Statement of Intent 2013 to 2016 - Human Rights Commission

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14 HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION | STATEMENT OF INTENTOutcome area two:Housing, health and communityOutcomeInclusion and participation achieved through all people inNew Zealand having access to healthy housing, the highestattainable level of health and wellbeing, and accessibilityconsistent with the Convention on the Rights of Personswith Disabilities.Situation analysisAffordable, habitable housing remains a challenge forNew Zealand as a whole, with a concentration of housingissues in Auckland. Inequalities experienced by peoplein terms of health, housing and accessibility within thecommunity are particularly acute for those people affectedby the Canterbury earthquakes. It is essential that lessonsand gains made in Canterbury regarding habitable andaffordable housing are transferred to other parts of NewZealand in the future.The Canterbury earthquakes have triggered challenges tothe realisation of a number of economic and social rights,including the rights to housing, an adequate standardof living, health and education. Civil and political rightshave also been challenged. These challenges are acutefor those who were already experiencing disadvantageand discrimination in the pre-disaster context, particularlypeople with disabilities, cultural minorities, and childrenand young people. Many people face uncertaintyover accommodation, work and business prospectsas a consequence of the earthquakes. In post-disastersituations, human rights standards are part of the essentialfoundation for a fair and just recovery.A coordinated focus on the psychosocial recovery ofCanterbury remains one of New Zealand’s most pressinghuman rights issues and is much needed. Repeatedexposure to trauma through the major earthquakesand repeated aftershocks has resulted in chronic stressand psychosocial harm for many Cantabrians, showingin high rates of anti-depressant medication use andpeople presenting to mental health facilities, communitydislocation, and anti-social behaviour. Deterioration inmental health and wellbeing amongst young people isparticularly concerning.Human rights don’t disappear the momentan earthquake, a hurricane or a tsunamistrikes. We witnessed after the IndianOcean tsunami, the earthquake in Haiti andmany other disaster situations that duringrelief and recovery efforts the protection ofhuman rights gains in importance as it cansafeguard the dignity of those affected.United Nations Inter-Agency Standing Committee (2011)Operational Guidelines on the Protection of Persons inSituations of Natural DisastersInternational human rights standardsThe international human rights standards underpinning thisoutcome area are the:1 guidelines produced by the Inter-Agency StandingCommittee (IASC), established by a UN GeneralAssembly resolution in 1991, to bring togetherinternational organisations working to providehumanitarian assistance to people in need as a result ofnatural disasters, conflict-related emergencies, globalfood crises and pandemics2 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities(Disability Convention)3 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights(ICCPR)4 International Covenant on Economic, Social andCultural Rights (ICESCR).The right to property is of significance in terms of theCanterbury earthquake recovery. Article 17 of the UniversalDeclaration of Human Rights states:1 Everyone has the right to own property alone as well asin association with others.2 No-one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.Housing affordability, habitability and property rightsare core human rights concerns arising in the Canterburyearthquake recovery. A lack of participation in decision-
HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION | STATEMENT OF INTENT15making processes about housing, insurance and communitydislocation compound the psychosocial stress experiencedby Canterbury residents. Many are unable to move on withtheir lives while they navigate complex insurance assessmentand repair processes, and are largely left out of problemidentification and solution design processes. In manyinstances, they are struggling to access the informationrequired to be able to make important decisions.The current housing shortage has been exacerbated by a lossof social housing. This is affecting migrant workers arrivingfor the rebuild, families in need of temporary housing, andrenters. The Government has acknowledged the rebuildof Christchurch is an opportunity to make the city moreaccessible, safer, easier to navigate and also to have moreaccessible housing. In 2013–14, planned governmentinitiatives are focused on promoting accessible housing.Lessons from the Canterbury recovery will prove usefulto achieving improved outcomes more widely for peopleacross New Zealand in terms of housing, health andaccessibility within the community.What we will doWe are committed to working with the people ofCanterbury, government and non-government agencies,tangata whenua, local authorities and business to ensurethat people affected by the Canterbury earthquakesexperience health and wellbeing equal to, or better than,international norms in post-disaster recovery, and thatthe Government’s goal of making Christchurch the world’smost accessible city is realised.The focus of our work will be to promote the primacy ofa human rights approach to the Canterbury earthquakerecovery and to replicate lessons learnt elsewhere in NewZealand, particularly in decile 1–3 economic areas.We will continue to engage with and provide advice tocentral and local government on adopting a human rightsapproach to address systemic issues in the developmentof policies and practices. We will provide advocacy andadvice on issues related to the recovery for vulnerablecommunities and civil society organisations.We will continue involvement in the development ofan internationally benchmarked monitoring frameworkthat will work to ensure the recovery is inclusive, nondiscriminatoryand meets international best practice.Over time, we intend to leverage what we learn from ourfocus on improving outcomes of the people most affectedby the Canterbury earthquakes to identify what activitieswe might replicate more widely across New Zealand incontribution to achieving improved outcomes for the widerNew Zealand population.During 2013–14, we will:1 advocate for the informing of policy-makers andservice providers about psychosocial harm arising outof the aftermath of the earthquakes, and advocatefor government agencies, civil society and business toensure psychosocial harm is reduced2 advocate for more inclusive services and supportmechanisms to improve the wellbeing and whänau oraof people living in Canterbury3 facilitate dialogue between key influencers anddecision-makers with affected and vulnerable people toensure their participation in post-earthquake problemdefinition, solution-design and decision-making4 advocate for a human rights approach to influencetechnical and legal frameworks on building design,land use and recovery, and accessibility of the builtenvironment in Canterbury to support human rightsoutcomes5 inform decision-makers on the economics ofaffordable, accessible and healthy housing inCanterbury.Who we will work withOur partners in the monitoring framework include theOffice of the Ombudsman, the Office of the Auditor-General, the Insurance and Savings Ombudsman, and theSerious Fraud Office. We will maintain our membershipof The Earthquake Disability Leadership Group andcontinue to engage with the business sector – focusing onthe insurance, banking and property areas – to build anunderstanding of the human rights implications of theiractivities in the recovery context. We will also continueto build meaningful relationships with affected people,connecting them with decision-makers and influencers aspart of a solutions-focused, citizen-centred approach toimproving human rights outcomes.
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