New Zealand questioned at UN on social class discrimination

New Zealand was questioned during its session with the United Nations Human Rights Committee in New York over the past few days why social class as a prohibited ground of discrimination was not included in New Zealand’s human rights law.

The New Zealand delegation was led by the Minister of Justice, Simon Power. New Zealand’s human rights record was reviewed by the Committee on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Rosslyn Noonan, the Chief Human Rights Commissioner, stated on Tuesday: “Although I have only had a very informal and brief report on the examination of New Zealand’s 5th periodic report on implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights……. the government delegation was questioned on why the Bill of Rights Act and Human Rights Act do not include social class as a prohibited ground of discrimination.

The response from the New Zealand delegation is not yet known but the Committee will make public its concluding observations on the implementation of the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights one of the Covenants upon which New Zealand Human Rights Law is based on 26 March 2010 (United Nations Press Release, HR/CT/713, 5 March 2010).

The question of social class was made in the submission from the Human Rights Council Inc. (New Zealand) to the UN Human Rights Committee. The Council considered that mass discrimination has been taking place in New Zealand on the grounds of social class and that this ground of non-discrimination needed to be included in New Zealand Human Rights Law together with other excluded human rights.

The council also stated that social class discrimination and affirmative action policies meant that many of those with more ability were overlooked and that this discrimination together with other rights exclusions denied many opportunities for young entrepreneurs and the most disadvantaged to help themselves contributing to many New Zealanders leaving the country. In addition, the Council considered the in-work tax credit discriminated against the children of beneficiaries on the ground of social status (see the full submission of Human Rights Council Inc.(New Zealand) on this website: ‘Freedom from our social prisons requires a Rights Revolution’).

The New Zealand delegation also included Jim McLay, Ambassador, New Zealand’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, as well as representatives from the Ministry of Justice, the Crown Law Office, the Department of Corrections and the Department of Labor.

ENDS

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