[3] On his return to the UK, Hunt worked with Sydney D. Bailey on an inter-denominational project about human rights in Britain and Ireland.

[6] Between 1990–1992, Hunt was appointed Associate Director of the African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (Gambia), working under Raymond Sock (formerly Solicitor-General) and Hassan Jallow (then Minister of Justice).

Reviewing it in the Human Rights Quarterly, Barbara Stark remarked upon the book's ambition and concluded, "Hunt succeeds brilliantly" and that the study "dazzles".

In 2000, Hunt, Janet McLean, Bill Mansfield and Peter Cooper were commissioned by New Zealand's Attorney-General to prepare an independent report on the country's national human rights institutions.

In 2000, Hunt was appointed Professor of Law at the Human Rights Centre, University of Essex (UK), a position he still holds.

[13] In 1998, the New Zealand Government nominated Hunt to serve as an independent expert on the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Geneva, and he was duly elected by States.

[18] These General Comments and statements have contributed to the growth of literature, and national and international initiatives, on economic, social and cultural rights since the turn of the century.

In 2008, during his last oral report to the UN Human Rights Council as Special Rapporteur, Hunt acknowledged this co-operation but also emphasised its limits: “Over the last six years, I have enjoyed excellent cooperation with a number of WHO members of staff on a range of policy and operational issues.

[50] In September 2010, Hunt co-organised an international roundtable in Geneva on maternal mortality, human rights and accountability, and the proceedings were subsequently published.

[51] In this roundtable, and in a paper he presented at an international conference in Delhi during November 2010, Hunt began to analyse accountability as having three components: monitoring, review and remedy.

[52] This analysis was novel because, in the context of global health, accountability was usually understood as monitoring and evaluation, without the components of either independent review or remedy.

[55] In 2015, Julian Schweitzer wrote in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) that the COIA's "definition of accountability – a cyclical process of monitoring, review, and action … – is now widely accepted in global health".

[59] On 2 October 2018, the New Zealand Minister of Justice Andrew Little in the left-wing Labour-Green coalition government led by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Hunt's appointment as Chief Human Rights Commissioner at the New Zealand Human Rights Commission/Te Kāhui Tika Tangata.

[61] Hunt's term coincided with the Christchurch mosque shootings, a severe housing crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 Wellington protest and the impact of the Israel-Gaza war on social cohesion in New Zealand.

The Commission actioned national inquiries into housing [63] and into pay equity for Pacific People,[64] and published Maranga Mai!

Hunt spoke on the theme of 'Relationships, Responsibilities, Rights', with a sweatshirt emblazoned with these words, and was criticised for giving a $200 koha (donation) of taxpayer money to the gang.

National Party police spokesperson, Simeon Brown opined that it is "astonishing" that the pair had accepted an invitation to speak at the gathering, stating that: "The Mongrel Mob peddles drugs, wields firearms and engages in violence, causing misery in communities across the country.

"[69] The ACT Party also criticised Davidson and Hunt for attending, with justice spokesperson Nicole McKee saying it is a "kick in the guts" for victims of the Mongrel Mob.

However, Hunt and Davidson also received public support for this engagement, and Māori Labour MP Willie Jackson said it was appropriate in terms of tikanga.

[70] In a statement to Newshub, Hunt defended speaking at the event, and using taxpayer money to provide a koha to the Waikato Chapter, which had recently launched a reform programme: I attended the hui to speak, listen and discuss the experiences raised by the Waikato Mongrel Mob Kingdom, acknowledging that these experiences are part of a wider conversation about the importance of social inclusion and belonging in Aotearoa.

I look forward to the Human Rights Commission further engaging with the Waikato Mongrel Mob Kingdom in the future, in an honest and constructive spirit.In June 2021, Newshub revealed correspondence between the Human Rights Commission and the Waikato Mongrel Mob Kingdom to indicate that significant organisation had occurred, with an agreement that no press releases were to be published prior to the event, news media were barred access, and members would be restricted in their use of social media during the event.

[76] However, on Hunt's completion of his term, Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier, National Iwi Chairs forum Chair Margaret Mutu and President of Multicultural New Zealand Pancha Narayanan, among others, praised Hunt for his integrity and positive contribution to human and indigenous rights in Aotearoa New Zealand.

[77] During his term he received the Ann Dysart Distinguished Service Award from Multicultural New Zealand and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Waikato.

[79] He was one of the drafters of, and signatories to, the Yokyakarta Principles on the Application of International Human Rights Law in relation to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in 2006.