New Zealand Disability Strategy NZSL translations
On this page you will find the New Zealand Disability Strategy 2026-2030 in NZSL.
Vision and principles summary
Video transcript
New Zealand Disability Strategy 2026-2030
Vision, principles and other key information
About the strategy
The New Zealand Disability Strategy 2026-2030 is New Zealand’s third disability strategy. It sets out the Government’s commitment to all disabled people and tāngata whaikaha Māori (Māori disabled people).
The Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha led the work on the strategy. Cabinet agreed the 5 priority outcome areas for the strategy. Content for the strategy was developed with input from disability groups, and by working groups made up of disability community members, sector experts, and officials from relevant government agencies. Public consultation was held on a draft of the strategy, then Cabinet agreed the final version of the strategy.
The strategy covers a 5-year period, from 2026 to 2030, to focus government agencies on meaningful and practical actions that will drive change for disabled people and tāngata whaikaha Māori.
The strategy includes:
• A vision and principles to set the direction for the strategy, and guide work across government for disabled people.
• 5 priority outcome areas of education, employment, health, housing and justice. Each priority outcome area has a goal and actions.
• A monitoring approach, to measure government’s progress delivering the strategy.
Summaries of each part of the strategy
People who want to read the full New Zealand Disability Strategy 2026-2030 can find it on the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha website (www.whaikaha.govt.nz).
The Ministry has also produced summaries of each part of the strategy, for people who do not want to read the whole strategy. These summaries are:
• Vision, principles and other key information
• Goal and actions for education
• Goal and actions for employment
• Goal and actions for health
• Goal and actions for housing
• Goal and actions for justice
This document is a summary of the strategy’s vision, principles and other key information. It includes the foundations for the strategy, how progress on the vision and principles will be measured, and how the whole strategy will be monitored.
Vision for the strategy
The strategy’s vision describes the future New Zealand that disabled people want, sets the course for the strategy, and guides work across government for disabled people. The vision is:
New Zealand is an equitable and accessible place for all disabled people and their whānau – where disabled people thrive, contribute, and choose the lives they want to lead.
Foundations of the strategy
Disabled people have identified three important foundations that the strategy builds upon. They are the Enabling Good Lives approach; the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and human rights; and the Treaty of Waitangi (te Tiriti o Waitangi).
Principles for the strategy
The strategy’s principles are key values that make sure the strategy reflects the things that are important to disabled people. The principles are:
Accessibility
This principle recognises that accessibility is fundamental to participation and inclusion. When environments and services are designed from the beginning with accessibility in mind, they benefit everyone, not just disabled people.
Self-determination
This principle recognises that disabled people have the same rights as other people to make decisions about their own lives, including using supported decision-making. It asserts the value ‘nothing about us without us’, and that disabled individuals are the experts in their own lives.
Upholding equity, culture and identity
This principle brings together concepts of equity, non-discrimination and inclusion. It acknowledges that disabled individuals belong to diverse whānau, communities and cultures, each with their own unique identities, values and practices. It recognises people should not face barriers because of the different parts of their identities.
Participation and inclusion
This principle recognises that disabled people have the right to be active members of their communities and cultures, contributing in all aspects of life. It is wider society’s role to help ensure participation and inclusion of disabled people.
Respect and dignity
This principle recognises that disabled people thrive when barriers are broken down, society holds positive attitudes about disability, and disabled people are valued members of society.
Measuring progress on the vision and principles
The indicators that will be used to measure progress on the vision and principles are:
• Percentage of disabled adults (aged 15 years and over) who rated their overall life satisfaction highly (7 or higher on a 0-10 scale).
• Percentage of disabled adults (aged 15 years and over) who rated the level of control they feel they have over their lives highly (7 or higher on a 0–10 scale).
• Percentage of adults (aged 15 years and over) who felt comfortable or very comfortable about a new neighbour who had a disability or long-term health condition.
• Percentage of children in disabled households living in material hardship.
Monitoring the strategy
The Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha will measure progress against the whole strategy in 2 ways.
First, an implementation plan will be developed and published on the Ministry website. It will show which government agencies are leading or co-leading actions over 5 years. Agencies will be asked to provide progress updates to the Ministry on the actions they are responsible for.
