Family care cases

Discrimination complaint lodged with the Human Rights Commission about the Government’s refusal to pay family carers.

The complaint is unable to be resolved and is lodged with the Human Rights Review Tribunal.

The ‘Atkinson’ plaintiffs’ claim is upheld by the Human Rights Review Tribunal, finding that excluding payments to carers of disabled family members is discriminatory and in breach of human rights.

A Ministry of Health appeal is dismissed by the High Court.

A ministry appeal is dismissed by the Court of Appeal.

The Government says it will not appeal the Atkinson case to the Supreme Court. It instead plans policy to address the issue.

Part 4A of the NZ Public Health and Disability Act 2000 is rushed through. outlawing new court cases.

Margaret Spencer, mother of an adult disabled man, is awarded $200,000 compensation by the High Court for discrimination, for the years the ministry refused to pay her for her work.

The Human Rights Commission complaints of seven families are bundled together as the ‘King’ case, and put forward as a compensation case to the High Court.

Shane Chamberlain and his mum Diane Moody win their case, which argued the ministry wrongly assessed the hours she should be paid for looking after him.