Notes to the Financial Statements
for the year ended 30 June 2020
1 Statement of accounting policies
Reporting entity
Summary of significant accounting policies
The Human Rights Commission is a Crown entity
as defined by the Crown Entities Act 2004. The
Commission’s functions and responsibilities are
set out in the Human Rights Act 1993 and Crimes
of Torture Act 1989 and has designated itself as a
public benefit entity (PBE) for financial reporting
purposes.
Revenue
The financial statements of the Commission
are for the year ended 30 June 2020 and were
approved by the Board of the Commission on 10
December 2020.
Basis of preparation
The financial statements have been prepared on
a going concern basis and the accounting policies
have been applied consistently throughout the
period.
Statement of compliance
The financial statements of the Commission
have been prepared in accordance with the
requirements of the Crown Entities Act 2004,
which includes the requirement to comply with
generally accepted accounting practice in New
Zealand (NZ GAAP).
These financial statements have been prepared
in accordance with Tier 2 PBE accounting
standards as appropriate for public sector
entities. The Commission is eligible to apply Tier
2 PBE accounting standards because it does not
have public accountability, as defined in the PBE
accounting standards, and its total expenses are
less than $30 million.
These financial statements comply with PBE
accounting standards.
Presentation currency and rounding
The financial statements are presented in New
Zealand dollars and all values are rounded to the
nearest thousand dollars ($000).
Revenue is measured at the fair value of
consideration received or receivable. The specific
accounting policies for significant revenue items
are explained below:
Revenue from the Crown
The Commission is primarily funded by revenue
received from the Crown through the Ministry of
Justice for the provision of outputs. This funding
is dedicated to the Commission meeting the
objectives specified in the Human Rights Act 1993
and Crimes of Torture Act 1989 and the scope of
the relevant appropriations of the funder. The
Commission considers there are no conditions
attached to the funding and it is recognised as
non-exchange revenue at the point of entitlement.
The fair value of revenue from the Crown has
been determined to be equivalent to the amounts
due in the funding arrangements.
Interest received
Interest revenue is recognised using the effective
interest method.
Rental revenue
Lease receipts under an operating sublease are
recognised as revenue on a straight-line basis
over the lease term.
Provision of services
Services provided to third parties on commercial
terms, such as the provision of advice and
educational workshops, are exchange
transactions. Revenue from these services
is recognised in proportion to the stage of
completion at balance date.
Grants received
Grants are recognised as revenue when they
become receivable unless there is an obligation in
substance to return the funds if conditions of the
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