Human Rights in NZ
March 31st, 2005 at 4:46 pm by David FarrarI think most people like the idea of human rights. You know the right to vote, free speech, not be convicted without trial, not be tortured, to choose our own faith etc.
But the NZ Human Rights Commission seems to be far more ambitious than that. Let’s look at this Stuff article on what they see as human rights.
* a focus on eliminating poverty
Well poverty is defined as half the average income, so we have the HRC saying it is a human right for people who do not work even one hour a week to be paid at least half the average income.
* actions to safeguard people in detention and institutional care
Fair enough.
* measures that enable every child to grow up able to communicate in English and Maori and, where different, their mother tongue
Oh dear – the HRC says it is a fundamental human right that every child in NZ must be taught Maori, regardless of if they or their parents wish them to do so.
* improving democratic participation, including that of children and young people
Does this mean compulsory voting like compulsory Maori lessons?
* a focus on the place of the Treaty of Waitangi in New Zealand’s constitutional arrangements
What does this mean? That the Treaty should be supreme law?
* Educational participation and achievement rates for Maori, Pacific peoples and those from poorer communities are disproportionately low when compared to other New Zealanders
Actually almost twice as many Maori as non Maori now attend tertiary education.
* Other measures proposed in the report include: increased participation of disabled people in policy development and decision-making
I would have though the Cabinet was proof of this already being achieved 
March 31st, 2005 at 5:08 pm
There are moves afoot to make NZ Sign Language the third official language. Would the HRC support compulsory sign language classes too?
I have no problem with children learning more about civics. Better they learn it in the classroom than on the street.
As for increased participation of disabled people in decision-making, I’m looking forward to NZ’s first bipolar Minister of Defence or the world’s first Tourette’s Syndrome Prime Minister.
Vote:March 31st, 2005 at 5:21 pm
Lefty meddling social-engineering bastards. I’m bloody sick of highly paid elitist wankers telling us what’s good for us.
Vote:They just can’t resist the urge to lecture, hector and poke their well manicured digits into the private affairs of citizens.
Or should that be “subjects”?
March 31st, 2005 at 5:36 pm
Very funny Will, or how about an autistic Minister of Finance?
Vote:March 31st, 2005 at 5:47 pm
I was just going to say that those rights are basically a load of cobblers, but I’ve been taken by the idea of a PM with Tourettes. If you can arrange a candidate I promise to vote for them.
Vote:March 31st, 2005 at 5:53 pm
The HRC ought to stick to what is required of it by the Human Rights Act, rather than tacitly promoting so-called positive discrimination (which I find as bad as discrimination) and socialist meddling more generally.
As far as its poverty aims go, they are unachievable, there will always be roughly half below the average wage (assuming a bell curve) for that is what causes an average to be. So there will always be folk living in “poverty” no matter what. I won’t be feeling any guilt paigns over it.
David, your last point … priceless!
Vote:March 31st, 2005 at 6:01 pm
We should not make fun of those with Tourettes.
Tourette’s Syndrome is no laughing matter……
The current Manchester United goalkeeper has it……..
He is bloody useless and cost United the Champions League and at least 6 of the 11 championship points they are behind Chelsea.
There you go David – knew I could do it – managed to get sporting references onto your page!!
Vote:March 31st, 2005 at 6:41 pm
Sometimes I wonder if the idiots who define what the HRC does really want it there in the first place.
If I had children, I would have no problem with them learning the absolute basics of Maori at school for one term (ie pronouniciation, greetings, basic conversation etc). Then, it should be optional like other languages. However, this seems to go to education and I don’t think it should concern the HRC. As Paul said, the HRC should stick to the Human Rights Act.
Vote:March 31st, 2005 at 6:55 pm
Rain Man for Finance Minister!
Vote:March 31st, 2005 at 9:09 pm
positive discrimination: isn’t that an oxymoron?
Vote:March 31st, 2005 at 9:11 pm
positive discrimination: isn’t that an oxymoron?
Vote:March 31st, 2005 at 9:40 pm
Whatever happened to the timelss wise and noble social ideals embodied in the Declaration of Independence and the Magna Carta?
They’ve been completely dispersed, diluted, replaced by complete PC Psychobabble Bullshit (PCPB).
Frankly I object when some lightweight feckhead (FH) comes along to impose PCPB on something that’s lasted just fine up till now, in everyone’s opinion, except that is, for the FH and a few FH mates.
Why the feck does society need to even listen let alone accommodate the deranged PCPB agenda of the FHs? Are they in the minority, or what? I bet if they had a march of FHs in support of PCPB, most citizens of Aotearoa would be standing watching. That should tell them something.
Vote:March 31st, 2005 at 10:02 pm
Reid, your first paragraph that was kind of the point I was trying to make, albeit in a different way, human rights legislation is laudable, but unpalitable when hijacked by anyone for political purposes, worst of all by the very Government Commission charged with functions to fulfill the former.
Vote:March 31st, 2005 at 10:39 pm
reid – The Magna Carta was a device by King John to still and extort more money from his leading barons to further his ambitions for the recovery of his lands covering most of western France. A political bribe if you like.
Johns son Henry III signed the Magna Carta (2 yr’s later) that has been passed through the age’s as a human rights document. Henry signed it for reasons very similar to his father.
Therefore citing it as ‘timelss(sic) wise and noble social ideals’ may be a little like saying that George Hawkins has done a smashing job as Police Minister.
FH & PCPB – I couldn’t agree with you more. However we DO need to keep all those Uni Grads in NZ so that our brains don’t get drained.
HRC coming up with this sort of crap is the price we have to pay.
Allah protect us.
Vote:March 31st, 2005 at 10:43 pm
Y’all can’t avoid letting your nasty points out, can you? The last quip, so very you David, if rather more honest than usual… (and I should really apply the glass houses factor given my own rudeness of occasion, but this one really does take the cake.)
Vote:March 31st, 2005 at 10:54 pm
You paid for this report. You should read it to see if you got your moneys worth!
Vote:March 31st, 2005 at 11:38 pm
Oh, Jordan it was in jest. But you have to admit Labour seems to have just about “one of all of them” and then there’s George.
Vote:April 1st, 2005 at 4:22 pm
Jordan, I’m just interested in understanding why you lefties seem to view just about everything as a HR issue when oftentimes it’s not: hate speech being one (and only one) current example.
Why on earth do you lefties see society as solely responsible for managing the issues mentioned in the post?
What happened, pray tell, to such values as: personal responsibility; parental responsibility; self-discipline; frugality; moderation in all things; holding adults properly to account when they have clearly done the wrong thing; allowing people to suffer the consequences of their actions when culpable (e.g. because they were lazy or choose with aforethought to tread a dangerous path (by smoking for instance).
Aren’t things like someone’s education a parent’s responsibiity, for example. What business does a state agency have with it?
Why does the HRC and most other lefty agencies feel the need to wrap everyone in cotton wool and get involved in nearly everything?
That is my objection, and if you think that I’m a nasty uncaring person because of that, I don’t understand why.
Vote:April 1st, 2005 at 5:12 pm
This is Polictically Correct dribble gone haywire, and why not Rosslyn NOONAN was one of the Labour feminazi, Union leader for the teachers wasn’t she.?
Vote:April 1st, 2005 at 10:07 pm
Reid: Abso-bloody-lutely!
Vote: