The Human Rights Commission's Claire Charters (pictured in 2021) said the data painted a dire picture of the upholding of Māori civil rights. File / Whakaata Māori
By Finlay Dunseath, Stuff
Civil and political human rights are on the decline in New Zealand, with Māori most at risk of arbitrary arrest, torture and ill-treatment, new data shows.
The Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI) has released its annual report on how countries around the world stack up in their provision of human rights.
While New Zealand generally scored amongst the average in HRMI’s civil and political human rights rankings, almost all the country’s scores have been shown to be on the decline.
Most notably, the right to freedom from arbitrary arrest, torture and ill-treatment, and extrajudicial execution have all worsened.
Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission rongomau taketake (indigenous governance partner) Claire Charters said the data painted a dire picture of the upholding of Māori civil rights.
“The indicators show, once again, that Māori are the most likely to be unable to enjoy their human rights and that is especially the case for disabled Māori. Self-determination, tino rangatiratanga, is the best way – as proven by well established research - for us to start to turn these indicators around and achieve better economic and social outcomes for Māori.”
Chief Human Rights Commissioner Paul Hunt said this was unfortunately not a new revelation.
“It’s not new, but it’s important that it’s captured, Māori are identified as being at high risk of rights violations across nearly all categories,” Hunt said.
HRMI’s data on civil and political rights, or as they put it “safety from the state”, is collated by surveying human rights experts with expertise in each field.
The only right in which New Zealand has hit the “good” benchmark, is the right to freedom from the death penalty, as the country has no such penalty included in the justice system.
New Zealand’s score for the right to freedom from forced disappearance has continued a gradual decline over HRMI’s last four annual reports.
“New Zealand's Safety from the State score of 7.4 out of 10 suggests that a significant number of people are not safe from one or more of the following: arbitrary arrest, torture and ill-treatment, forced disappearance, execution or extrajudicial killing,” HRMI said.
When asked to provide further context around groups vulnerable to arbitrary or political arrest, HRMI’s respondents noted young Māori and Pasifika people being photographed by police without permission.
HRMI strategic and communications lead Thalia Kehoe Rowden said while many people would be shocked by the declining civil rights scores, the reality of life in New Zealand differed greatly between demographics.
“Not everybody has the same experience, so if you are feeling like your rights are protected that’s brilliant, but there are plenty of groups in the country whose rights are not being adequately protected,” Kehoe Rowden said.
She said New Zealanders should keep in mind the Government is obliged under international law to provide equal protections to the rights of all people groups.
Māori, people with disabilities most at risk of rights violations
Human rights experts surveyed by HRMI said Māori were most at risk of arbitrary arrest and extrajudicial execution.
Meanwhile, Māori, people with disabilities, detainees and those accused of crimes were most at risk of torture or ill-treatment in New Zealand.
JustSpeak executive director Aphiphany Forward-Taua said Māori being identified as an at risk group in nearly all categories highlighted the need for the Government to work harder on its human rights commitments.
“Māori are identified as being at high risk of rights violations on nearly all the human rights measured. This highlights the urgent need for the Government to pick up its work towards upholding the UN Declaration of Indigenous Rights,” Forward-Taua said.
Aphiphany Forward-Taua who is the executive director of Just Speak - a justice advocacy group in Aotearoa. Monique Ford / Stuff
Meanwhile, Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand campaigns director Lisa Woods called for reforms to the justice system to alleviate the impact on at risk groups.
“The latest data from HRMI reveals that freedom from arbitrary arrest and freedom from torture and ill-treatment have largely been on a downwards trajectory since 2017.
“The Government must urgently investigate the causes of this backsliding and put human rights at the forefront of their priorities,” Woods said.
The 2023 data and measurements from the Human Rights Measurement Initiative was released globally on Thursday evening (NZT). HRMI is the only global initiative that measures human rights indicators by assessing how well countries are doing based on their available resources. It also compares similar income countries.