First review of implementation (2014-2015)
June 2015 - Government response to the Concluding Observations
October 2014 - Concluding observations from the Committee
Watch a New Zealand Sign Language version of the Concluding Observations
April to June 2014 - List of Issues written response
Further information from civil society
The Office for Disability Issues led coordination of the Government participation in the review.
June 2015 - Government response to the Concluding Observations
In June 2015, the formal Government response to the Concluding Observations from the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was released. You can read or download the Government response below.
It is helpful for the Government to receive feedback from sources such as the United Nations on how well we are going with implementing the Convention. It is also useful for New Zealand to use mechanisms such as reporting to the United Nations to compare our progress with what other countries are doing. In some areas, there is already work underway or an alternative proposal to achieve the underlying objectives, which meant that the Government was unable to progress the specific recommendation of the United Nations Committee.
The Government response has been organised along five key themes across the Concluding Observations:
- improving access
- justice and self-determination
- community living
- providing reasonable accommodations
- improving data for decision making.
Similar recommendations have been communicated to the Government by the Independent Monitoring Mechanism in its reports published in 2012 and 2014. A Government response has also been made to the Independent Monitoring Mechanism.
Implementation of the Convention is an ongoing process. Government commitment and leadership to implementing the Convention is through the Ministerial Committee on Disability Issues. It sets priorities for cross-government action through the Disability Action Plan.
Read the Government response to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Download the Government response [DOCX, 370 KB]
Read the release announcement from the Minister for Disability Issues
Questions and answers about the Government response
Download the Government response to the Independent Monitoring Mechanism
October 2014 - Concluding observations from the Committee
On 4 October 2014, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities released its Concluding Observations on its review of New Zealand. In response, the Minister for Disability Issues welcomed the recommendations and feedback, and stated that New Zealand will formally respond in 2015.
Read the statement from the Minister for Disability Issues on the Concluding Observations
Read the Concluding Observations
Download an English version from the United Nations website.
Download the easy read version of the Concluding Observations [PDF, 5 MB]
Download the easy read version of the Concluding Observations [DOCX, 12 MB]
Watch a New Zealand Sign Language version of the Concluding Observations
There are four videos with New Zealand Sign Language, with page references to the English version.
1) Introduction/Positives (pages 1-2) [MP4, 14 MB]
2) General principles and obligations (Convention articles 1 to 4) (page 2) [MP4, 4.1 MB]
3) Specific rights (Convention articles 5 to 30) (pages 2-8) [Mpeg, 58.87MB]
4) Specific obligations (Convention articles 31 to 33) (pages 8-9) [MP4, 10 MB]
April to June 2014 - List of Issues written response
In late April 2014, the Committee published a List of Issues. These are 31 questions regarding New Zealand's implementation of the Convention which the Government is obligated to provide written answers. The Government submitted its written response in June 2014.
Download the Committee's List of Issues
Download the Government's written response to the List of Issues
Read more about the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Download New Zealand's March 2011 report
Further information from civil society
Some non-government organisations provided information to the Committee on issues for its consideration.
Human Rights Commission and Independent Monitoring Mechanism briefing to the Committee (September 2014)- this link is under repair-
Disabled People's Organisations' shadow report (July 2014)
Report from the disabilility community in Auckland, New Zealand (August 2014)
Submission from DPA on behalf of Disabled People's Organisations
Submission from DPA on behalf of Disabled People's Organisations - with Annex questions
Submission from Peter Shuttleworth on New Zealand
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