Health Child Health The right to health includes complete physical, mental and social wellbeing, as well as absence of disease and infirmity. It includes access to both timely and appropriate healthcare as well as the underlying social and economic factors the affect health, such as conditions of work and adequate food and shelter. The right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health is set out in article 12 of the ICESCR and is referred to in a number of international treaties.110 Structural and economic inequities have historically impacted on the health of many Pacific children. In its 2018 review of Pacific child indicators, the Ministry of Health noted that while there were some improvements in access to enrolment in GP services and full immunisation status at eight months of age, other health indicators demonstrated Pacific children still required additional support and investment to reach equity in health outcomes.111 Areas of improvement towards equitable outcomes Indicator Pacific peoples Total NZ Percentage of Pacific infants who are enrolled with a general practice by three months of age 69.0% 66.1% Immunisation coverage at eight months of age 94.5% 92.3% FIGURE 12: ‘Ala Mo’ui indicators which suggest positive results for Pacific Peoples as compared to the total New Zealand population, as at 31 March 2017 Areas of further improvement needed Indicator Pacific peoples Total NZ Percentage of infants exclusively or fully breastfed at three months of age 46.0% 56.0% Percentage of children aged 2 to 14 years interviewed in the NZ Health Survey who were obese 30% 11% Percentage of children (dental) caries free at age five 33% 60% Mean number of decayed, missing or filled teeth (DMFT) per child in school year eight 1.39 0.90 FIGURE 13: ‘Ala Mo’ui indicators which suggest unequitale health outcomes for Pacific Peoples as compared to the total New Zealand population, as at 31 March 2017 110 111 32 The right to health is guaranteed in the following conventions: Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD): Article 5(e), (iv); International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR): Article 12; Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW): Articles 11(1)(f), 12 and 14 (2)(b); Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCROC): Article 24 (1989); Convention on the Protection of the Rights of all Migrant Workers and Members of their Families (Migrant Workers Convention): Articles. 28, 43(e) and 45(c) (1990); Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD): Article 25 (2006). For more details see New Zealand Human Rights Commission. 2010. Human Rights in New Zealand 2010. Wellington: New Zealand Human Rights Commission, p. 27. Ministry of Health, 2018: ‘Ala Mo’ui Progress Report: Child Health, accessed from https://www.health.govt.nz/system/ files/documents/publications/ala-moui-child-health-dec18.pdf. Talanoa: Human rights issues for Pacific peoples in Aotearoa New Zealand