NZSL video translations
This page has NZSL translations of the draft New Zealand Disability Strategy.
Draft New Zealand Disability Strategy - Part 1 Introduction
Video transcript
He mihi whakaara
Kia hiwa rā kia hiwa rā. Kia kōkiri ake, kia mataara. He karanga atu ki te ao whānui, ki te ao whaikaha. Haere mai ōu whakaaro rangatira ki tēnei kaupapa whakahirahira nau mai e te iwi e.
A call to initiate feedback. Rise up, come forward, be counted, be alert. A call going out to the world, to the disabled world. We welcome your chiefly thoughts to this important discussion. We welcome all.
Acknowledgements
The Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha acknowledges He Awa Whiria, the braided river framework created by the late Professor Angus Hikairo Macfarlane and Associate Professor Sonja Macfarlane.
The Ministry is grateful to Sonja for sharing He Awa Whiria with the working groups who have contributed to the strategy, to help inform their work. The Ministry thanks the members of the working groups, whose work brought together the perspectives of disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori, sector experts and government agencies.
The Ministry also thanks those who have taken part in workshops to help develop a draft vision and principles for the strategy.
Have your say on the strategy
This document sets out a draft of the New Zealand Disability Strategy 2026-2030. The Ministry of Disabled People is consulting on the strategy.
How consultation on the strategy will work
Everyone is welcome to give feedback on this strategy. There are different ways to have your say. You can:
• complete an accessible online feedback form
• download a Word feedback form, fill it out and email it to the Ministry
• make a three-minute video with videomail.io and email it to the Ministry
• attend a meeting online
• attend a meeting in person
• email the Ministry for a consultation pack you can use at your organisation.
If you want to email the Ministry, the email address is disabilitystrategy@whaikaha.govt.nz.
Feedback from consultation will be used to shape the final version of the strategy, which will be considered by Cabinet.
Draft New Zealand Disability Strategy - Part 2 Backgound
Video transcript
Background to this strategy
This is the third New Zealand Disability Strategy. It has been developed by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha (the Ministry), working with other government agencies, disabled people and the disability community. This strategy builds on the first 2 strategies and the work of everyone who contributed to them. It also builds on work in recent years to improve data about disability.
This strategy sets out the Government’s commitment to disabled people and their whānau. However, it is a strategy that everyone can contribute to. All New Zealanders have a role in making New Zealand accessible and equitable, including local government, businesses, iwi and hapū Māori and the community.
Disability Support Services (DSS), funded by the Ministry of Social Development, play a critical role in the lives of over 50,000 disabled people. Some of the housing and justice actions in this strategy relate to DSS. However, DSS is not a specific focus of this strategy, because separate work is underway to stabilise and strengthen DSS, to ensure it delivers the right support, in the right way, to those who most need it.
Language used in this strategy
There is no one way of defining disability or talking about disabled people. For some people, the term ‘disabled person’ is a source of pride and identity. Other people prefer ‘person with a disability’ because they want to be recognised as a person first, before their disability.
This strategy uses the language ‘disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori and their whānau’. Not everyone uses the word 'disabled'. For example, Deaf people and Turi Māori may not think of themselves as disabled. This strategy incudes all people who have an impairment, whether or not they use the word 'disabled'.
The strategy draws on the understanding of disabled people in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). The UNCRPD says disabled people ‘include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others’. The idea that disability is not caused only by people’s impairments, but by the barriers created when society is not accessible, is called the ‘social model’ of disability.
Disabled people have many different parts to their identities, like their ethnicity, gender, and age. The different parts of people’s identities can give them unique perspectives, and can sometimes lead to compounding disadvantage. This strategy uses ‘disabled people’ to include disabled people with diverse identities.
In this strategy, ‘tāngata whaikaha Māori’ is used to describe Māori people with a disability. Using this language recognises that most Māori disabled people identify as Māori first. ‘Tāngata whaikaha Māori’ means Māori people who are determined to do well and who focus on their abilities.
