Human Rights Action Plan: New Zealand could be world leader in human rights

New Zealand could lead the world in human rights if it stops violence against children and continues to reduce poverty. This is the conclusion of the first-ever comprehensive action plan for improving human rights in New Zealand.

Mana ki Te Tangata/the New Zealand Action Plan for Human Rights, released publicly on 31 March, proposes practical steps ranging from those aimed at reducing violence and abuse in the community to steps to improve harmonious relations among New Zealand’s diverse communities.

“New Zealanders can be proud of this country’s achievements in human rights,” says Chief Human Rights Commissioner Rosslyn Noonan.

“The action plan builds on the achievements of successive generations of New Zealanders committed to ensuring everyone gets a fair go. Overall New Zealand is doing well but there remain critical areas where action is needed to effect change, often by the whole community.”

“New Zealand is experiencing a sustained period of positive economic growth, which gives us an opportunity to turn our attention to some of the underlying issues that stop the full enjoyment of human rights by all New Zealanders,” Ms Noonan says.

“The action plan builds on the legislation, policies and programmes of successive governments, whose largely pragmatic and practical approach has delivered much.”

The action plan contains a total of 178 priorities for the Government, community groups, the private sector and the Commission to action over a five year period. The release of the action plan is the culmination of more than two years work in which over 5000 members of the public provided input into the plan’s development.

Chief Human Rights Commissioner Rosslyn Noonan says the action plan aims to promote and protect human rights and in so-doing improve the lives of New Zealanders.

“The action plan sets out practical and achievable steps so that the human rights of all those who live in New Zealand are better recognised, protected and respected. Making this a reality depends on people not only affirming their own human rights, but accepting their responsibility to respect and defend the human rights of others.”

The action plan provides a solid basis for making progress in improving race relations in New Zealand. “Positive race relations depend on the enjoyment by all of their civil, political, economic and social rights,” Ms Noonan says.

The Action Plan proposes the following:

• actions to reduce violence, abuse and neglect experienced by children and young people;

• increased, direct and systematic participation of disabled people in policy development and decision-making;

• a focus on the elimination of poverty to ensure that, as a priority, every child and every disabled person in New Zealand has an adequate standard of living;

• actions to safeguard children, young people and adults in detention and institutional care;

• development of early childhood centres and schools as human rights communities;

• measures that enable every New Zealander to communicate in English and Maori and, where it is different, their mother tongue;

• ways of improving democratic participation, including that of children and young people, and widening access to justice;

• a focus on the place of the Treaty of Waitangi in New Zealand's constitutional arrangements;

• steps to achieve harmonious relations among New Zealand's diverse communities;

• steps to strengthen both the recognition and the realisation of economic, social and cultural rights;

• commitment to ensuring that the legal framework fully protects human rights;

• procedures to ensure that legislation and policy are developed in accordance with human rights standards.

The action plan was developed by the Human Rights Commission in cooperation with the Office of the Children’s Commissioner. Under the Human Rights Act the Human Rights Commission has a statutory responsibility to develop an action plan for the better protection and promotion of human rights in New Zealand.

Children’s Commissioner Dr Cindy Kiro says human rights abuses committed against children and young people are one of the greatest challenges facing New Zealand.

“This Action Plan clearly outlines how we can all prioritise children’s safety and well-being. New Zealand’s high rates of child abuse and neglect are evidence of the need for urgent and comprehensive action by families, communities and government,” Dr Kiro says.

The Human Rights Commission will work with agencies and organisations responsible for specific actions, and will report annually on progress in implementing the action plan.

ENDS

For a copy of the New Zealand Action Plan for Human Rights or Human Rights in New Zealand Today:

http://www.hrc.co.nz/actionplan (from 31/03/05)

Background information

The New Zealand Action Plan for Human Rights follows on from the release, in September 2004, of Human Rights in New Zealand Today. This report was the first ever comprehensive report on the state of human rights in New Zealand

The report found that overall New Zealand is doing well in human rights but that there were some critical areas that needed to be addressed. The report also found that children and young people were most at risk from human rights abuses in New Zealand. Its conclusions formed the basis for the development of the action plan’s recommendations.

The project to develop the action plan was announced on International Human Rights Day – 10 December – 2002.

What are human rights?

Human rights recognise and aim to protect the dignity of all people whatever their status or condition in life. They are about how we live together and our responsibilities to each other. In particular, they set a basis for the relationship between the individuals, groups and the State.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was the first international document expressly based on universal respect for human rights. It was adopted by the United Nations on 10 December 1948. The rights in the Declaration fall roughly into two categories; civil and political rights; and economic, cultural and social rights.

Since 1948, the rights in the Declaration have been set out in United Nations’ Covenants and Conventions. Through ratification of these treaties and obligations under the United Nations’ Charter and the ILO Constitution, New Zealand has formally committed to respecting these rights.

For a copy of the New Zealand Action Plan for Human Rights or Human Rights in New Zealand Today:

http://www.hrc.co.nz/actionplan

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