A/HRC/41/4 providing a platform for new and continued relationships with Māori iwi (tribes). Providing redress for the historical actions and inaction of the Crown through Treaty settlements was crucial for addressing historical Treaty grievances. Treaty settlements were comprehensive agreements, with legal force, that settled all of a Māori claimant group’s historical claims against the Government. Sixty-one per cent of Treaty settlements were now complete. While continuing to focus on remaining settlements, the Government was also moving to a post-settlement phase. That was why it had established a new portfolio for relations between Māori and the Crown, Te Arawhiti, meaning “the bridge”. 10. Some New Zealanders faced more barriers than others. Māori and Pacific populations had experienced long-standing disparities. For example, Māori life expectancy was lower and unemployment rates were higher. The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer community, new migrants to New Zealand and the many New Zealanders living with disabilities also faced discrimination and challenges that many others did not. Also, while New Zealand had been held up as a leader in gender equality, women were still not on an equal footing with men in society. Those inequities stemmed from both direct and structural discrimination. 11. New Zealand was trying a range of approaches to tackle those disparities, recognizing that it would take time to overcome them. The Government was taking substantial actions to address inequity and discrimination. It was reviewing the criminal justice system, with a focus on the disproportionate representation of Māori, and the role that colonization, structural discrimination and intergenerational trauma had played therein. It planned to specifically acknowledge gender identity, in addition to sex, as a prohibited ground of discrimination in law. In regard to persons with disabilities, it was exploring ways to reduce violence, abuse and neglect. 12. Tied to the above was the concept of well-being, at the core of the current Government’s vision. New Zealand would be the first country in the world to deliver a “Well-being Budget” and would report on the country’s progress against measures highlighting the health and well-being of the people, the environment and the community. The Well-being Budget would embed the notion of well-being into public policy. 13. Although New Zealand had a high-quality education system, more could be done to achieve equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners. Close attention was being paid to the needs of Māori and Pacific learners, students with disabilities, and those who required extra learning support. The Government was also reducing barriers to post-school education by offering free tertiary education for new students in their first year (increasing to three years over time). 14. Regarding employment, New Zealand had a comprehensive regional economic development programme, focused on realizing the potential of the regions outside the major metropolitan areas. The programme was designed to create economic opportunities and strengthen social capability and capacity. The Government was investing in targeted projects geared towards increasing productivity, creating employment opportunities, raising incomes, promoting Māori development, and improving connectivity and transport in regional areas. 15. Rural areas had higher rates of youth who were not in employment or education and training. Rates were also disproportionately higher for Māori and Pacific peoples. To support those young people, the Government had invested in innovative schemes to tackle youth unemployment, such as Mana in Mahi (Strength in Work) which helped young people into apprenticeships. 16. As New Zealanders who spent their time caring for others did not always enjoy the necessary support, the Government was developing a new action plan to support the thousands of New Zealanders who cared for friends or family because of a health condition, injury or disability. It had also increased the paid parental leave entitlement from 18 weeks to 22 weeks, with a further increase to 26 weeks planned for 2020. 17. Delivering better outcomes for families was linked to the strong commitment to achieving a significant, sustained reduction in child poverty. To help address that problem, the new Child Poverty Reduction Act set out a framework regarding accountability for 3