Whānau are recognised in this strategy. Whānau are a source of strength, support and identity for disabled people and tāngata whaikaha Māori. Whānau is a concept that includes extended family members and others embraced by an individual or collective as their whānau.
Some disabled people are supported by carers. The Government has a separate Carers’ Strategy, launched in 2008. It describes carers as people who care for friends, family, whānau and āiga with a disability, health condition or illness; and who need help with everyday living. A new Action Plan is being developed to support the Carer’s Strategy.
You can find a glossary of key terms used in this strategy at appendix 1.
Disabled people in New Zealand are diverse
The 2023 Household Disability Survey, run by Stats NZ, estimated the number of disabled people in the New Zealand household population and found out information about their lives.
The survey found that about 1 in 6 New Zealanders is disabled. This is about 851,000 people, or 17 percent of New Zealanders. It includes about 753,000 adults (18 percent of adults aged 15 years and over) and 98,000 children (10 percent of children aged 0-14 years).
The survey also found that some population groups had higher disability rates than others.
Overall, females had a higher disability rate than males (18 percent of females compared with 15 percent of males).
However, for children, boys had a higher disability rate than girls (12 percent of boys compared with 8 percent of girls).
LGBTIQ+ (Rainbow) people had a higher disability rate than non-LGBTIQ+ people (29 percent of LGBTIQ+ people compared with 17 percent of non-LGBTIQ+ people).
Older people aged 65 years and over had a higher disability rate than younger adults (35 percent compared with 12 percent of adults aged 15 to 44 years and 17 percent of adults aged 45 to 64 years).
Different ethnicities also had different disability rates. Māori had a disability rate of 21 percent, Pacific people 16 percent, and Asian people 9 percent.
When these rates were adjusted for age, to take into account the fact that disabled people are more likely to be older, and that some ethnic groups have younger populations, the disability rates for these ethnicities increase. Age-adjusted rates were 24 percent for Māori, 21 percent for Pacific people and 13 percent for Asian people.
Some outcomes have improved for disabled people
Comparing results from the 2023 Census with the 2018 Census shows that some outcomes have improved for disabled people.
Some of these improved outcomes can be seen in education. The 2023 Census showed that disabled people aged 15 years and over were:
• less likely to have no qualification (34 percent in 2023, down from 42 percent in 2018)
• more likely to have a bachelor’s degree or above (13 percent in 2023, up from 10 percent in 2018).
The 2023 Census also showed that tāngata whaikaha Māori aged 15 years and over were:
• less likely to have no qualification (38 percent in 2023, down from 47 percent in 2018)
• more likely to have a bachelor’s degree or above (10 percent in 2023, up from 8 percent in 2018).
Disabled children aged 5-14 years were more likely to be studying in 2023 (90 percent) than 2018 (87 percent). This included increases in study participation rates for:
• tāngata whaikaha Māori children (89 percent, up from 86 percent in 2018)
• Pacific disabled children (85 percent, up from 78 percent in 2018).
The 2023 Census also showed some improvement in employment outcomes for disabled people. Disabled people aged 15-64 years were more likely to be employed in 2023 (52 percent) than in 2018 (46 percent). This included increases in employment rates for:
• tāngata whaikaha Māori (46 percent, up from 40 percent in 2018)
• Pacific disabled people (48 percent, up from 43 percent in 2018).
The 2023 Census also showed there have been some small improvements in housing quality for disabled people.
In 2023, 27 percent of disabled people lived in a home that was sometimes or always damp, down from 29 percent in 2018.
In 2023, 22 percent of disabled people lived in a home that was sometimes or always mouldy, down from 24 percent in 2018.
Barriers persist for disabled people and their whānau
Although some outcomes are improving, disabled people continue to face barriers. These barriers are often worse for tāngata whaikaha Māori.
