SUBMISSIONS HAVE NOW CLOSED
For too long, disabled people and their whānau have been left out of decision making about their own lives. A lot of people can’t access the support and services they need.
The Government are writing a new Disability Strategy to cover the years 2026 – 2030. They have released a draft for the public to give feedback on.
This is a chance for you to say what the most important things are for you, to make sure disabled people and their whānau can live good lives.
A submission is your chance to tell the people making decisions what you think, and what you want them to do.
You can review the draft Strategy on the Whaikaha (Ministry of Disabled People) website in the formats listed below:
- Written English
- NZSL
- Audio
- Braille
- Easy-read
- Large print
The link for the website is https://www.whaikaha.govt.nz/about-us/our-work/new-zealand-disability-strategy-refresh
The Whaikaha website provides different ways to share your opinion. You can:
- Complete a feedback form
- Email a written or video submission to [email protected]
- Attend an in person or online meeting
Suggestions for your submission
The New Zealand Disability Strategy sets the Government’s vision, principles, and priorities for disabled people and their whānau in Aotearoa.
You can talk about your own experience in your submission if that feels ok. People will have different ideas about the draft Strategy because being disabled in Aotearoa is different for different people.
You can comment on as much or as little of the draft Strategy as you want.
Two main questions you could answer are:
- Are the aspirations of disabled people and their whānau accurately represented?
- Do you feel confident that the strategy will lead to meaningful change?
We have summarised the strategy below:
The Strategy’s vision
The proposed vision is: “New Zealand is an accessible and equitable society for disabled people and their whānau – a place where disabled people thrive, lead, and participate in all aspects of life.”
We support this vision but know that things are not this simple. You could comment on how much you think this reflects the aim for disabled people’s livelihoods in Aotearoa, and whether you think this vision can guide the kind of change you want to see.
The Strategy’s principles
Seven principles are being proposed as the underlying drivers of the Strategy. You could comment on how important some or all of these are and what they mean to you, and whether you would add or change any of the principles.
Whaikaha’s work is underpinned by Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and Enabling Good Lives (EGL), and you could comment on their relationship to this Strategy if you wanted. We note that these are different principles to those of the Enabling Good Lives (EGL) approach. It is unclear at this stage how EGL interacts, if at all, with this refreshed strategy. You may wish to comment on this in your submission.
Accessibility: Inaccessibility is a huge barrier to participation, and accessibility should be a priority, not an afterthought.
Choice and control: Disabled people are experts in their own lives, and must be recognised as such.
Equity, cultural inclusion, and intersectionality: All disabled people and their whānau have unique identities, situations, and needs, and all should be treated with respect.
Human rights: The strategy will be situated alongside the Declaration of Human Rights, and the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of Disabled People, Indigenous Peoples, and the Child.
Participation and inclusion: Being active members of their communities is the right of all disabled people.
Respect and dignity: All disabled people deserve respect and dignity, and to live a life free from discrimination where societal attitudes are not a barrier to living a good life.
The Treaty of Waitangi: Tangata whaikaha Māori are guaranteed respect, inclusion, and protection under Te Tirit o Waitangi, and the Crown must uphold its obligations in its relationship with Māori.
The Strategy’s priorities and goals
Five priority areas have been proposed, each with their own goals, measures of success, and actions. You could comment on how much you agree with these, how well they align with your hopes for the future, and whether they focus on the right things or will progress disability rights adequately.
We support these priorities but want to ensure there is strong action to create improvement across these areas. We also know there are other areas which could have been prioritised but aren’t. We want to see actions involve disabled people at all levels, have tangible outcomes for everyday life, and have cross-agency buy-in. We also want to ensure actions and their success are measurable in ways that make sense to disabled people and their whānau, not just politicians and Government officials.
Education
Goal: “Every learner is supported to attend, participate and progress in education. There is a high expectation that all learners – including disabled learners – will achieve their potential in the education setting of their choice.”
Success: There are nine proposed measures. They are about having educators, including at tertiary level and in kaupapa Māori settings, being well-prepared to meet the needs of disabled learners, having an education system with high expectation of disabled leaners, and having learning support being delivered effectively.
Actions: There are nine proposed actions. They cover things like investment in and learning support, improving support for teachers and schools, and exploring new options for specialised support services.
Employment
Goal: “Disabled people will have meaningful career opportunities, equal to nondisabled people, and be valued the same way. Disability-confident employers will recognise disabled people’s talents and will provide accessible and inclusive workplaces throughout the employment lifecycle.”
Success: There are four proposed measures. They are about disabled people having equal and meaningful opportunities at all levels of employment or self-employment no matter where they live, being confident in their employers and support resources, and having better economic and related outcomes because of their employment opportunities.
Actions: There are six proposed actions. They involve creating better pathways into employment for disabled people though centralising guidance, developing mentorship programmes, and reviewing employment supports, and also developing employer capabilities to create better inclusion of disabled staff.
Health
Goal: “Disabled people will achieve the highest possible standard of health and wellbeing. They will decide what this means for themselves and their whānau.”
Success: There are six proposed measures. They are about having a health system that enhances quality of life, supports self-determination, is equitable with a skilled workforce, prioritises data collection to improve the system, and upholds ‘nothing about us without us’ at every level of the system. There is also a measure about supporting tāngata whaikaha Māori through te ora o te whānau.
Actions: There are five proposed actions. They cover building a more capable workforce through a review of policies and practices, embedding disability responsiveness into training, creating opportunities for disabled people to take health system roles, enabling the recording of accessibility needs in the National Health Index, and improving data collection.
Housing
Goals: “Disabled people and their whānau have affordable, healthy, secure, and accessible homes that meet their needs.”
Success: There are six proposed measures. They involve having a range of suitable housing options and a housing supply that meets demand, disabled people having housing security and freedom to move, a sector that understands accessibility and includes it in urban design, and improved wellbeing outcomes as a result of improved housing options.
Actions: There are six proposed actions. These include developing clear definitions of accessible homes, identifying barriers to the supply of housing and exploring ways to improve the housing modification system, better data gathering and use around housing needs in different regions, and developing voluntary guidelines on accessibility for residential homes.
Justice
Goal: “Disabled people’s human rights and freedoms will be protected, and their disability rights will be realised. Disabled people will be treated fairly and equitably by the justice system. Justice system policies and practices will embed accessibility, inclusion and lived experience.”
Success: There are six proposed measures. They are about disabled people being safeguarded from abuse and having support early on to prevent interaction with care and protection or justice systems, having rights and accessibility needs consistently upheld in the system, being treated according to the Bill of Rights when unable to stand trial, having a skilled and informed workforce, and ensuring disabled parents have equitable access in the Family Court.
Actions: There are seven proposed actions. These involve the creation of plans and frameworks regarding safeguarding in detention settings, early identification, and making the sector more disability competent, and the creation of projects on or reviews of data gaps on disabled people’s experiences of crime, the Criminal Procedure (Mentally Impaired Persons) Act 2003, and the effectiveness of current protection in family law. There is also an action on integrating lessons from disability-specific safeguarding approaches into the multi-agency response to family violence.