Introduction 1. The New Zealand Human Rights Commission (the Commission) welcomes the opportunity to contribute this supplementary submission to the main report provided by the New Zealand Independent Monitoring Mechanism (IMM) under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). As a member of the IMM, the Commission supports the main report provided by the IMM.1 This submission supplements, and is independent of, this main report. 2. The Commission is accredited as an A-status National Human Rights Institution under the Paris Principles. The Commission's purpose is to promote and protect the human rights of all people in Aotearoa New Zealand. The Commission works toward a free, fair, safe and just Aotearoa New Zealand, where diversity is valued, and human dignity and rights are respected. The Commission’s functions and status as an Independent Crown Entity are established under New Zealand’s Human Rights Act 1993 (HRA).2 3. The Disability Rights Commissioner (the Commissioner), Paula Tesoriero MNZM, has a broad mandate under the Human Rights Act 1993 to protect and promote the rights of disabled people in New Zealand.3 The Commissioner fulfils her role in a variety of ways, through public engagements providing advice to government, monitoring policy and legislation, meeting with stakeholders, and most importantly listening to disabled individuals and their whānau.4 4. The Commissioner’s work, including in relation to the issues canvassed in this submission, is informed by regular interaction with disabled people, their whānau, academics and clinicians. A small subset of these networks provided input to this submission.5 Structure of the submission 5. This supplementary submission is structured under two parts: 1 2 3 4 5 The New Zealand government established an IMM in 2011 to fulfil the requirements of article 33 of the CRPD. The IMM consists of three independent partners: the Ombudsman, the Commission and the Convention Coalition. The long title to the HRA states that the Commission’s role is to provide better protection of human rights in New Zealand in general accordance with the United Nations Covenants or Conventions on Human Rights. Disabled people is the preferred language of people with impairment in New Zealand, and includes tāngata whaikaha Māori (Māori persons with disabilities), and reflects the social model of disability on which the New Zealand Disability Strategy 2016-2026 is based. In this context, disabled does not refer to a feature of a person. It refers to the result of social and environmental barriers which interfere with peoples’ full participation in society. It is therefore our systems that need to change to achieve equality and non-discrimination. The term whānau is used throughout this submission to be inclusive of individuals, their families and caregivers. In relation to Education: Inclusive Education Action Group, and in relation to FASD: FASD-Can. 3