Second, the Ministry has developed an indicator framework to measure the impact of the strategy at a system level. These indicators will measure whether the strategy is improving outcomes for disabled people, and whether we are making progress towards the descriptions of what success means.
There are primary indicators for the vision and principles of the strategy, and for each priority outcome area.
The primary indicators will also be published in an interactive dashboard alongside supporting measures that will help monitor progress against the goals and outcomes of the strategy in more detail.
If the strategy is implemented successfully, we expect these indicators to change over the medium- to long- term. However, indicators can also be influenced by factors that are unrelated to the strategy. This will be taken into account as part of the annual reporting process for the strategy, and the reporting on specific actions.
Education summary
Video transcript
New Zealand Disability Strategy 2026-2030
Summary of education goal and actions
About the Strategy
The New Zealand Disability Strategy 2026-2030 is New Zealand’s third disability strategy. It sets out the Government’s commitment to all disabled people and tāngata whaikaha Māori (Māori disabled people).
The Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha led the work on the strategy. Cabinet agreed the 5 priority outcome areas for the strategy. Content for the strategy was developed with input from disability groups, and by working groups made up of disability community members, sector experts, and officials from relevant government agencies. Public consultation was held on a draft of the strategy, then Cabinet agreed the final version of the strategy.
The strategy covers a 5-year period, from 2026 to 2030, to focus government agencies on meaningful and practical actions that will drive change for disabled people and tāngata whaikaha Māori.
The strategy includes:
• A vision and principles to set the direction for the strategy, and guide work across government for disabled people.
• 5 priority outcome areas of education, employment, health, housing and justice. Each priority outcome area has a goal and actions.
• A monitoring approach, to measure government’s progress delivering the strategy.
Summaries of each part of the strategy
People who want to read the full New Zealand Disability Strategy 2026-2030 can find it on the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha website (www.whaikaha.govt.nz).
The Ministry has also produced summaries of each part of the strategy, for people who do not want to read the whole strategy. These summaries are:
• Vision, principles and other key information
• Goal and actions for education
• Goal and actions for employment
• Goal and actions for health
• Goal and actions for housing
• Goal and actions for justice
This document is a summary of the education goal, how progress towards the education goal will be measured, and the education actions.
Education goal
The strategy has a goal for education. The goal is:
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.
Measuring progress towards the education goal
Progress on the goal for education will be measured using these indicators:
• Percentage of disabled adults (aged 15-64 years) with a school qualification or higher.
• Percentage of disabled young people (aged 12-18+ years) attending secondary school who attend school most or all of the time. Note that the Government’s attendance target for education is: “By 2030, 80% of students are present for more than 90% of the term”. This data is not currently disaggregated for disabled students.
• Percentage of disabled young people (aged 15-24 years) in employment, education, or training.
• Percentage of disabled young people (aged 12-18+ years) attending secondary school who agreed or strongly agreed that people expect them to do well at school, kura, or education provider.
• Percentage of disabled adults (aged 15-64) who held high trust for the education system (7 or higher on a 0-10 scale).
What success in education means
For disabled people success in education means:
a) Educators plan to meet the needs of all learners, including disabled learners.
b) The education system has high expectations for all disabled learners to attend, progress and achieve in their learning goals.
c) Learning support is delivered in a timely and effective way, with a skilled and capable specialist and support staff workforce, so disabled learners are supported to engage with their education and experience success.
d) Early intervention services work to identify learning support needs early and can work with children in a timely and effective way.
e) Kaupapa Māori education settings have access to curriculum, assessment and learning support interventions delivered by a culturally capable and trained workforce.
f) Learning support needs are identified and responded to early.
g) Data is gathered to support understanding the progress of disabled learners, allocation of services and supports, and working with their families.
h) Disabled learners are supported by effective in-school co-ordination and planning of the support they need to succeed.
i) Learner centred transitions throughout early childhood education and schooling are planned early, include the learner, family and whānau, and are monitored and supported.
j) Tertiary education providers are supported to implement disability action plans that include learner voice.
Education actions
The strategy has a set of actions for education. The actions are:
1. Put $266 million into early intervention services, so children’s learning support needs are identified earlier, and families don’t have to wait as long for support.
