Submission of the New Zealand Human Rights Commission to the 18 th session of the Human Rights Council;
New Zealand’s Second Universal Periodic Review.
16. In the period 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014 there were 402 complaints made to the
Commission alleging unlawful discrimination on the grounds of disability. One hundred
and eighty one were from females and 185 from males.6
Summary of complaints disaggregated by area
Area
Total
Female
Male
Employment
85
50
21
Accommodation
13
6
7
Provision of goods and
services
72
30
30
17. Of the 402 complaints received 73% were resolved or partly resolved through the
Commission’s disputes resolution process.
How complaints were resolved
Assistance or Mediation
information to
self-resolve
Unable to be Withdrawn or Still open
resolved
outside
through
jurisdiction
Disputes
resolution
process
61%
4%
12%
16%
7%
New Zealand Public Health and Disability Amendment Act 2013
18. As noted above the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Amendment Act
effectively removed any potential domestic legal remedy for unlawful discrimination
relating to the government’s family care policy. The Commission has consistently urged
the Government to repeal this legislation. In August 2013 the Disabled Person’s
Assembly (“DPA”) launched a petition to repeal the Act. On 22 July this year the petition
was presented to Green Party Member of Parliament, Catherine Delahunty.7
6
Some of these complaints are still open and the records on personal statistics may not have been completed. In
addition it should be noted that providing information about gender is voluntary and in some cases there is no
opportunity to obtain this personal information. The collection rate for gender statistics is approximately 91%.
7
http://www.dpa.org.nz/news
5