The Indigenous Rights Commissioner met with the Mayor of New Plymouth to advise on access to the United Nations remedy mechanisms regarding indigenous representation. Support was also provided by the Race Relations Commissioner, who attended and supported Parihaka, calling on local government to ensure that Iwi had equal representation at local government level. Working with Te Puni Kökiri and the Ministry of Justice, the Commission developed a Te mana i Waitangi training and development programme to increase the understanding of the human rights dimensions of the Treaty of Waitangi, which will be delivered to identified state sector agencies in 2016. The Human Rights Record Significant progress has been achieved in the reporting and monitoring frameworks New Zealand has adopted to measure progress in human rights. The increasing use of online channels has lifted the Commission’s visibility and connection with civil society and key stakeholders. In a biannual stakeholder survey conducted in 2015, 87.5 percent of respondents reported interaction with the Human Rights Commission was positive. All New Zealand’s work in human rights is monitored and measured, either domestically through the National Plan of Action, or through international treaties and conventions such as the Universal Periodic Review. As a member of the United Nations, New Zealand is also a state party to, or has endorsed, a number of international human rights instruments. These require the Commission to continually advance the scope of the rights protected within these covenants and conventions. These instruments also impose obligations on state parties, including regular reporting on implementation. Work in 2015/16 included: • International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) • International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) • Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) • Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) • Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT). • Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) • Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) • United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and • International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD). 10 Human Rights Commission