New Zealand (Aotearoa in Maori) is a parliamentary democracy. The unicameral Parliament is chosen by proportional representation. It is part of the English-speaking Community of Nations (Commonwealth). Queen Elizabeth II is the Head of State and is represented by the Governor General. The Head of Government is the Prime Minister. John Key currently occupies the post.

In the 2008 General Election, the National Party, led by John Key, won 58 of the 122 seats in the House (44.93%), received the confidence and support of the ACT, United Future and the Maori Party to form a minority Government. The opposition, the Labour Party, led by Phil Goff, is the National Party's main opponent with 42 seats (33.99%). The number of seats reserved for the Maori depends on the number of people of Maori origin registered to vote. At present, there are 41 women in Parliament, which represents 33.60% of the total.

On 17 September 2010, the Minister for Justice, Simon Power announced changes to the electoral legislation, whereby the next elections, to be held in November 2011, will be the first ones in which voters will be able to cast their vote online.

Judicial power is independent by law and in practice.

Discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, disability and national or ethnic origin is prohibited and the law is enforced. Some police officers have been accused of abuse, but impunity is not a problem in the country. In January 2011, Rosslyn Noonan, Chief Commissioner of the Human Rights Commission, sent a strong message to the New Zealand police, to the Mangawhai community, to schools and churches and other community organisations stressing that attacks on persons because of their sexual orientation will not be tolerated. Commissioner Noonan then spoke about the attacks suffered by Lindsay Curnow and Juliet Leigh in their home and business.

The law provides public access to government information, and requests are answered within 20 working days. The law guarantees freedom of speech and of the press, and Internet access is not restricted. Legislation criminalises trafficking in persons, which does not seem to be a problem. Convictions have been given for verbal abuse of Muslims, for incidents of racism and for vandalising a mosque.

Education is compulsory for ages 6 to 16, and is free for ages 5 to 18 at public schools and at religious schools integrated into the state system. Most students start school at age 5 and remain in school for another 13 years. Early childhood education programmes are widely available. Education legislation is rigorously enforced. Although most school costs are paid from budgetary expenditure, some schools ask for a voluntary donation from parents. Private schools receive about 25% of their funding from the government and rely on tuition fees for the rest. Curriculum reform introduced in the last few years stipulates only English or Maori languages and mathematics as compulsory subjects. Teacher registration is compulsory, and practising teachers must renew their certificates every 3 years. The Maori language can be used from kindergarten through to university. The system to determine whether a student meets the requirements for enrolment in a school which has reached its maximum capacity is based on a particular "home zone" criteria, whose residents have right of entry to the school. If additional places are available, students who live outside the home zone can be admitted according to a selection system involving certain priorities and in some cases random ballots. Critics note that this system allows property values to determine educational access, because poorer families may not be able to buy a house in the zone of the school they prefer.

A report from the New Zealand Human Rights Commission "School Violence, Bullying and Abuse: a human rights analysis was recently published in response to persistent complaints received from families whose children were victims of attacks. The analysis was carried out together with the Children's Commission, which focused on issues relating to safety in school. Parents have said that they felt abandoned by schools and the Ministry of Education. In some cases they said that the school never told them what had happened, even when the intimidation had been going on for some time and the school was aware of it. They felt excluded from the process, especially from the debate about how to protect their children's safety when the aggressor returned to school. The Commission's analysis of school bullying revealed a fundamental gap in justice administration and on dealing with the issue. Schools must inform the family of a suspended or expelled student, but there is no guideline that says the victim's parents must be notified or even heard when the school authorities are considering how to discipline the student who has behaved aggressively.

A 3-year programme begins at age 3. At this level, 49% of education is private. The net enrolment rate (NER) is 92%. There are 7,663 ECE teachers (41% female). The pupil/teacher ratio (PTR) is 13: 1.

Education is compulsory for ages 6 to 16. Primary school begins at age 5 and lasts 6 years. At this level, 2% of education is private. The NER is 99% (49% female). There are 20,053 primary teachers (84% female). The PTR is 15: 1.

Secondary education begins at age 11 and lasts 7 years. At this level, 10% of education is private. 28% of secondary students study in technical vocational programmes. The NER is 96%. There are 35,507 secondary teachers, 15,100 (66% female) in lower secondary and 20,407 (56% female) in upper secondary schools. The PTR is 17: 1 in lower secondary and 12: 1 in upper secondary education.