The 2023 Household Disability Survey found that disabled people were less likely than non-disabled people to be doing well across many areas of their lives. These areas included employment, health, life satisfaction and income.
The survey also found that whānau and carers of disabled children continue to face barriers. When compared with carers of non-disabled children, carers of disabled children were:
• more than twice as likely to feel stressed all or most of the time (46 percent compared with 19 percent)
• much more likely to find it hard to find someone to look after their child (42 percent compared with 24 percent)
• much less likely to say they had about the right amount of free time for their own leisure activities (27 percent compared with 48 percent)
• less likely to have a paid job (65 percent compared with 79 percent).
Despite facing barriers, disabled people make a vital contribution to New Zealand, socially, culturally and economically.
With barriers removed, disabled people can achieve more of the things that are important to them, and their contribution will only grow. For example, the 2023 Household Disability Survey showed that 72 percent of disabled people aged 15 to 64 years who did not have a job would like one, and identified the kinds of supports that would help them find work. Recent modelling from the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research shows that significant economic benefits would result from supporting greater educational achievement and higher rates of employment for disabled people.
You will find more data showing how disabled people are doing later on in this strategy.
How this strategy was developed
This strategy is different from the previous strategy because it will cover a 5-year period from 2026 to 2030, instead of a 10-year period. The 5-year period is intended to focus government agencies on tangible actions that benefit disabled people.
This draft of the strategy was developed between December 2024 and July 2025.
The vision and principles of the strategy were developed through 11 workshops with disability groups. Six of the workshops were with disability groups and 5 were with tāngata whaikaha Māori groups.
The 5 priority outcome areas for the strategy were agreed by Cabinet. These are education, employment, health, housing and justice.
Each priority outcome area was further developed by a working group. Working groups were made up of disability community members, who were selected using an open expression of interest process, as well as sector experts, and officials from relevant government agencies. The job of working groups was to develop a goal, a description and actions for their priority outcome area.
The Ministerial Disability Leadership Group (MDLG) and the Minister of Justice considered the work of the working groups, and decided which goals, descriptions and actions would appear in this strategy, and their final wording. The MDLG is chaired by the Minister for Disability Issues and made up of Ministers whose portfolios cover issues that are important to disabled people.
The strategy is now being consulted on with the New Zealand public. Once consultation is finished, Cabinet will agree the final version of the strategy. The strategy will then be launched in December 2025.
This strategy contributes to other important work
Giving effect to the Treaty of Waitangi - Te Tiriti o Waitangi
The Treaty of Waitangi establishes the relationship between Māori and the Crown, recognising the unique position of Māori as tāngata whenua.
This strategy helps Government meet its obligations under the Treaty by setting direction and creating pathways for leadership, protection and promotion of wellbeing for tāngata whaikaha Māori. This will help tāngata whaikaha Māori and their whānau to thrive.
Building on recent improvements to data collection by Government will be important so that quality data is available for monitoring and reporting of outcomes for tāngata whaikaha Māori under the 5 priority outcome areas.
Giving effect to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
This strategy will help New Zealand meet its international obligations, including its obligations under the UNCRPD. New Zealand ratified the UNCRPD in 2008.
New Zealand is periodically examined on how we are progressing towards our UNCRPD obligations. Our next examination will be in 2034. This strategy, and how it is monitored, will help us meet our obligations and support our examination.
Contributing to the Government Targets
The Government Targets are 9 targets the Government has set to improve the results that public services are achieving. The Government Targets focus on health, education, law and order, work, housing and the environment. They are intended to be achieved by 2030.2 By improving outcomes for disabled people, this strategy will also contribute to achieving the Government Targets.
This strategy includes actions to be delivered by 2030
Previously, the New Zealand Disability Strategy was supported by a Disability Action Plan, which set out the actions government agencies had committed to, to deliver the strategy.
