Popularising human rights and te Tiriti o Waitangi The Commission will bring international human rights home to Aotearoa New Zealand, demonstrating the relationship between te Tiriti o Waitangi and human rights. The Commission will enable human rights and te Tiriti to be widely understood and holistically interpreted, approaching the work in a way that demonstrates that human rights are real, practical, operational, and able to be used by people to improve their wellbeing. Rationale Awareness of the Human Rights Commission and the services we offer is relatively low, especially among communities most likely to experience discrimination or harassment. People are more likely to exercise their human rights and to respect the human rights of other people when they know what these rights are and feel empowered to expect them. Human rights language can be legalistic and technical at times, so we have an obligation to use language and media that are accessible to the widest possible range of people and to do our very best to make sure they know it is there. The violation of tangata whenua pre-existing, te Tiriti and indigenous rights has been a feature of New Zealand government and society for nearly two centuries. This legacy of harm must change. Interventions The Human Rights Commission will take a human rights and Tiriti based approach to popularising human rights: Tino rangatiratanga • Develop campaigns, guidelines and toolkits that “translate” the relationship between Te Tiriti o Waitangi and human rights, and that support tangata whenua to exercise tino rangatiratanga and human rights • In partnership with tangata whenua, develop and share tools that can be used to enhance inclusion and belonging, and the enjoyment of tino rangatiratanga • In partnership with tangata whenua, identify, document, and share case studies of exceptional and/or innovative practices in upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi and human rights for tangata whenua • Provide effective strategic advocacy on systemic issues – proactively or when invited – to support tangata whenua to exercise tino rangatiratanga and mana motuhake • Provide an effective disputes resolution service, and legal representation under the Human Rights Act 1993 28 | Strategic Plan 2021-2025 Kāwanatanga • Develop campaigns, guidelines and toolkits that “translate” international human rights into an Aotearoa New Zealand context, including the relationship between Te Tiriti o Waitangi and human rights, and that support people to exercise their human rights • In partnership with communities, develop and share tools that can be used to enhance inclusion and belonging, and the enjoyment of human rights, based on Te Tiriti o Waitangi • In partnership with communities, identify, document, and share case studies of exceptional and/or innovative practices in upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi and human rights • Provide effective strategic advocacy on systemic issues – proactively or when invited – to support individuals and communities to understand the human rights aspects of te Tiriti o Waitangi and to exercise their human rights • Provide an effective disputes resolution service, and legal representation under the Human Rights Act 1993