New Zealand submits civil, political rights report to UN body

Family violence, child abuse and indigenous people's rights are some of the issues addressed in the New Zealand government's latest rights report to the United Nations, Justice Minister Amy Adams said Tuesday.

The government's latest report on civil and political rights in New Zealand, which had just been submitted to UN Human Rights Committee, was the sixth report New Zealand had provided since ratifying the International Convenant on Civil and Political Rights in 1978.

"The report responds to specific issues raised by the committee, and outlines significant developments in recent years related to domestic civil and political rights," Adams said in a statement.

"For example, it details measures and plans the government has in place to tackle family violence, reduce child abuse, address the over-representation of (indigenous) Maori in the criminal justice system and deal with human trafficking."

New Zealand would appear before the Human Rights Committee to be examined on the report in 2016, after which the committee issues concluding observations outlining any concerns and recommendations.

Along with almost 170 other countries, New Zealand is required to periodically report to the committee on its performance on a range of rights, such as freedom of religion, speech and assembly, electoral rights and the right to a fair trial.

Previous New Zealand dealings with UN rights organizations have sparked controversy.

In June last year, the government had rejected 34 of 155 recommendations made by the United Nations Human Rights Council ( UNHRC).

The government's Chief Human Rights Commissioner David Rutherford said at the time that reducing violence and abuse, particularly against women and children, strengthening children's rights, reducing inequalities, and advancing indigenous rights for Maori were key areas for improvement.

Legal experts and opposition parties in January last year accused the government of omitting some of the country's main human rights failings in its report to the UNHRC.