How to improve the Aotearoa New Zealand Code of Practice for Online Safety and Harms? Notably, the IAG is a three-month initiative designed to consider a sample of human rights and te Tiriti o Waitangi issues arising from the Code. Because it is a pilot project, the IAG’s report is not remotely comprehensive but indicative of what human rights and te Tiriti o Waitangi can bring to online safety and harms in Aotearoa New Zealand. The report is not a comprehensive account of IAG’s deliberations, for example, the Group reviewed the appalling online harm recently posted on X (formerly Twitter) and Meta (Facebook) in relation to former Prime Minister Dame Jacinda Ardern. This detailed review, which focused on a period during New Zealand’s recent general election campaign, informed IAG’s approach to online safety and harms in Aotearoa New Zealand. The IAG has acknowledged that the Code makes an instructive contribution to very important, fastmoving, complex developments which bear upon the lives and well-being of billions of people, as well as the health of democracies around the world. The IAG has also commended everyone who contributed to the drafting of the Code. IAG members are not against the Code. They want it improved. Next year, the Code will be reviewed and we hope the IAG’s report will contribute to the Code’s improvement. The Code is attracting interest in other countries where it may serve as a template or precedent. So, the Human Rights Commission is submitting the IAG’s report to the independent United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights for their consideration. This short report is a small step in a long journey which lies ahead of all of us. Human rights and te Tiriti o Waitangi provide a map and compass as we travel. We hope you find the IAG’s observations useful. I take this opportunity to thank members of the IAG for their wonderful, collegial, patient, erudite professionalism. Working with you has been among my highlights as Chief Commissioner over the last five years. I am extremely grateful to you and my terrific Commission colleagues, especially Delia Nolan, Philippa Mitskevitch, Tamzin Jordin, Aaron Packard, and Sophie Bradwell-Pollak. Paul Hunt Chief Commissioner | Te Amokapua Te Kāhui Tika Tangata | New Zealand Human Rights Commission 4th December 2023 3