Obligation to obtain views of specified groups

Obligation to obtain views of specified groups

13. Mechanisms for obtaining views of specified groups

1. In the exercise and performance of its powers and functions, the Commission must maintain mechanisms (for example, by appointing advisory committees or forming consultation forums) to ensure that there are at all times readily accessible to it the views—
   
   1. of Māori as tangata whenua:
   2. of the Pacific Islands peoples of New Zealand:
   3. of other ethnic and cultural groups in New Zealand:
   4. of groups that represent families, or 1 or more kinds of family members, and of groups that have a particular interest in families or in any 1 or more matters related to the Commission's functions.
2. Examples of groups referred to in subsection (1)(d) are groups that represent the interests of any of the following:
   
   1. spouses[, civil union partners,] and de facto partners:
   2. parents, fathers, and mothers:
   3. children and young persons (as defined in section 2(1) of the Children, Young Persons, and Their Families Act 1989), and older persons who are under the age of 18 years:
   4. grandparents and the elderly:
   5. caregivers:
   6. men and women:
   7. providers of social services:
   8. academics and researchers interested in matters relating to families:
   9. Family Court Judges and other family law specialists:
   10. employers and workers.