Human Rights Commission

The Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment was signed by New Zealand on 14 January 1986 and ratified on 10 December 1989.

As a party to the Convention, New Zealand is obliged to submit regular reports to the United Nations Committee Against Torture on how it is being implemented.

New Zealand’s latest report was considered by the Committee in May 2009. The Committee met with government representatives to discuss the report. It also met with the Chief Human Rights Commissioner, who attended the review on behalf of the Human Rights Commission. The Committee also received reports from several non-governmental organisations and individuals.

In its concluding report, the Committee noted a range of positive developments as well as issues of concern. It also singled out four issues for which it requested progress reports from the government by May 2010. These related to:

• the roll out of tasers by the New Zealand Police
• conditions of detention in prisons
• how the justice system deals with historic claims of abuse
• New Zealand’s reservation about Article 14 of the Convention against Torture.

The government’s progress report was submitted to the Committee on 19 May 2010 and is posted on the Committee’s website. Non-governmental organisations and individuals are also able to submit their own comments and information to the Committee.

Further information:

• Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
• Website of the Committee Against Torture
• New Zealand’s fifth periodic report to the Committee Against Torture (January 2007)
• Human Rights Commission’s report to the Committee (March 2009)
• Concluding observations of the Committee Against Torture (May 2009)
• Other documentation relating to the Committee’s May 2009 meeting – including the list of issues raised by the Committee and the government’s written replies, reports submitted by NGOs, and the government’s statement to the Committee
• Human Rights Commission press release on the UN report (May 2009)
• The Committee’s previous conclusions and recommendations regarding New Zealand (May 2004)
• New Zealand Government Follow Up Report (May 2010)
• Details of the Committee’s follow up procedure
• How to submit information to the Committee

New Zealand has also signed up to the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT). More information on this is available on our OPCAT web page.