Guide to the rights to healthcare and health protection in Aotearoa New Zealand The human rights to healthcare and health protection entitle everyone to an effective health system, which covers physical and mental healthcare, public health, and the underlying determinants of health such as access to safe drinking water and healthy food. The health system must be responsive to national and local priorities and be able to be accessed by everyone. The human rights to healthcare and health protection are tools that can help you achieve your professional objectives. There is international evidence that applying human rights concepts and frameworks help to strengthen health systems, achieve equity, reduce suffering, and save lives.1 Te Tiriti o Waitangi and te ao Māori both closely align with human rights. Te Tiriti o Waitangi as Aotearoa New Zealand’s founding document imposes obligations on health professionals to ensure equity and the highest 1 attainable standard of physical and mental health for tangata whenua. Human rights do not provide magic solutions to ‘wicked’ problems, but they have a constructive contribution to make. Human rights are realistic. They are all about improving the everyday lives of everybody - especially the most disadvantaged - in the real world. They provide a framework which helps policymakers, dignifies individuals, and empowers communities. See further resources list for more information and further reading at www.tikatangata.org.nz/our-work/guide-to-the-rights-tohealthcare-and-health-protection