2. Look at new ways to provide targeted and specialist learning support, including working with private providers and community organisations to reduce wait times.
3. Improve the learning support system so it is easier for educators, families and learners to use by:
• funding a Learning Support Coordinator for all schools with learners in Years 1-8
• making application processes for learning support easier.
4. Invest funding into more specialist school satellite classrooms to provide choice for parents.
5. Work with the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha to develop improvements in teacher training that support teachers to meet the needs of disabled students.
6. Work with the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha to look for ways to improve accountability for schools and school boards by reporting on learning and achievement outcomes of all disabled learners.
7. Use existing funding to support Kaupapa Māori settings to access tools, knowledge and skills so they can meet the needs of their disabled ākonga (students) with high quality programmes.
8. Work with the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha to look for ways to identify disabled learners in education data so their needs and progress are better understood.
9. The Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) will continue monitoring provider progress on implementing their Disability Action Plans. The TEC will consult with disabled student representative groups including the National Disabled Students’ Association on how this function is implemented.
Employment summary
Video transcript
New Zealand Disability Strategy 2026-2030
Summary of employment goal and actions
About the Strategy
The New Zealand Disability Strategy 2026-2030 is New Zealand’s third disability strategy. It sets out the Government’s commitment to all disabled people and tāngata whaikaha Māori (Māori disabled people).
The Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha led the work on the strategy. Cabinet agreed the 5 priority outcome areas for the strategy. Content for the strategy was developed with input from disability groups, and by working groups made up of disability community members, sector experts, and officials from relevant government agencies. Public consultation was held on a draft of the strategy, then Cabinet agreed the final version of the strategy.
The strategy covers a 5-year period, from 2026 to 2030, to focus government agencies on meaningful and practical actions that will drive change for disabled people and tāngata whaikaha Māori.
The strategy includes:
• A vision and principles to set the direction for the strategy, and guide work across government for disabled people.
• 5 priority outcome areas of education, employment, health, housing and justice. Each priority outcome area has a goal and actions.
• A monitoring approach, to measure government’s progress delivering the strategy.
Summaries of each part of the strategy
People who want to read the full New Zealand Disability Strategy 2026-2030 can find it on the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha website (www.whaikaha.govt.nz).
The Ministry has also produced summaries of each part of the strategy, for people who do not want to read the whole strategy. These summaries are:
• Vision, principles and other key information
• Goal and actions for education
• Goal and actions for employment
• Goal and actions for health
• Goal and actions for housing
• Goal and actions for justice
This document is a summary of the employment goal, how progress towards the employment goal will be measured, and the employment actions.
Employment goal
The strategy has a goal for employment. The goal is:
Disabled people will have meaningful career opportunities, equal to non-disabled people, and be valued the same way. Disability-confident employers will recognise disabled people’s talents and expertise, and will provide accessible and inclusive workplaces throughout the employment lifecycle.
Measuring progress towards the employment goal
Progress on the goal for employment will be measured using these indicators:
• Employment rate for disabled adults (aged 15-64 years).
• Underutilisation rate for disabled adults (aged 15-64 years).
• Disability pay gap.
• Percentage of employed disabled adults (aged 15-64 years) who were satisfied or very satisfied with their job.
• Percentage of disabled young people (aged 15-24 years) in employment, education, or training.
What success in employment means
For disabled people, success in employment means:
a) Disabled people will have meaningful career, employment and self-employment opportunities, equal to non-disabled people. They will be able to participate in all levels of the workforce equal to non-disabled people, and this will be accepted.
b) Disabled people will thrive in employment or self-employment wherever they work and live – whether they are urban or rural, in a workplace or working remotely.
c) Disabled people will have access to supports and resources that work for them. They will feel confident their needs during employment will be met and that employers can harness their potential.
d) Better work outcomes will give disabled people more economic security, dignity, self-determination and choice – and this will improve other outcomes, like health and housing.
e) Disabled young people will have the supports and information they need to transition from education and training, into work.
Employment actions
The strategy has a set of actions for employment. The actions are:
Enable and support disabled people to thrive in careers that match their interests and strengths
1. Put information and guidance that helps disabled people to identify and match their skills and interests with job pathways in one place and make it accessible. This should include guidance for disabled people leaving school or education.
