Abstract
Unless the needs of vulnerable populations are addressed during all three phases of emergency response operations—preparation, the event, and recovery—members of these communities are likely to suffer disproportionate harm in disasters. Vulnerable groups may include disabled people, women, children, elderly persons, certain members of ethnic minorities, people with language barriers, and the impoverished. The existing normative frameworks, natural human rights laws and emergency response laws entitle vulnerable populations to some protection. However, the clear shortcomings of the current normative scheme(s) create uncertainty and highlight the need for greater clarity as to how to better protect human rights in disaster management and recovery. This chapter will analyse the New Zealand Government’s response to the September 2010 and February 2011 Canterbury earthquakes, and how their response affected the rights of the most vulnerable people in society. It considers the gaps in the Government’s response, identifies some good practice and explores opportunities to do things differently to enhance the social, economic and cultural wellbeing of communities.
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Notes
- 1.
US Department of Homeland Security (2008), p. 27 (identifying three phases of effective response as ‘prepare, respond and recover’).
- 2.
Miyamoto (1998), pp. 46–58.
- 3.
Yasui (1997).
- 4.
Nihon Jutaku Kaigi (1996).
- 5.
Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management (2012).
- 6.
Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management (2012), p. 10.
- 7.
Convention Establishing an International Relief Union 1932.
- 8.
International Law Commission (2007), paras 3–4.
- 9.
- 10.
International Law Commission (2010b), pp. 12–13.
- 11.
Ebersole (1995), p. 196.
- 12.
International Law Commission (2010a), Art. 7.
- 13.
- 14.
Art. 55 charges the UN to promote respect for and observance of universal human rights for all, and Art. 56 charges each member nation to help the UN to achieve goals set forth in Art. 55.
- 15.
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, for example, contemplates that during public emergency, there may be some derogation from the full rights in the Covenant but it clearly limits this to the degree strictly necessary and limits which rights may be derogated from.
- 16.
UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1991), para 8(e).
- 17.
CRPD, Art. 11.
- 18.
Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2007), p. 4.
- 19.
The Sphere Project (2011).
- 20.
The Brookings – Bern Project on Internal Displacement (2011).
- 21.
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) (2004).
- 22.
UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA) (2002).
- 23.
The Sphere Project (2011), p. 36.
- 24.
The Sphere Project (2011), p. 37.
- 25.
The Brookings – Bern Project on Internal Displacement (2011), p. 2.
- 26.
UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (2002), para 54.
- 27.
UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (2002), para 56.
- 28.
UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (2002), para 56.
- 29.
Tavita v Minister of Immigration [1994] 2 NZLR 257, p. 266.
- 30.
Human Rights Act 1993 (HRA), title.
- 31.
HRA, s. 21(h).
- 32.
HRA, s. 21(i).
- 33.
HRA, s. 21(k).
- 34.
New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 (BORA), s. 3.
- 35.
BORA.
- 36.
Rishworth et al. (2003), p. 74.
- 37.
BORA, s. 5.
- 38.
Susman et al. (1983).
- 39.
Susman et al. (1983).
- 40.
For further discussion on the Recovery Legislation see Toomey (2013), in this volume.
- 41.
CER Act, s. 71.
- 42.
CER Act, s. 6(3).
- 43.
CER Act, s. 19.
- 44.
CER Act, s. 20.
- 45.
UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1991), para 7.
- 46.
Takada (1998), p. 157.
- 47.
Takada (1998), p. 157.
- 48.
UNDRO (1982).
- 49.
See the Italian Government’s response to the L’Aquila earthquake.
- 50.
Giovinazzi et al. (2012).
- 51.
World Bank Group (2005), p. 4.
- 52.
See UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (2006).
- 53.
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) (2004). Although not legally binding the Guiding Principles draw on and are consistent with human rights law, humanitarian law and refugee law.
- 54.
New Zealand House of Representatives (2012), pp. 4–5.
- 55.
See, for example, Quake Outcasts v The Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery and Chief Executive of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery CIV-2013-409-843 (HC).
- 56.
Disabled Persons Assembly (2010), p. 41.
- 57.
Anonymous Respondent and Office for Disability Issues (2012).
- 58.
MacNiell (2012).
- 59.
The New Zealand Ambassador to the UN, Don MacKay was the Chair of the initial Working Group and then the Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee that created the CRPD.
- 60.
Ministry of Social Development (2011), p. 17.
- 61.
Convention Coalition (2012), p. 19.
- 62.
Gorman (2012).
- 63.
Lovelle (2012).
- 64.
Privacy Act 1993, ss. 66 and 6 Principle 11(f).
- 65.
Christchurch Earthquake (Information Sharing) Code 2011 (Temporary), cl. 4(2).
- 66.
Christchurch Earthquake (Information Sharing) Code 2011 (Temporary), cl. 2(b).
- 67.
Privacy (Information Sharing) Bill 2012.
- 68.
Office for Senior Citizens (2011), p. 6.
- 69.
Lovelle (2012).
- 70.
Carswell (2011).
- 71.
Carswell (2011), p. 13.
- 72.
Carswell (2011), p. 21.
- 73.
Carswell (2011), p. 23.
- 74.
Shuttleworth (2012).
- 75.
Simpson v Attorney-General [1994] 3 NZLR 667 (CA), p. 676.
- 76.
Simpson v Attorney-General [1994], p. 676.
- 77.
See Geiringer et al. (2011).
- 78.
Gould (2009), p. 193.
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White, M.J.V., Grieve, A. (2014). Human Rights and Dignity: Lessons from the Canterbury Rebuild and Recovery Effort. In: Butt, S., Nasu, H., Nottage, L. (eds) Asia-Pacific Disaster Management. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-39768-4_12
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