This New Zealand Disability Strategy is different because it includes actions to be delivered over the next 5 years. It builds on other important work and has been informed by disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori and their whānau, Pacific disabled people and aiga (family/families).
Whāia Te Ao Mārama, the Māori Disability Action Plan was developed in a partnership between the Ministry of Health and tāngata whaikaha Māori, with the oversight and endorsement of Te Ao Mārama: the Māori Disability Advisory Group. There have been 2 plans spanning 2012-2017 and 2018-2022. Whāia Te Ao Mārama 2018-2022 set out a vision that ‘tāngata whaikaha pursue a good life with support’. It outlined what the Ministry of Health committed to do from 2018 to 2022, and set out examples of actions tāngata whaikaha, whānau, health and disability providers, iwi and other organisations can take to achieve the vision.
More recently, a Pacific disability approach has been developed through consultation and engagement with Pacific disabled people, aiga and the Pacific disability community. Atoatoali’o – National Pacific Disability Approach provides a framework for the wellbeing of Pacific disabled people. It sets out what the Pacific disabled community would like to achieve and the actions it would like to see, including actions from government agencies.
By including actions as a core part of this strategy, we are strengthening the impact it will have over the next 5 years. The strategy itself will drive tangible change without needing further action plans, making it easier to monitor and report on progress.
Draft New Zealand Disability Strategy - Part 3 Vision and Principles
Video transcript
Vision and principles for the strategy
A vision for the strategy
The vision is a statement describing the future that disabled people want to achieve through the strategy. The vision will help set the course for the strategy.
Proposed vision:
“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.”
You are invited to give feedback on the proposed vision for the strategy.
Principles for the strategy
Principles are the key values, ideas and commitments that underpin this strategy. The principles will help make sure the strategy reflects the things that are important to disabled people.
Focusing on making a tangible difference in disabled people’s lives, seven possible principles have been proposed for the strategy:
• Accessibility
This principle recognises that accessibility is fundamental to participation and inclusion. When environments and services are designed with accessibility in mind from the beginning, they benefit everyone, not just disabled people.
• Choice and control
This principle recognises that decisions about disabled people's lives have often been made by others. It asserts that disabled individuals are the experts in their own lives and should have the same right to self-determination as everyone else.
• Equity, cultural inclusion and intersectionality
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 its own unique identities, values and practices.
• Human rights
This principle anchors the strategy in international human rights frameworks, including the UNCRPD, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
• Participation and inclusion
This principle recognises that disabled people have the right to be active members of their communities and cultures in all aspects of life.
• Respect and dignity
The principle confronts the negative attitudes, stereotypes, and discrimination that many disabled people encounter. It emphasises that everyone deserves to be treated with respect, regardless of their abilities, and acknowledges that societal attitudes can be as significant a barrier as physical accessibility issues.
• The Treaty of Waitangi (te Tiriti o Waitangi)
This principle acknowledges that the Treaty establishes the relationship between Māori and the Crown, recognising the unique position of Māori as tāngata whenua, and ensuring partnership, participation and protection for tāngata whaikaha Māori.
You are invited to give feedback on the proposed principles for the strategy.
Cross-cutting themes
There are some key cross-cutting themes that emerge from the 5 priority outcome areas.
Accessibility
The importance of accessibility is clear across all priority outcome areas. Accessibility can relate to physical access, for example to a building or transport; access to services such as education or health services; or access to information, including support for a person to make decisions that affect their life.
The working groups for all 5 priority outcome areas discussed issues about accessibility.
In education, a key issue is the ability of disabled students to access early childhood education, schooling or tertiary education. This can be the physical ability to get in and around buildings, the need for equipment to help students communicate, or the ability to learn and communicate in New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL). It can also mean the teacher’s time and knowledge to plan for diversity so disabled students have access to the curriculum.
In employment, access issues include the ability to access online information about jobs, having equipment that can enable a person to do a job, or the ability to get to a place of employment using public transport.