2. Review specialist employment supports, consulting with disabled people, to improve employment outcomes.
3. Work with disabled people, employers and employer networks to create mentor programmes – so disabled people can get career support from disabled professionals or employers.
Work with disabled people, employers and businesses to build disability confidence, capability and inclusion
4. Work with disabled people and support providers to create a repository of resources. The resources will include knowledge, success stories and practical information – helping employers and employer networks support disabled people.
5. Work with disabled people, their whānau and supporters, employers and employer networks, to promote and enable the design of jobs and workplaces for disabled people. This means:
• inclusion of disabled people
• flexible working arrangements and reasonable accommodations
• assessing workplace accessibility.
Government agencies should lead by example in the employment of disabled people.
6. Create an awareness campaign for employers and employees. The campaign will include guidance on accessibility and inclusion, data and reports, and will highlight the positive impact of disabled people on workplaces.
Health summary
Video transcript
New Zealand Disability Strategy 2026-2030
Summary of health goal and actions
About the Strategy
The New Zealand Disability Strategy 2026-2030 is New Zealand’s third disability strategy. It sets out the Government’s commitment to all disabled people and tāngata whaikaha Māori (Māori disabled people).
The Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha led the work on the strategy. Cabinet agreed the 5 priority outcome areas for the strategy. Content for the strategy was developed with input from disability groups, and by working groups made up of disability community members, sector experts, and officials from relevant government agencies. Public consultation was held on a draft of the strategy, then Cabinet agreed the final version of the strategy.
The strategy covers a 5-year period, from 2026 to 2030, to focus government agencies on meaningful and practical actions that will drive change for disabled people and tāngata whaikaha Māori.
The strategy includes:
• A vision and principles to set the direction for the strategy, and guide work across government for disabled people.
• 5 priority outcome areas of education, employment, health, housing and justice. Each priority outcome area has a goal and actions.
• A monitoring approach, to measure government’s progress delivering the strategy.
Summaries of each part of the strategy
People who want to read the full New Zealand Disability Strategy 2026-2030 can find it on the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha website (www.whaikaha.govt.nz).
The Ministry has also produced summaries of each part of the strategy, for people who do not want to read the whole strategy. These summaries are:
• Vision, principles and other key information
• Goal and actions for education
• Goal and actions for employment
• Goal and actions for health
• Goal and actions for housing
• Goal and actions for justice
This document is a summary of the health goal, how progress towards the health goal will be measured, and the health actions.
Health goal
The strategy has a goal for health. The goal is:
Disabled people will achieve the highest possible standard of health and wellbeing. They will decide what this means for themselves and their whānau.
Measuring progress towards the health goal
Progress on the goal for health will be measured using these indicators:
• Percentage of disabled people with good, very good, or excellent self-rated health.
• Percentage of disabled adults (aged 15 years and over) who reported that the healthcare professional at their most recent appointment involved them as much as they wanted in making decisions about their treatment and care.
• Percentage of disabled adults (aged 15 years and over) who had unmet need for a GP.
• Percentage of adults (aged 15 years and over) with a disability, impairment, or long-term health condition who felt their accessibility needs were met.
What success in health means
For disabled people, success in health means:
1. The health system will enhance quality of life for disabled people, so they thrive, grow and enjoy lives they value.
2. Disabled people will have self-determination through their whole health journey because they have choice and control, can make informed decisions about their health and wellbeing, can involve their family and carers, and their decisions are respected.
3. Supporting tāngata whaikaha Māori through te ora o te whānau (the health of whānau) will mean tāngata whaikaha Māori are understood as part of a collective, and their whānau are involved in their health in ways that reflect their wishes.
4. Accessibility, equity, and inclusion will be embedded throughout the health system, including in health service design and delivery, and supported by a skilled and responsive health workforce.
5. Data collection about disability will be prioritised, with data used to improve the health system for disabled people.
6. ‘Nothing about us without us’ will mean disabled people are involved and represented at every level of the health system.
Health actions
The strategy has a set of actions for health. The actions are:
1. Review and improve policies and practices, so the health journey is equitable, accessible and inclusive.
This review will cover all interactions with the health system: communication, information, technology, decision-making, service design and delivery, and the built environment. Self-determination will be key, including making sure tools for self-determination and supported decision-making are standard practice in health care – especially for people with different communication, cognitive or psychosocial needs.
