10 S e c t i o n ONE – G ENE RAL full potential, particularly those of Mäori, Pacific heritage participation in central and local government as a right and people who are disabled. The Commission’s report and a responsibility; on access to justice and on tackling identifies incremental, but insufficient, progress. It notes the drivers of crime; and on practical steps to ensure that in some cases progress has halted or even reversed as freedom of religion and belief in the workplace and a consequence of the global economic recession. other domains. The chapter on freedom of opinion and expression introduces a new focus on human rights and Violence Violence, bullying and harassment are violations of the most fundamental of human rights – security of the person. Their persistence constitutes one of the most difficult and intractable human rights challenges we face in New Zealand. Data the Internet. Economic, social and cultural rights, ‘Tikanga Öhanga, Päpori me te Ahurea’, are assessed in Section 3. As well as updating the 2004 assessment of the rights to health, education, work and housing, Section three contains a new chapter on the right to social security, a key element of the right to an adequate standard of living. While Human Rights in New Zealand 2010 has been Section 4, ‘Tikanga Uepü’, focusses on seven specific able to draw on a range of statistics and data to provide groups of people who are particularly vulnerable to empirical evidence to complement the legal and policy human rights abuses and the effects of structural discrimi- analyses, data is severely limited in relation to disabled nation. The separate chapters on ‘Women’ and ‘Sexual people and for sexual and gender minorities. and Gender Minorities’ are new to the 2010 review. What Human Rights in New Zealand 2010 covers Each chapter introduces the specific right or topic, summarises the international law and context, canvasses the New Zealand legal and policy context, and then The Commission assesses how well human rights are assesses the situation in New Zealand against the relevant recognised, respected and fulfilled against the civil and standards. Each concludes with key areas for action to political, economic, social and cultural rights proclaimed progress the rights under consideration, which have been in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and as identified following consultation with stakeholders and enacted as international law in United Nations Covenants members of the public. and Conventions and in the International Labour Organisation’s fundamental labour standards. This report updates Human Rights in New Zealand Today, Ngä Tika Tangata O Te Motu, published in September 2004. It assesses progress against the priorities set out in the New Zealand Action Plan for Human Rights 2005–2010. It draws on significant work undertaken by the Human Rights Commission since 2005 and its coverage extends beyond that of its 2004 predecessor. The publication begins with a general section, ‘Tirohanga Whänui’, introducing New Zealand’s human-rights framework, which includes international human-rights law and the Treaty of Waitangi. The chapter on human rights and the Treaty of Waitangi is new. Section 1 also covers race relations, demonstrating the centrality of respect for human rights to harmonious relations. Promoting and protecting human rights today In New Zealand human rights have never been protected by a single constitutional document or superior legislation. Instead, as this report graphically illustrates, a raft of disparate laws, policies and programmes provides elements of protection. Similarly no single institution of the State or government agency has sole or even primary responsibility for the promotion and protection of human rights. Further, even where there are supportive laws and policies, the extent to which people enjoy their human rights in their everyday lives depends on the extent to which those they come in contact with, whether family members, whänau, neighbours, friends, work colleagues, service providers or government officials, reflect basic Section 2, ‘Tikanga Tangata me te Tikanga Törangapü’, human-rights principles and values in their behaviour and covers civil and political rights. The emphasis is on practices.