Key features of the right to a decent home grounded on Te Tiriti The Guidelines outline eight key features of the right to a decent home grounded on Te Tiriti. It is important these interconnected features are read together, and with Te Tiriti and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. 1. Values 4. Equity, equality and non-discrimination Values, such as whanaungatanga (kinship), kaitiakitanga (stewardship), manaakitanga (respect), dignity, decency, fairness, equality, freedom, wellbeing, safety, participation, autonomy, partnership, community, and responsibility, are embodied in the right to a decent home. Housing must be equally accessible to all. 2. The United Nations ‘decency’ housing principles 6. A human rights-based housing strategy grounded on Te Tiriti The following overlapping United Nations principles must be considered when determining whether housing is ‘adequate’ or, to use the language of the Guidelines, ‘decent’: • habitable • affordable • accessible to everyone, including disadvantaged groups, such as those living in poverty, including people who are homeless; tangata whenua; Pacific people and other ethnic minorities; faith-based communities; disabled people; children and young people; women; rainbow communities; older people; beneficiaries and migrants • services, facilities and infrastructure • location • respect for cultural diversity • security of tenure. Realisation of the right to a decent home grounded on Te Tiriti will not happen spontaneously. It will require an overarching housing strategy. 3. Freedoms and entitlements The government’s aid and development programme, and its delivery, must be consistent with Aotearoa’s human rights obligations. If the programme includes housing initiatives, the government has a responsibility to ensure the initiatives are consistent with human rights principles and standards, including the international right to a decent home. The right to a decent home includes both freedoms (e.g. freedom from discrimination) and entitlements (e.g. the provision of temporary emergency housing when needed). 6 Human Rights Commission 5. Participation All individuals and communities are entitled to active and informed participation on issues relating to their housing, including policy making and accountability. 7. Constructive accountability Effective and accessible accountability is a crucial feature of human rights, including the right to a decent home. Without accountability, the right to a decent home can become an empty promise. Accountability need not be about blame and punishment, it can be about identifying what works, so it can be repeated, and what does not work, so it can be adjusted. This is sometimes called ‘constructive accountability’. All housing initiatives must be subject to effective, accessible and constructive accountability in relation to the right to a decent home grounded on Te Tiriti. 8. International assistance and cooperation