Rights Aotearoa warmly welcomes the impressive and authoritative submission from Te Kāhui Tika Tangata | Human Rights Commission on the Regulatory Standards Bill. The Commission's return to formidable analytical strength is a significant and encouraging development for the entire human rights sector in Aotearoa.

Its submission masterfully deconstructs the Bill's profound threats to our constitutional framework, perfectly articulating the core concern that the Bill attempts to create a false and dangerous hierarchy of human rights. This aligns precisely with Rights Aotearoa’s analysis that the Bill selectively elevates narrow economic and property-based principles over fundamental social, cultural, and environmental rights that protect the well-being of all New Zealanders. We commend the Commission for reinforcing the fundamental truth that there is no hierarchy of human rights, and that all human rights are indivisible.

The Commission’s detailed critique—covering the Bill's constitutional overreach, its complete disregard for Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and its flawed, undemocratic process—provides an unassailable case for its complete rejection. This submission is a testament that even though the Chief Human Rights Commissioner does not meet the statutory requirements for the job, the Commission's legal team, led by their extremely capable Chief Legal Officer, are highly talented. 

The commission’s work provides a powerful, unifying voice for all who are dedicated to defending a fair, just, and democratic Aotearoa, and we are proud to stand alongside them in calling for this dangerous Bill to be withdrawn. The Human Rights Commission must be protected at all costs against voices—like those of ACT MP Todd Stephenson—who call for its dissolution.
Rights Aotearoa’s submission can be found here: https://www.rightsaotearoa.nz/regulatory-standards-bill/

Rights Aotearoa is Aotearoa’s leading non-governmental organisation (NGO) dedicated to promoting and defending universal human rights for all New Zealanders.

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