28-08-2012 - Select Committee report on Immigration Amendment Bill 2012 fails human rights test
Type: Media Release
The Human Rights Commission says the Select Committee report back on the Immigration Amendment Bill 2012 today fails to address the Bill’s incompatibility with New Zealand’s obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention, international human rights instruments to which New Zealand is a party, and the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990. The Commission’s concern [...]
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17-08-2012 - A fair go for all in Aotearoa?
Type: Media Release
Are all Kiwis given a fair go? A Human Rights Commission report on structural discrimination (institutional racism) in public services says they are not. The report finds strong, consistent evidence that structural discrimination is a real and ongoing issue in New Zealand. The report will be launched at the New Zealand Diversity Forum on Monday [...]
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28-06-2012 - Immigration proposals threaten balance between border security and international obligations
Type: Media Release
Proposed amendments to the Immigration Act including mandatory detention for groups of asylum seekers arriving by sea upsets the careful balance between the need for border security and New Zealand’s international treaty obligations. Race Relations Commissioner Joris de Bres says, “As a New Zealander I find it hard to contemplate a situation in which we [...]
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23-05-2012 - Corrections Amendment Bill proposals may fail international standards
Type: Media Release
The Human Rights Commission has a special status in relation to the treatment of prisoners as it is the specially designated Central National Preventive Mechanism under the Optional Protocol of the Convention Against Torture. The Commission believes in general the current corrections legislation provides a sound framework which has been praised internationally as advancing security [...]
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02-05-2012 - The impact of international human rights treaties on New Zealand law, policy and practice
Type: Legal update
New Zealand is proud of its human rights record. Successive governments have ratified a number of major international human rights treaties, but there’s scant research available about their impact.
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20-04-2012 - Submission on Social Security (Youth Support and Work Focus) Amendment Bill
Type: Submission
The Commission has made a submission to the Social Services Select Committee on the Social Security (Youth Support and Work Focus) Amendment Bill. The submission raises concerns about the very limited timeframe for written consideration of the Bill by Parliament, contrary to the principles of representative democracy. The Bill’s proposals fall short of requirements in [...]
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29-09-2011 - Video Camera Surveillance (Temporary Measures) Bill
Type:
Chief Human Rights Commissioner David Rutherford says, “We all have an interest in the human rights issues raised by this Bill. We think the current law adequately addresses the current cases and investigations. However we understand the desire to change the law going forward.”
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01-08-2011 - Human rights values key to prisoner rehabilitation
Type:
A new review of human rights and prisons for the Human Rights Commission reveals that human rights values have a key role in the rehabilitation of prisoners.
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16-05-2011 - Lack of public participation damages parliamentary democracy
Type: Submission
The lack of public participation in fundamental legal reforms is damaging parliamentary democracy, says the Human Rights Commission.
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28-02-2011 - Human rights case update
Type: Legal update
In a decision released in February the Court of Appeal has reinstated a finding of discrimination by Air New Zealand against a disabled passenger but also found that the airline acted reasonably in accommodating the needs of a passenger Valerie Smith who suffers a congenital respiratory disorder which means she needs extra oxygen when she travels by air.
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