New Zealand ratified the ICESCR on 28 December 1978.
New Zealand has made and still maintains the following reservation to the ICESCR: The Government of New Zealand reserves the right not [to] apply article 8 to the extent that existing legislative measures, enacted to ensure effective trade union representation and encourage orderly industrial relations, may not be fully compatible with that article.
On 5 September 2003, the Government of New Zealand withdrew the following reservation: The Government of New Zealand reserves the right to postpone, in the economic circumstances foreseeable at the present time, the implementation of article 10 (2) as it relates to paid maternity leave or leave with adequate social security benefits.
Optional protocols
The Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights was adopted by General Assembly resolution A/RES/63/117 on 10 December 2008. New Zealand has not ratified this Optional Protocol.
Monitoring
The ICESCR provides for:
a reporting procedure.
The Optional Protocol to the ICESCR provides for:
an individual complaints procedure
an optional inter-state complaints procedure (Article 10), and
an optional inquiry procedure (Article 11).
Responsibility
The Ministry of Justice is responsible for administering the ICESCR.