Human Rights with Richard Tankersley

In the recorded presentation given by Richard Tankersley at St Andrew's on the Terrace in Wellington on March 16, 2017, the key topics revolved around human rights, particularly within the context of New Zealand from the 1940s to the 2010s. Tankersley, a commissioner at the New Zealand Human Rights Commission since September 2008, offers both personal and professional insights into the historical and current landscape of human rights, with a focus on the LGBTQIA+ community, including sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersex issues, encapsulated by the acronym SOGI.

Tankersley opens by sharing their background, including roles as a celebrant, former Anglican lay minister, and consultant, especially within Maori communities. They then pivot to their own experience as a "former criminal" under laws that criminalized same-sex intimacy before 1986 in New Zealand and discuss the significance of the government's process to quash historic convictions of such offenses, which was ongoing at the time of the recording.

The primary thrust of the presentation is understanding the origins of human rights, locating them within the framework of various international declarations and covenants post-World War II, specifically the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and subsequent civil and political rights and economic, social, and cultural rights covenants. Tankersley highlights key milestones, treaties, and conventions in human rights, explaining how these instruments came into being and their relevance to policies and societal progress.

Tankersley navigates through New Zealand's human rights journey by reflecting on the Homosexual Law Reform Act of 1986, the Human Rights Act of 1993, and subsequent legal advances such as the Civil Union Act of 2004, Marriage Equality Act of 2013, and incremental changes to support and protect transgender individuals' rights.

Towards the end of the presentation, there is a call to action for a more inclusive approach to human rights advocacy, emphasizing that although significant progress has been made, numerous human rights issues remain unresolved, particularly affecting the transgender and intersex communities, Maori, Pacifica, and other ethnic minorities, young people, and the aging population. Tankersley urges the rainbow community and society as a whole not to become complacent but to continue striving for full equity and rights realization for all individuals.

The presentation's key takeaway is the importance of collaboration and unity in the ongoing journey toward human rights advancement, encouraging everyone to play an active role in supporting vulnerable populations and ensuring that rights afforded to some are extended to all.

This summary is created using Generative AI. Although it is based on the recording's transcription, it may contain errors or omissions. Click here to learn more about how this summary was created.

Richard Tankersley

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