Submission of the New Zealand Human Rights Commission to the 18 th session of the Human Rights Council;
New Zealand’s Second Universal Periodic Review.
who are not family members. Without such flexibility, disabled people risk being denied the most
appropriate form of care.
Serious health outcomes
There has been clear evidence, for a long period of time, that there are significant disparities in
health outcomes and life expectancy between disabled people and non-disabled people. These are
particularly striking for people with learning/intellectual disabilities. The IMM urges the Government
to give immediate attention to this important issue.
Right to family life
Sections of the Children, Young Persons and Their Families Act 1989 undermine disabled children’s
right to a family life and discriminate against them because of their disability. The IMM recommends
that these provisions be repealed so that children with a disability have the same rights as other
children when an out of home care arrangement is being considered.
Key recommendations
The key recommendations from the IMM for the current period largely replicate those
from 2011/12. This reflects the importance of these key issues and the fact that
ongoing work is required in these areas, even though some progress has been
made. The IMM recommends:
A
That the Government continue to jointly develop the Disability Action Plan with DPOs
(including disabled people, children and their families) and commit to its full implementation.
B
That Statistics New Zealand, in partnership with DPOs, lead a programme of work to ensure
that key outcome and prevalence data are collected in a way that makes it possible to
compare outcomes for disabled and non-disabled people. This work should include a common
definition of disability and involve consultation with key stakeholders, government and
international agencies.
C
That the Government integrate accessibility and universal design across all its work by:
D
1
improving access to the built environment including through the review of NZS
4121:2001
2
improving access to transportation services for disabled people, including development
of national accessibility design standards for all aspects of public land transport
3
providing accessible communications services, including websites, throughout all
government agencies.
That the Department of Corrections and Ministry of Health work together, in consultation
with the IMM, to ensure:
32