UN ‘shock’ at human rights record

‘‘It was empowering to observe the incredulity at some of our worst statistics.’’

Human Rights chief commissioner David Rutherford

A United Nations Human Rights Committee is shocked by New Zealand’s record on child poverty, inadequate housing, the incarceration rate, and violence, abuse and bullying.

New Zealand received a mixed reception from the UN committee responsible for oversight of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) when it met in Geneva, Switzerland last month.

Human Rights chief commissioner David Rutherford and chief legal advisor Janet Anderson Bidois attended the review.

Justice Minister Andrew Little addressed questions from the committee on the Government’s action on policies and legislation, which aimed to ensure Kiwis had access to equal economic, social and cultural rights.

However, some of New Zealand’s human rights statistics had shocked the committee, Rutherford said. ‘‘It was empowering to observe the incredulity at some of our worst statistics.

‘‘While issues like health disparities, or domestic violence, are well-known to many of us in New Zealand, they came as a shock to some committee members.’’

They were shocked by statistics on child poverty, inadequate housing, the incarceration rate, and violence, abuse and bullying.

These statistics ‘‘didn’t seem to sit well with our status as a developed nation’’, Rutherford said.

Seeing the language that the committee used to describe New Zealand’s record was ‘‘surprising’’, Little said.

‘‘I was certainly surprised by their language because over the two days that I met with them... the conversation was very constructive and very good and it seemed to me at the end of it for engaging in their questions and so on it was incredibly positive.’’

The committee also noted significant standard of living, education, and health disparities for groups such as Ma¯ori, Pasifika people, disabled people, and the LGBTI community.

‘‘Ma¯ ori and Pasifika New Zealanders are more likely to be affected by preventable conditions, and to die prematurely. They are also less likely to be able to access care due to socio-economic barriers.’’

Meanwhile, people with intellectual disabilities had an average life expectancy several decades less than others of the same age.

The committee picked out three main areas where it wanted the Government to report back to the committee within 18 months.

These were the development of a human rights-based housing strategy, progress on reducing family violence, and the removal of benefit sanctions.

The issues of housing, family violence, and benefit sanctions, along with New Zealand’s rate of child poverty and incarceration have all recently been in the spotlight in New Zealand.

Little wasn’t ‘‘particularly fussed’’ about the priority areas that had been set out because the Government was already on top of addressing them. ‘‘We should have a good story to tell about steps we’re taking in relation to them.’’

The Human Rights Commission also made a submission to the committee, asking New Zealand to demonstrate a more tangible legislative, policy and practice commitment to meeting its obligations under ICESCR. The review’s aim was to ‘‘move the dial’’ on the country’s human rights.