’s request for the presentation of a final study and has therefore planned several activities that should allow him to gather the information needed to complete the study. A. Country visits 15. During the period covered by this report, the Special Rapporteur undertook two official missions to observe the human rights situation of indigenous peoples in New Zealand and Ecuador. He submitted a report on the first mission to the Human Rights Council at its recent session (E/CN.4/2006/78/Add.3) and is expected to present the second report shortly. 1. Mission to New Zealand 16. At the invitation of the Government and Maori organizations, the Special Rapporteur visited New Zealand in November 2005. He was encouraged by the Government’s commitment to reduce the existing inequalities between Maori, who represent around 15 per cent of the total population, and non-Maori regarding several social and human development indicators such as health, housing, education, income levels and employment, areas in which inequalities still exist. He was also heartened by the commitment of the authorities to ensure that the country’s development was shared by all groups in New Zealand society. 17. Despite the progress made, many Maori are impatient with the pace of redress for breaches by the Crown of the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi, which forms the legal basis for relations between Maori and the State. 18. Nowadays, many Maori are particularly concerned by the new legislation governing coastal areas that extinguishes customary Maori rights over those lands and replaces them with a statutory process for the recognition of customary or aboriginal title. 19. In his report, the Special Rapporteur made several recommendations to the Government of New Zealand, proposing measures aimed at strengthening and consolidating Maori human rights, including their collective property rights to land and coastal areas. 2. Mission to Ecuador 20. In April 2006, the Special Rapporteur undertook an official mission to Ecuador, in response to an invitation by the Government and indigenous organizations of that country. He visited several indigenous communities along the coast, in the sierra and in the Amazon region, and he interviewed high-level officials and representatives of all the indigenous nationalities. 6 06-55256