Overview of Human Rights in New Zealand

New Zealand is a parliamentary democracy. The government works to respect the civil and human rights of its citizens. When individual abuses do occur, the law provides means for investigating and if necessary prosecuting the perpetrators. In recent years, discrimination and other societal problems for indigenous people were considered to be the most significant issues related to human rights in New Zealand.  Also, as noted in the first Human Rights Commission comprehensive assessment on the status of human rights, other concerns included child abuse and abuse of those in detention and institutional care facilities.  Overall, New Zealand enjoys a very good human rights record in the context of the wider international community.

Human Development Index (HDI) Rank: 20th out of 177

Note: Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite index that measures the level of well-being of nations in the world. It uses factors such as poverty, literacy, life-expectancy, education, gross domestic product, and purchasing power parity to assess the average achievements in each nation. It has been used in the United Nation’s Human Development Report since 1993.