In housing, lack of accessible places to live is a key barrier to disabled people having secure, healthy, and comfortable homes where they can be part of their community.
An important aspect of accessibility is the ability to access government services. This includes “mainstream” services – those that are provided to most people in New Zealand, for example seeing your local GP, claiming a tax refund, taking a problem to the Tenancy Tribunal, or undertaking tertiary study. These services need to be available in forms that are accessible for disabled people.
At the same time, the need to access government services also includes services that are “disability-specific” – for example, the Total Mobility scheme, disability employment brokers, and access to NZSL interpreters.
In the youth and adult criminal justice systems, the lack of accessible information and appropriate and timely supports for disabled people can mean they are treated differently and unfairly.
Data
The working groups for all 5 priority outcome areas discussed the need for better, more consistent, and more detailed data about disabled people in that area or sector. Better data provides an evidence base to understand how well services are working for disabled people, and how well disabled people can access services and participate in their communities.
There has been a significant improvement in the availability of survey data that allows us to compare outcomes for disabled people since the last New Zealand Disability Strategy. The challenge is that survey data cannot easily be broken down by disability and other demographics such as age, gender and ethnicity, to get a more detailed understanding of the diverse experiences of all disabled people. This makes it hard to develop well-tailored solutions.
There is also a lack of administrative data (data collected by organisations as part of their day-to-day business). This means there is a lack of information on how well services are meeting the needs of disabled people. Filling this administrative data gap is increasingly important and will provide opportunities for producing more disability information in areas where this is currently limited, including in the priority outcome areas of the new strategy.
The data that we do have makes clear that there is inequity of outcomes for disabled people, and for different groups of disabled people. In particular, outcomes are worse for tāngata whaikaha Māori in many aspects of life – this is discussed in more detail in the priority outcome areas. There is also inequity of outcomes for Pacific disabled people and for people with intellectual disabilities.
The working groups recommended better collection of data in education, health, housing, and justice.
Workforce
Several working groups recommended actions relating to the government workforce – in education, health, and justice in particular. They saw a need for the workforces in these sectors to have a much better understanding of disability, and a commitment to the rights of disabled people to access services on an equal basis with other New Zealanders. If people working in these areas have a better understanding of disability, they are less likely to make assumptions about disabled people’s ability to make their own decisions, and more likely to have high expectations for their success. This will help prevent bias and discrimination and will help to overcome barriers to access.
The working groups also recommended action is taken to increase the number of disabled people working in these areas. This will contribute to disabled leadership, to visibility and normalisation of disability, and to better services for disabled people.
Draft New Zealand Disability Strategy Part 4 Priority Outcome Areas (Introduction & Ending)
Video transcript
Priority outcome areas and actions
The sections that follow set out the 5 priority outcome areas for the strategy: education, employment, health, housing and justice.
There is a goal for each priority outcome area, a description of what success means, and a case for change.
We are seeking feedback on how much you agree with each description of what success means. You can also suggest anything else you think should be included in the description of what success means.
Each priority outcome area has a set of actions. These are the actions the Government has committed to, to achieve success in the priority outcome area for disabled people.
We are seeking your feedback on how much you agree with each action. You can also make suggestions for the actions.
How we will measure progress
The Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha will measure progress against the strategy in 26 ways. Measuring progress will help inform an annual progress report to Parliament.
First, the Ministry will ask government agencies to report back on the progress of actions they are responsible for.
Second, the Ministry has identified a set of indicators to measure the impact of the strategy at a system level. System level indicators show whether the strategy is improving outcomes for disabled people. If the strategy is implemented successfully, these indicators will change over the medium to long term.
For each priority outcome area, the Ministry has identified 5 to 6 key indicators that will be included in the strategy. The indicators will be published in an interactive dashboard alongside supporting measures. The supporting measures will help monitor progress against the goals and outcomes of the strategy in more detail. The dashboards will also include further contextual data and evidence that supports the case for change in each priority outcome area.