263,028 (58% female) study in tertiary institutions, with a gross enrolment rate of 84%. At this level, 7% of education is private, 26,359 foreign students study in New Zealand, coming mainly from Asia (23,119), North America and Western Europe (2,634), Latin America and the Caribbean (192), sub-Saharan Africa (174), Central and Eastern Europe (165) and Arab States (69). At the same time, 6,513 New Zealand students are studying abroad, mainly in Australia (4,524), the USA (962), the UK (546), Canada (100) and Japan (85).

The government has adopted a strategy to ensure that education and other services are available to disabled persons and that no child is denied the right to access school because of their disability. This strategy includes the requirement for teachers and educators to be trained to understand the learning needs of disabled people and to make resources available to meet the special needs of disabled children. The plan also promotes universal education and opportunities to continue in education once compulsory education has ended.

The law provides for the granting of asylum or refugee status in accordance with the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, and the Government has set up a system of protection for refugees. The government cooperates with the UNHCR.

Refugee children attend school in New Zealand, and a study considers different models, methods and best practices for intervening with refugee children, reviews ways to deal with refugee trauma, loss and grief as well as second language concerns, and discusses a range of best practices for refugee children within schools.

Reports cite discrimination against Pacific Islanders and Asians. Some 15% of the population have at least 1 ancestor from the indigenous Maori or Moriori.

A higher percentage of Maori students than non-Maori continue education, especially in the case of female students. Nonetheless, Maori participation remains lower than the average for the tertiary education sector. Maori students in tertiary education in Aotearoa complain that student debt and the decrease in public funding lower their access to higher programmes at this level. One of the major challenges for the educational system is to improve teacher training in the area of Maori education, with Maori teachers, and mainstream classrooms with Maori students A disproportionate number of Maori are unemployed, in prison or have dropped out of school.

While reports do not indicate restrictions on academic freedom, academics in New Zealand are concerned that autonomy and academic freedom are being threatened by a trend that is letting market forces determine the relevant functions and outcomes of education.

The Ministry of Women's Affairs is responsible for dealing with issues of gender equality. The law guarantees equality for women and prohibits discrimination. The principle of equal pay for work of equal value is established, but there is still a certain amount of inequality in income. The government has set up a group to work on achieving income equality. Sexual harassment is prohibited. There are reports of violence against women for all socioeconomic groups, although Maori women suffer higher rates of violence than other women in the country. Maori women and children account for less than 10% of the population, but 45% to 50% of battered women using the Women's Refuge service are Maori. When women are in danger, it is likely that their children are also in danger. The government has also set up a working group in charge of violence within the family. It is prohibited to perform female genital mutilation or take girls out of the country for that purpose.

The minimum age for work is 15. At this age, children cannot work in some industries between 10pm and 6am. Children enrolled in school may not be employed in work that interferes with their education. Labour inspectors are responsible for ensuring that child labour legislation is enforced. Reports indicate that there are children who are sexually exploited by organised groups.

Workers have a right to form and join trade unions, except uniformed members of the armed forces. The Council of Trade Unions is made up of the majority of unions in the country. 22% of employees are union members. Collective bargaining is permitted and practiced. Unions may not bargain collectively on social or political issues. Police officers have the right to join and collectively bargain, but they do not have the right to strike. Workers who do not have the right to strike resolve their disputes through arbitration. Labour legislation applies in export processing areas. Forced or compulsory labour is illegal. Workers with collective agreements earn considerably more than the minimum salary.

State of World Population 2010. "From conflicts and crises towards renewal: generations of change" UNFPA, November 2010, www.unfpa.org (Spanish)

The Commonwealth or Community of Nations is a voluntary association of 54 English-speaking countries. Queen Elizabeth II of England formally presides over the Commonwealth and Kamalesh Sharma, an Indian diplomat has been her Secretary General since April 2008. www.thecommonwealth.org

Women in National Parliaments, World Classification, April 2011, Inter-Parliamentary Union, www.ipu.org

Human Rights Comission, New Zealand, www.hrc.co.nz

Rosslyn Noonan, Chief Commissioner, Human Rights Commission, April 2011