Notes to the Financial Statements
for the year ended 30 June 2023
1. Statement of accounting policies
Reporting entity
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 it has designated
itself as a public benefit entity (PBE) for financial
reporting purposes.
The financial statements of the Commission
are for the year ended 30 June 2023 and were
approved by the Board of the Commission on 30
October 2023.
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).
Summary of significant accounting
policies
Revenue
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.
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 grant are not met. If there is such an
obligation, the grants are initially recorded as
grants received in advance and recognised
as revenue when conditions of the grant are
satisfied.
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