Establishment

The Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission was established by the Human Rights Commission Act 1977, and currently works under the Human Rights Act 1993.

The Human Rights Act 1993 expanded the protections against discrimination for New Zealanders by adding disability, political opinion, employment status, family status and sexual orientation as protected grounds.

The Human Rights Amendment Act 2001 made significant changes to the Act, expanding the Commission’s focus from anti-discrimination to broader human rights.

The Amendment Act merged the Office of the Race Relations Conciliator with the Human Rights Commission and set out the role and functions of the new Race Relations Commissioner. It also established the Office of Human Rights Proceedings as an independent part of the Commission.

Role and functions

The Human Rights Commission works for a fair, safe and just society where diversity is valued, human rights are respected and everyone is able to live free from prejudice and discrimination.

The Commission's functions include to:

• Promote respect for human rights and Te Tiriti through projects, research, campaigns and legal interventions.
• Provide support for people who have had their human rights breached through complaints and dispute resolution.
• Publish resources, guidelines and information promoting a better understanding of human rights and Te Tiriti.
• Lead, evaluate, monitor, advise, analyse and liaise on equal employment opportunities.
• Hold businesses and government to account for breaches of te Tiriti and human rights.

APF membership

The Commission has been a member of the APF since 1996 (as a founding member).

• Article
• Jordan
• New Zealand

FEATURE ARTICLE

"A status" accreditation for Jordan, New Zealand and Thailand

Jordan and New Zealand have retained their “A status” accreditation, while Thailand has been upgraded from “B status” to “A status”.

Read more Read more about "A status" accreditation for Jordan, New Zealand and Thailand

All news