A group opposed to euthanasia says allowing terminally ill woman Lecretia Seales to take a lethal dose of drugs would have far-reaching impacts on NZ society.

The Human Rights Commission and two other groups want to join a legal challenge by a terminally ill woman seeking the right for a doctor to help her die without criminal prosecution.

New Zealand’s human rights watchdog has added its voice to those calling for drastic action to tackle New Zealand’s housing problems.

It's a safe, diverse and democratic country with a high standard of health care, a low cost of living, and virtually no violent crime or stray dogs.

A year after Islamic extremists Boko Haram kidnapped 220 girls from a girls boarding school in Nigeria, most of the girls are still missing.

Race Relations Commissioner Dame Susan Devoy was advised to ignore calls and don't answer the phone following concerns raised over foreign drivers.

A dual NZ-British citizen jailed in Burma for using an image of the Buddha to promote his bar has been "abandoned" by the British Foreign Office, according to human rights campaigners.

New Zealand's image as a global human rights leader is not backed up by performance at home, a new report says.

Popular pet food brands sold in New Zealand have been caught up in disturbing claims of slavery on the high seas.

The HRC has received a complaint of alleged unlawful discrimination on the grounds of religion on the wearing of kirpan at Cricket World Cup venues.

The Swedish Government this week decided to scrap an arms deal with Saudi Arabia, effectively bringing to an end a decade-old defence agreement with the kingdom.

A liquor store worker who was threatened, assaulted, called a "f***ing Indian" and "Indian dog" by his employer has been awarded $45,000 in damages.

Fighting began in the key central Iraqi city of Tikrit, birthplace of the former dictator Saddam Hussein, as government forces and Shia militia launched a major assault to displace Isis jihadists.

New Zealand is among the best in the world at expanding human rights, religious tolerance and peaceful dialogue, writes David Rutherford.

Edmund Burke once said political decisions often involve a choice between intolerable and disagreeable options.

The Judicature Modernisation Bill had its second reading last week. Somehow it has not led the news, Dr Richard Cornes writes.

The mastermind behind the Bali Nine drug trafficking plot is reportedly living large after winning the lottery as two Australians face execution.

Indonesian authorities are waiting for a Nigerian drug boss and others to receive word their clemency bids have been rejected before scheduling their executions and that of two Australians.

New Zealand's bullying problem may be going unchecked because schools do not want to share their problems nationwide.

Governments increasingly view human rights as "a luxury" they can ill afford, Human Rights Watch said yesterday.

Supporters are preparing a candelight vigil in Sydney as hopes fade the Bali Nine duo will escape an Indonesian firing squad.

Kurdish militias claimed to have driven Isis (Islamic State) jihadists from the Syrian town of Kobane, after an intense four-month battle that killed thousands but captured the world's imagination.

In Europe and even parts of the United States, Jews report rising levels of the "oldest hatred". And we aren't immune from the subject here in New Zealand, writes Inge Woolf.

Late Saudi King Abdullah was hailed as "a strong advocate for women" - so why are four of his daughters reportedly under house arrest?

Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan are, by all accounts, model prisoners.

The right to freedom of expression is one of our fundamental rights.

The family and supporters of "one of the most abused prisoners in Guantanamo" has launched a new celebrity-backed campaign demanding his release, coinciding with the publication of his prison diary.

There is no word yet on Australian Andrew Chan's fate as Indonesia risks diplomatic tensions with its plans to execute more drug offenders this year.