International human rights
Internationally, human rights are guaranteed through treaties, customary international law and other sources of international law.
New Zealand is party to 7 core international human rights treaties of the United Nations. By signing up to these instruments, New Zealand has assumed obligations under international law to respect, protect and fulfil the human rights of everyone in New Zealand. This means that the State must refrain from actions that interfere with or curtail the enjoyment of human rights, protect individuals and groups against human rights abuses and take positive action to facilitate the enjoyment of basic human rights.
New Zealand has also undertaken to put into place domestic measures and legislation compatible with its obligations under the treaties, and has agreed to submit periodic reports on the measures taken to give effect to its treaty obligations. Where domestic legal proceedings fail to address unjustified limitations on human rights, mechanisms and procedures for individual complaints are available at the international level to help ensure that international standards are indeed respected, implemented, and enforced.
New Zealand’s Human Rights Monitor
In September 2024, New Zealand launched the Human Rights Monitor, an online tool that records recommendations made to New Zealand from United Nations human rights mechanisms and the actions being taken by the Government in response. The Human Rights Monitor currently includes the recommendations from New Zealand’s fourth Universal Periodic Review (International human rights law and declarations) and agreed actions to implement them.
The Human Rights Monitor is a key component of New Zealand’s National Mechanism for Implementation, Reporting and Follow-up, the government structure to coordinate international human rights reporting (National Mechanisms for Implementation, Reporting and Follow-up(external link)). New Zealand’s National Mechanism is centered around an interagency International Human Rights Governance Group which is responsible for the Human Rights Monitor
The Human Rights Monitor will be updated continuously to reflect both progress on actions and future international human rights recommendations made to New Zealand.
The introduction of this actions-based Human Rights Monitor helps to ensure transparency and accountability for New Zealand’s human rights commitments. It can be accessed at humanrights.govt.nz(external link).
Find more about New Zealand’s National Mechanism(external link)
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