principles are enshrined in New Zealand’s constitutional arrangements or
legislation, including the:
•
Treaty of Waitangi 1840
•
New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990
•
Crimes of Torture Act 1989.
The Chief Commissioner, Commissioners, Chief Executive and the Director
of Human Rights Proceedings all have functions set out in the Human
Rights Act and the Crown Entities Act.
As a member of the UN, New Zealand supports the human rights
provisions of the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights 1948. New Zealand is obliged under international law to meet
its human rights obligations to people in New Zealand as set out in the
international human rights treaties New Zealand has ratified. These
include the:
a
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)
b International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
(ICESCR)
c International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial
Discrimination (CERD)
d Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against
Women (CEDAW)
e Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading
Treatment or Punishment (CAT)
f
Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)
g
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)
h United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
(UNDRIP).
The Commission also has functions to facilitate the resolution of disputes,
involving unlawful discrimination in the most efficient, informal, and costeffective manner possible. The Commission has no adjudicative or judicial
function. Those functions are carried out by the Human Rights Review
Tribunal and the courts.
Governance,
leadership and
management
Annual Report 2018
The Commission is governed by a Board consisting of all the
Commissioners, chaired by the Chief Commissioner. The Board determines
the strategic direction and general nature of the Commission’s activities.
In addition to their governance role, all Commissioners act as leaders
in areas designated by the Human Rights Act 1993 or by designation of
priority area and/or allocation of spheres of responsibility by the Chief
Commissioner. Commissioners engage in the general activities of the
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