Despite the National Government’s claim that New Zealand is progressive on human rights, we’re falling behind on best practice especially in areas of child poverty and equality, said the Green Party today.

Despite the National Government’s claim that New Zealand is progressive on human rights, we’re falling behind on best practice especially in areas of child poverty and equality, said the Green Party today.

A report released today, Fault lines: Human Rights in New Zealand, looked at our commitment to six different international human rights treaties and found New Zealand sorely lacking in our commitment to human rights in practice to the point we’re going backwards.

“It is disappointing we have gone from being a nation that set up human rights instruments, to a nation that is not even able to meet our obligations under them,” said Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei.

“The fact that we are world leaders in human rights is a myth.

“We are failing to walk the talk on child poverty and equal pay.

“A quarter of our children live in poverty and struggle to get the basics that every child deserves and needs to thrive.

“It is the fundamental human right of every person to have an adequate standard of living and that needs to be the starting point.

“This Government’s approach of punishing those who are most vulnerable by keeping benefits low and imposing penalties is in contravention to our international obligations and affects our poorest children the most.

“The most important solution we can adopt right now is to take on the recommendations of this report, in particular to make the Justice and Electoral Select Committee into the Justice, Electoral and Human Rights Select Committee,” said Mrs Turei.

Read the report: Fault lines: Human rights in New Zealand.