Central and local government: a shared responsibility 24. As emphasised in the preceding paragraphs, human rights, including the right to a decent home grounded on Te Tiriti, place obligations on central and local government. In relation to housing, the roles of central and local government are deeply complementary. They share common values, such as wellbeing, which is enshrined in the Local Government Act 2002 and Treasury’s Living Standards Framework. They must assist and enable each other. Central and local government have a shared responsibility to do everything in their power to deliver the right to a decent home for everyone in Aotearoa. Guideline 6: Central and local government have a shared responsibility to do everything in their power to deliver the right to a decent home, grounded on Te Tiriti, for everyone in Aotearoa. How can the Guidelines help? 25. Grounded on Te Tiriti, the right to a decent home has several constructive roles. For example, it can: a) empower individuals, hapū, iwi and communities b) help to improve, deepen and strengthen housing policies and initiatives c) hold accountable those with responsibilities arising from the right to a decent home grounded on Te Tiriti. 26. But these roles depend upon a degree of clarity about what the right to a decent home, grounded on Te Tiriti, means: a) individuals, hapū, iwi and communities cannot be meaningful rights-holders (as opposed to ‘service-users’), if the right to a decent home is unclear b) central and local government, the private sector and others cannot be responsible duty-bearers, if the right to a decent home is unclear c) policy makers cannot use the right to a decent home to improve their initiatives if they do not know what it means d) it is impossible to hold anyone accountable for the right to a decent home if nobody knows who is accountable for what. 16 Human Rights Commission 27. For these reasons, the Guidelines clarify what the right to a decent home, grounded on Te Tiriti, means. Once the meaning is clearer, the human right can: a) empower individuals, hapū, iwi and communities in their engagement with central and local government and others b) help policy makers strengthen their housing initiatives c) help ensure that the right to a decent home and Te Tiriti are honoured. 28. More specifically, the Guidelines can help to: a) advance the partnership between kāwanatanga (Crown) and rangatiratanga (hapū and iwi) in the context of housing b) ensure that critically important values, such as kaitiakitanga (stewardship), whanaungatanga (kinship), manaakitanga (respect), fairness, decency, equality, wellbeing and community are at the centre of all housing initiatives c) advance Māori housing aspirations and needs d) improve the Government Policy Statement on Housing and Urban Development, Housing Acceleration Fund, New Zealand