Know your rights

If you live in New Zealand, you have certain rights to protect your quality of life that are protected by law.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, or have other concerns about how you are being treated, you may have recourse to justice via the following legislation:

The Privacy Act

Complaints about the collection, storage, use, accuracy, or disclosure of any information that identifies you can be made to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner. More information, including a copy of the Code of Health Information Privacy Rights, is available on the Privacy Commissioner’s website at www.privacy.org.nz.

Health care and treatment

If you’re concerned about your medical treatment, contact the Office of the Health and Disability Commissioner. More information, including a copy of the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights, is available on the Health and Disability Commissioner’s website at www.hdc.org.nz.

Tenancy

In New Zealand, the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 outlines important rights and responsibilities for landlords and tenants including tenants in boarding houses. Housing New Zealand has information about your rights and obligations as a Housing New Zealand tenant. Local Community Law Centres and Citizens Advice Bureaus will have more information.

Police

If you’re questioned, detained or arrested by the police, your legal rights are:

• you have the right to consult and instruct a lawyer, in private and without delay (the police will have a list of the names and phone numbers of lawyers who have agreed to be contacted anytime, day or night)
• you have the right to refrain from making a statement
• you have the right to ask why you are being questioned, detained, or arrested.

If you believe the police have done something wrong, or that you were not treated fairly by police, you can make a formal complaint to any one of the following:

• Telephone or write to the Independent Police Complaints Authority (IPCA), PO Box 5025, Wellington, New Zealand or (04) 499 2050 or freephone 0800 503 728.
• Go to any police station and tell them you want to make a complaint against police.
• Write to the Commissioner of Police, PO Box 3017, Wellington, New Zealand.

Human rights

In New Zealand, you can’t be discriminated on the grounds of age (from age 16 years); colour; disability; employment status; ethical belief (lack of religious belief); ethnic or national origins (includes nationality and citizenship); family status (having dependents, not having dependents, being married to, or in a civil union or de facto relationship with, a particular person or being a relative of a particular person); marital status (single, married, in a civil union or a de facto relationship, separated, a party to a marriage or civil union now dissolved, widowed); political opinion (including having no political opinion); race; religious belief; sex; or sexual orientation (heterosexual, homosexual, lesbian, bisexual).

If you have concerns, you can call the Human Rights Commission’s information service freephone on 0800 496 877, or email infoline@hrc.co.nz.

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