Government Agencies

Through its membership of the UN, commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and ratification of international treaties such as the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the New Zealand state has legal obligations to fulfil the right of every New Zealand child to an education that respects and helps realise their human rights and those of others.

Collaboration between government and non-government organisations to fulfil this obligation is envisaged in the UN World Programme for Human Rights Education, proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 2004, and the UN Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training (2011).

The Human Rights in Education Initiative was launched by three non-governmental organisations –Amnesty International, the Development Resource Centre, and the Peace Foundation – with the Human Rights Commission and the Children’s Commissioner. A charitable trust was established in October 2007 as part of HRiE, to assist schools, early childhood education services, and other education agencies.