2. Train the health workforce to deliver services that are inclusive, culturally safe and easy to navigate. This includes:
• Increasing disabled people throughout the health and disability workforce. This can be done through recruitment and workplace policies, inclusive and accessible work environments, and career development.
• Embedding disability responsiveness and lived experience in workforce training and ongoing professional development.
3. Build disabled people’s skills and knowledge to take up health system roles.
Government agencies will find ways to build disabled people’s capability for health system design, consultation, monitoring, leadership, and advisory and governance roles.
4. Identify disabled people in national health data.
This will make disabled people more visible in the health system, so population health outcomes and patient experiences can be monitored better, while ensuring information security, privacy and protection.
5. Put a system in place so disabled people can record their accessibility needs against their National Health Index (NHI).
Recording people’s accessibility needs will mean those needs can be easily shared with health providers. Disabled people will not have to repeat their needs to providers, and providers will be better able to meet those needs. This work will be guided by disability community expectations and data sovereignty.
Housing summary
Video transcript
New Zealand Disability Strategy 2026-2030
Summary of housing goal and actions
About the Strategy
The New Zealand Disability Strategy 2026-2030 is New Zealand’s third disability strategy. It sets out the Government’s commitment to all disabled people and tāngata whaikaha Māori (Māori disabled people).
The Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha led the work on the strategy. Cabinet agreed the 5 priority outcome areas for the strategy. Content for the strategy was developed with input from disability groups, and by working groups made up of disability community members, sector experts, and officials from relevant government agencies. Public consultation was held on a draft of the strategy, then Cabinet agreed the final version of the strategy.
The strategy covers a 5-year period, from 2026 to 2030, to focus government agencies on meaningful and practical actions that will drive change for disabled people and tāngata whaikaha Māori.
The strategy includes:
• A vision and principles to set the direction for the strategy, and guide work across government for disabled people.
• 5 priority outcome areas of education, employment, health, housing and justice. Each priority outcome area has a goal and actions.
• A monitoring approach, to measure government’s progress delivering the strategy.
Summaries of each part of the strategy
People who want to read the full New Zealand Disability Strategy 2026-2030 can find it on the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha website (www.whaikaha.govt.nz).
The Ministry has also produced summaries of each part of the strategy, for people who do not want to read the whole strategy. These summaries are:
• Vision, principles and other key information
• Goal and actions for education
• Goal and actions for employment
• Goal and actions for health
• Goal and actions for housing
• Goal and actions for justice
This document is a summary of the housing goal, how progress towards the housing goal will be measured, and the housing actions.
Housing goal
The strategy has a goal for housing. The goal is:
Disabled people and their whānau have affordable, safe, healthy, secure, and accessible homes that meet their needs and support their independence.
Measuring progress towards the housing goal
Progress on the goal for housing will be measured using these indicators:
• Percentage of disabled people living in an owner-occupied home.
• Percentage of disabled adults (aged 15 years and over) who rated their housing affordability highly (7 or higher on 0–10 scale).
• Percentage of disabled adults who reported no major problems (cold, damp, mould, no major repairs needed) with their house or flat.
• Percentage of disabled adults (aged 15 years and over) who reported feeling safe or very safe at home by themselves at night.
• Average wait time for modified social housing on the:
• Housing register
• Transfer register.
What success in housing means
For disabled people, success in housing means:
a) There are a range of suitable housing options in the community, so disabled people can choose who they live with and where they live.
b) The supply of accessible homes meets the demand, with homes that meet the range and features of accessibility needs. Monitoring will be in place to help ensure supply meets demand.
c) Disabled people enjoy secure tenure in their housing, have the freedom to move if they want to, and do not experience delays in accessing housing if they are leaving hospital inpatient care.
d) The housing sector understands the accessibility needs of disabled people and how to build for accessibility.
e) Urban design and planning is fully accessible, so disabled people can easily access their neighbourhoods, local amenities, and transport.
f) Having suitable housing improves disabled people’s outcomes, including their physical, cultural, family, and mental wellbeing. It helps to protect disabled people from harm and unsafe environments.
