Getting Your Say On Rights That Bind

Recognising the fundamental human rights and responsibilities that belong to everyone is the key to maintaining a harmoniously diverse society.

Chief Human Rights Commissioner Rosslyn Noonan said that the Commission wants to encourage New Zealanders to celebrate the positive and binding value of human rights on Human Rights Day tomorrow.

“However, while New Zealand can be proud of its human rights record, there are still important human rights issues which need to be addressed and for this reason the Commission is launching a project to develop a National Plan of Action (NPA) on Human Rights Day,” said Ms Noonan.

The NPA will involve a nationwide review of how New Zealand is doing in terms of human rights, identifying areas where the country could do better and recommending improvements. The project will look at a wide range of rights including the rights to education, justice, health and free speech.

Ms Noonan said that for the NPA project to be successful it will need the involvement of communities around the country. To get this process started the project is being simultaneously launched at venues across New Zealand on Human Rights Day.

“The NPA project is an important opportunity for New Zealanders to get their say on human rights issues and send clear messages about the human rights issues which matter most and what the country should do about them.”

Associate Minister of Justice Margaret Wilson will formally launch the NPA at Te Papa in Wellington, at 6.30 p.m. on the evening of Human Rights Day, Tuesday 10 December.

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