The law provides citizens with the right to change their government peacefully, and citizens exercise this right in practice through periodic, free, and fair elections held on the basis of universal suffrage. A new electoral system, mixed-member proportional representation, was used in the October 12 general election with 27 political parties participating. Women and minorities are accorded full opportunity to participate in political life. There are also four ministers outside the Cabinet, two of whom are women. Section 4 Governmental Attitude Regarding International and Nongovernmental Investigation of Alleged Violations of Human Rights A number of human rights groups operate without government restriction, investigating allegations and publishing their findings on human rights cases.
Government officials are cooperative and responsive to their views.
The law prohibits discrimination on the basis of all the above listed factors, and the Government effectively enforces it. Women Violence against women is a major problem that cuts across all socioeconomic groups. A government-sponsored academic survey released in August indicated that 1 woman in 16 was likely to be sexually assaulted each year. The report found that Maori and Pacific Islander women were particularly at risk and that multiple, violent victimization in these communities was common. The Government determined through a policy review of counseling services that gaps in service delivery were more likely to impact on Maori women and girls than non-Maori.