Housing actions
The strategy has a set of actions for housing. The actions are:
1. Develop, consult on and promote clear definitions of accessible homes. These will describe key features of different levels of accessibility (for example, from basic universal design through to fully accessible).
Clear definitions of accessible homes can support the development of voluntary guidelines for accessibility for residential dwellings (housing action 6).
2. Improve data matching between disabled people and social housing properties with appropriate accessible features that meet their needs. This will help ensure disabled people and their whānau are prioritised to accessible properties.
Data matching will identify disabled people’s housing needs and social housing that meets those needs. This is particularly important for those with high and/or complex needs. Data collected could inform future investment in the supply of social housing.
3. Identify any barriers to increasing supply of affordable, accessible houses in the private market and investigate how these barriers could be removed.
Understanding barriers to the supply of accessible housing will help target potential interventions to improve supply.
4. Review the housing modification system and look at ways to improve it.
Making the housing modification system more efficient could reduce current problems: inaccessibility of homes, increased costs and health and safety issues for disabled people, whānau and carers.
5. Collect and publish annual data on disabled people’s housing needs, to compare with the housing being built in each region. This could help encourage the housing market to produce more accessible housing.
This will help to fill the gap in data on accessible housing and raise the profile of the demand for accessible homes. Data can also be used to measure progress in increasing the supply of accessible housing.
6. Develop voluntary national guidelines on accessibility for residential dwellings.
Guidelines would be based on the definitions for accessible homes in housing action 1 and would set out best practice guidance for how to build accessible homes.
7. Review the social housing system, including considering the diverse needs of disabled people and how these could be addressed.
Justice summary
Video transcript
New Zealand Disability Strategy 2026-2030
Summary of justice goal and actions
About the Strategy
The New Zealand Disability Strategy 2026-2030 is New Zealand’s third disability strategy. It sets out the Government’s commitment to all disabled people and tāngata whaikaha Māori (Māori disabled people).
The Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha led the work on the strategy. Cabinet agreed the 5 priority outcome areas for the strategy. Content for the strategy was developed with input from disability groups, and by working groups made up of disability community members, sector experts, and officials from relevant government agencies. Public consultation was held on a draft of the strategy, then Cabinet agreed the final version of the strategy.
The strategy covers a 5-year period, from 2026 to 2030, to focus government agencies on meaningful and practical actions that will drive change for disabled people and tāngata whaikaha Māori.
The strategy includes:
• A vision and principles to set the direction for the strategy, and guide work across government for disabled people.
• 5 priority outcome areas of education, employment, health, housing and justice. Each priority outcome area has a goal and actions.
• A monitoring approach, to measure government’s progress delivering the strategy.
Summaries of each part of the strategy
People who want to read the full New Zealand Disability Strategy 2026-2030 can find it on the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha website (www.whaikaha.govt.nz).
The Ministry has also produced summaries of each part of the strategy, for people who do not want to read the whole strategy. These summaries are:
• Vision, principles and other key information
• Goal and actions for education
• Goal and actions for employment
• Goal and actions for health
• Goal and actions for housing
• Goal and actions for justice
This document is a summary of the justice goal, how progress towards the justice goal will be measured, and the justice actions.
Justice goal
The strategy has a goal for justice. The goal is:
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 and will be supported to meaningfully participate. Justice system policies and practices will embed accessibility, inclusion and lived experience.
Measuring progress towards the justice goal
Progress on the goal for justice will be measured using these indicators:
• Percentage of disabled adults (aged 15 and over) who experienced at least one offence in the last 12 months (age-standardised).
• Percentage of disabled adults (aged 15 years and over) who had high levels of trust in the justice system (rating of 4 or 5 on a 1-5 scale).
• Average (mean) rating (on a 0-10 scale) for feelings of safety for disabled adults (aged 15 years and over).
• Proportion of disabled adults (aged 15 years and over) who say they have been treated unfairly by the criminal justice system.
