News & Events

Whole-staff workshops

Last Updated (Tuesday, 31 March 2009 08:24)

Whole-staff workshops have been held at Motueka High School (Dec), Nelson Central Primary, St Paul’s Richmond, and Lower Moutere (Jan), and a 1½ day workshop with senior students at Motueka High.

Comments from recent whole-staff workshops:

Human rights should be like an umbrella that fits over everything that is in our school

We have lots of different programmes or initiatives currently running that would perhaps better fit under the one human rights umbrella.

It could reduce the work load in certain areas, by possibly absorbing other initiatives or generating a greater focus/ purpose for other initiatives ie goals, restorative chats etc. Give a worthwhile theme to our whole approach.

This could make our rules seem more meaningful to our students and staff.

Town building on schools’ human rights approach

Last Updated (Wednesday, 18 March 2009 09:20)

Schools in the English town of Andover have made such an impact on their local community through implementing Hampshire’s Rights, Respect, Responsibility approach, the town has decided, with the help of senior school students, to become a “rights-respecting town”. Read more.

Unicef resource on child rights and responsibilities

Last Updated (Wednesday, 18 March 2009 09:06)

Last year Unicef NZ sent to the head of social studies in each primary and intermediate school a CD entitled Learning about Child Rights and Responsibilities. Aimed at years 5-8, the CD contains classroom lesson outlines “designed to help New Zealand children understand their own rights and responsibilities, and then link these to the rights of children everywhere”.

The CD includes ‘supporting images, videoclips, case studies, curriculum links and information about the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.’ Several teachers have told us that they have found the CD hugely useful. Order your free copy by emailing This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

New education resources on the web

Last Updated (Tuesday, 30 November 1999 12:00)

We’ve revamped the website to make it easier to navigate, and many proven human rights learning activities have been added. Please explore, and give the Facilitation Team feedback to help us improve the webservice and any of the specific resources you find there. Each page has a “Comment on this page” facility.

"I found the curriculum in the classroom tab extremely useful with lots of great ideas that are well organised on the site and can be easily used within the classroom”

Sally Russ (Nelson Central Primary)

The HRiE forum has also been established providing the opportunity for you to bounce ideas off other HRiE colleagues and our Facilitation Team.

2009 – a good year to develop human rights-based education!

Last Updated (Tuesday, 30 November 1999 12:00)

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRoC) – the landmark treaty spelling out the human rights of children and the responsibilities of ‘duty-bearers’ such as schools. As a party to UNCRoC since 1993, New Zealand state agencies are required to:

Have “the best interests of the child” as “a primary consideration” in “all actions concerning children”.
Honour the right of each child “to express... views freely in all matters affecting the child”, with those views “being given due weight in accordance with the age and maturity of the child”.
Direct education to “development of the child's personality, talents and mental and physical abilities to their fullest potential” and to “preparation of the child for responsible life in a free society”, including development of respect for others and human rights.
“Make the principles and provisions of the Convention widely known, by appropriate and active means, to adults and children alike”.

Please feel free to contact HRiE for ideas on school activities to commemorate UNCROC's anniversary.