Changing trends The number of unlawful discrimination complaints received by the Commission has remained fairly constant in recent years. However, the total number of enquiries and complaints received by the Commission is showing a downward trend. Specifically, there are fewer instances of people registering concerns through the Commission’s Infoline; that is people who wish to draw attention to a human rights concern but are not seeking for the Commission to intervene. In light of this, the Commission is undertaking an assessment of the impact of social media commentary on its enquiries and complaints service and the numbers of people that are opting to raise human rights concerns by posting comments online on Facebook and Twitter. The performance of the enquiries and complaints service, including its success in meeting identified standards regarding timeliness, quality and customer satisfaction is described in detail in the Statement of Service Performance section of this report. Legal interventions The Commission intervened in a number of cases during the period, promoting greater application of human rights standards in law, policy and practice: Waters v Alpine Energy Limited (Discovery) The Commission intervened in an interlocutory matter relating to the informal discovery of documents in a case alleging age discrimination in employment. The issue under appeal, whether a claim to confidentiality should be allowed to shield allegedly discriminatory acts from investigation, is considered by the Commission to be a significant matter. Quake Outcasts (Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery v Fowler Developments Limited) The Commission intervened in this case before the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. The High Court found that offers made to the Quake Outcasts were unjust and the decision to red zone properties in Canterbury was unlawful. It affirmed the use and enjoyment of one’s home as a fundamental human right. The Court of Appeal overturned the finding that the creation of the red zone was illegal but otherwise upheld the High Court. The Supreme Court granted the Quake Outcasts and Fowler Developments leave to appeal and for the Commission to intervene. Adoption Action Inc v Attorney-General The Commission was a party in this case relating to discriminatory aspects of the Adoption Act 1955. Annual Report 2014 31