David Rutherford, Chief Human Rights Commissioner at the Human Rights Commission, was a speaker on day one of the TacklingPovertyNZ workshop. You can view this presentation on our YouTube channel or play below.
David discussed the global agenda for sustainable development through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), goal one of which is to eliminate poverty. David suggested that reduced inequalities (SDG, goal ten), is highly relevant to this discussion. He argued that too often in this country the experts, the people facing poverty, are ignored when they have the solutions. David suggested that a systems approach is needed, and he left participants with useful examples of successful models.
About TackingPovertyNZ
The TacklingPovertyNZ workshop brought together 36 young New Zealanders between the ages 18 and 25 to prepare a youth perspective on the issue of poverty in New Zealand and how we might, as a country, go about tackling it. Participants spent most of their 72 hours in Wellington working hard at Treasury, in order to present their findings to MPs and other guests at the finale at Parliament on Wednesday, 9 December 2015. Every year, the McGuinness Institute has worked in collaboration with the New Zealand Treasury to create a place for young New Zealanders to explore complex public policy issues together. The workshops have always proved exciting, enjoyable and insightful. The McGuinness Institute would particularly like to thank the staff at the New Zealand Treasury for their continued support and encouragement. This initiative is ongoing and we will be releasing further developments in the next few weeks on the TacklingPovertyNZ website.