NZ leads the world in anti-discrimination activity

Tuesday 1 February 2005

New Zealand leads the world in anti-discrimination activity

New Zealand’s world acclaimed activity to eliminate discrimination against people with experience of mental illness will be celebrated by performer Mahinarangi Tocker, Minister for Disability Issues Hon Ruth Dyson and others on Tuesday 1 February at Roar Gallery.

The Mental Health Commission has completed a stocktake of the anti-discrimination activities being undertaken in New Zealand which shows that we are ahead of the rest of the world.

New Mental Health Commission chair Ruth Harrison says that the stocktake highlighted an exciting quantity and diversity of activity undertaken by the public and private sector.

“Organisations as diverse as Creative New Zealand and drug company Eli Lilley have undertaken important anti discrimination activities. We are all aware of the international award winning television advertising by the Ministry of Health, but there are many, many other initiatives also.

“We are making fantastic progress. We were surprised at the range of quantity of anti-discrimination work in New Zealand.

“However, the stocktake showed us that the anti discrimination activity would benefit from a co-ordinated approach, so we have signed an interagency agreement with other key organisations in the anti-discrimination field. This is the Office of Disability Issues, Like Minds Like Mine (Ministry of Health), Human Rights Commission and the Mental Health Commission,” says Ruth.

New Zealand has received such attention that an international delegation of the International Institute of Mental Health Leadership will be studying our anti-discrimination work when it visits New Zealand at the end of February.

ENDS

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