What success in justice means
For disabled people, success in access to justice means:
a) All disabled people, including disabled children, young people and adults in care, are safeguarded from abuse, neglect and violence.
b) The needs of disabled children and young people, and their families and whānau, are understood and supported early to avoid them becoming involved in the care and protection or criminal justice systems.
c) For disabled children and young people who interact with the youth justice system, and for adult disabled people who interact with the criminal justice system, their rights and accessibility needs are respected and upheld, and they have the right supports to transition out of those settings.
d) Disabled people who are charged with an offence but are unable to stand trial are treated consistently with the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990.
e) The justice sector workforce will have the right skills and capabilities to uphold the rights of disabled people. This includes disability competence, Deaf competence, and an understanding of supported decision-making.
f) Disabled parents who use the Family Court will have equitable access to family justice services.
Justice actions
The strategy has a set of actions for justice. The actions are:
1. Implement a safeguarding framework for disabled people in long-term detention settings (such as prisons and youth justice residences) and Disability Support Services funded residential facilities. The framework will include preventing, reporting, responding, and safely removing disabled people from abusive situations.
2. Carry out a cross-agency project to fix gaps in information about disabled people’s experiences of crime. This will include disabled people in residential and secure facilities, and issues like cyberbullying.
3. Develop a social investment plan for early intervention and support, to reduce disabled children and young people entering the youth justice system.
4. The Law Commission has been asked to review the Criminal Procedure (Mentally Impaired Persons) Act 2003 (CPMIP).
This review is expected to look at the interface of the CPMIP with other relevant legislation, such as the Intellectual Disability (Compulsory Care and Rehabilitation) Act 2003 and Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 1992.
5. Review, as work programmes allow, protections for disabled people in family law, including adoption, guardianship and personal property rights.
Reviews will consider where stronger provisions or support are needed, supported decision-making, and using plain language in key justice sector legislation and processes.
Reviewing human rights legislation, including whether additional protections against discrimination are needed, should also be considered as work programmes allow.
6. Weave understanding from safeguarding approaches for disabled people into the multi-agency responses to family violence. This includes training the workforce to make sure disabled people experiencing violence and abuse receive a safe, coordinated response centred on their needs.
7. Create a plan to train the justice sector workforce so it is more disability competent, including Deaf cultural competence and using mana and trauma informed practices. This plan will increase disabled people in the workforce and consider mandatory professional standards.
Minister's media release: New Disability Strategy drives change
Video transcript
New Disability Strategy drives change
Hon Louise Upston
Minister for Disability Issues
Minister for Disability Issues Louise Upston says a new action-focused disability strategy will be a lever to drive positive change.
The New Zealand Disability Strategy 2026-2030 released today includes a refreshed vision and principles to guide work affecting the lives of disabled people. It also features goals and actions in education, employment, health, housing and justice.
"This strategy shows what the Government will do over the next five years through meaningful, measurable actions to improve the lives of disabled people," Louise Upston says.
"This is our country's third disability strategy. While much has already been achieved, disabled people still face barriers preventing them from thriving and leading full lives.
"Today's strategy is an important—but not the only—lever for driving positive change for the disabled community.
"I look forward to seeing improvements in the lives of disabled people, their family and whānau as its actions are implemented."
In employment, the strategy includes actions to assist disabled people to have meaningful work and careers. They include providing employers with resources and guidance, and the expectation government departments will lead by example.
In health, it emphasises making the system more accessible and inclusive, and normalising tools for self-determination and supported decision-making.
In housing, the Government will develop and consult on clear definitions for what makes a home accessible. There will also be a review of the social housing system to help it better meet the needs of disabled people.
In justice, actions include early intervention to reduce the number of disabled children and young people entering the youth justice system and developing a framework to safeguard disabled people in long-term detention and DSS funded residential facilities.
In education, early intervention to identify children's learning needs sooner are highlighted, as well as finding new ways to reduce wait times for specialist learning support.
As part of its own strategic intentions, the Ministry of Disabled People—Whaikaha is working to improve accessibility for disabled people.
The new strategy will also assist in progressing 14 of the 17 remaining recommendations, made by the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, that the Government agreed to consider through the refresh of the strategy. A further two of these recommendations will be progressed through work outside the strategy.
Of the 63 recommendations made by the UN Committee in 2022, 46 are now being progressed by work already underway or will be implemented through the strategy.
Whaikaha will report annually to Parliament on progress against the strategy and will be measuring its impact.