Your Rights

 

Supporting Families in Mental Illness NZ supports the right of all individuals and families/ whanau/ aiga to access information, support, education and advocacy; and to be free from discrimination in all its forms.

If you want to know more about your human rights, or your rights as a person living in New Zealand, check out these documents and visit the websites listed below.

Code of Family Rights

A Supporting Families NZ guide to the rights of the family/ whanau of a person affected by a major mental illness.

To download a poster of the Code of Family Rights click here.
To download a brochure of the Code of Family Rights click here.

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The Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers' Rights (1996)

The Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights applies to all health and disability services in New Zealand.

The Code is published by the Heath and Disability Commission and gives rights to all consumers (including family members), and places obligations on people and organisations providing services.

For more information visit the Health and Disability Commission website www.hdc.org.nz

The Mental Health Act (1992)

The Mental Health Act is an important law for people who experience mental illness, their families and whanau. The Act sets out the circumstances in which people can be compulsorarily assessed or treated.

For more information visit the Ministry of Heath website www.moh.govt.nz

Guide to the Mental Health Act for Family/Whanau

Supporting Families NZ produces a family/whanau guide to The Mental Health Act.

To download a copy of the guide click here.

The Health Information Privacy Code (1994)

The Health Information Privacy Code is a code under the The Privacy Act (1993), and it is regulated by The Privacy Commission. The Act applies to almost every person, business or organisation in New Zealand.

  • The Privacy Act guides how personal information can be collected, used, stored and disclosed.
  • The Health Information Privacy Code guides how a person's health information can be collected, used, stored and disclosed.

The fact sheets below were produced by the Privacy Commission and contain more information about the Health Information Privacy Code.

For more information visit the Privacy Commission website www.privacy.org.nz

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)

Human rights are basic rights and freedoms that all people are entitled to regardless of nationality, sex, national or ethnic origin, race, religion, language, or other status. 

Human rights include civil and political rights, such as the right to life, liberty and freedom of expression; and social, cultural and economic rights including the right to participate in culture, the right to food, and the right to work and receive an education.  

  • It is your human right to have a standard of living which supports health and wellbeing, and that of your family/ whanau/ aiga.
  • It is your human right not to be discriminated against on any grounds, including on the grounds of health or disability.

For more information on human rights in New Zealand visit the Human Rights Commission website www.hrc.org.nz