Draft New Zealand Disability Strategy Part 4 - Education
Video transcript
Education
Goal for education
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.
What success in education means
Educators are well-prepared and supported to plan for diversity across teaching, learning and assessment to meet the needs of all learners, including disabled learners, and support them to succeed.
The education system has high expectations for all disabled learners and focuses on their diverse strengths and aspirations.
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.
Early intervention services work to identify learning support needs early and can work with students in a timely and effective way.
Kaupapa Māori education settings have access to curriculum, assessment and learning support interventions delivered by a culturally capable and trained workforce.
The learning support system is responsive, accessible and easy to navigate for educators, families and learners.
Data is gathered to support understanding the progress of disabled learners, allocation of services and supports, and working with their families.
Disabled learners are supported by effective in-school co-ordination and planning of the support they need to succeed.
Text Box 2, TextboxTertiary education providers are supported to implement disability action plans, with progress monitored through the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) mechanism.
The Government has made a significant investment in Learning Support through Budget 2025
Budget 2025 provided the largest investment into learning support in a generation and is a significant first step in ensuring all learners get the support they need. The Government invested $645.8 million of operating funding and $100.9 million of capital funding into learning support. Some of this investment includes:
$266.0 million to extend the Early Intervention Service from early childhood education thorough to the end of Year 1 of primary school.
$192.5 million so that all state and state integrated schools and kura with Year 1 to 8 students get access to a Learning Support Coordinator.
$122.5 million to meet increased demand for the Ongoing Resource Scheme for students with high and complex needs.
$41.5 million of operating and $1.4 million of capital funding for an extra 78.5 full-time equivalent speech language therapists, 6.3 full-time equivalent psychologists.
$39.9m of investment in additional Teacher Aide time.
$7.3 million for 45 more places in the Intensive Wrap Around Service for students with high-and-complex needs.
$90 million invested into 25 new learning support classrooms and up to 365 property modifications to make schools more accessible.
This investment will support more learners with learning support needs, meet growing demand for learning support services, and address funding shortfalls. This funding will enable educators and learning support specialists to identify learning support needs early in a child’s life, and to provide the right support for all learners – including disabled learners – to attend, participate and progress in education.
The case for change
Education is a key driver of long-term wellbeing, employment, and life outcomes. However, some learners – particularly disabled learners – continue to face barriers to participation, progress and achievement. Disabled students have lower attendance and are more than twice as likely to leave school with no qualifications compared to their non-disabled peers.3
While many disabled students benefit from quality teaching and committed educators, many feel like they do not belong. In 2022, 30 percent of disabled students reported they did not feel like they belonged at school.4 Ongoing challenges, such as inconsistent educator knowledge and confidence to support disabled learners, specialist staff shortages, long wait times, limited access to support services, and gaps in outcomes data, continue to affect the consistency and effectiveness of support across the education system.5
To meet the needs of all learners it is important to build the capability of teachers to plan, teach and assess in a way that responds to a wide range of learning needs. The system also must provide more equitable, coordinated and responsive support for disabled learners, enable genuine choice across settings and have high expectations for their success.
Education actions
These are the education actions proposed to be included in the strategy.
Below each action we have shown which education success statement the action will make progress towards. These are the statements on pages 13-14 which describe what success in education means for disabled people.
Invest $266 million to expand early intervention services to support the identification of learning support needs early in a child’s life and reduce wait times for assessments and services.
Success area this progresses:
(c) learning support delivery is timely and effective, so disabled learners are supported to engage and experience success
(d) learning support needs are identified early
Explore new options for targeted and specialised support and provisions to reduce wait times using private providers and NGOs.
Success area this progresses:
(c) learning support delivery is timely and effective, so disabled learners are supported to engage and experience success
(d) learning support needs are identified early
Make improvements to the learning support system so it is easier to navigate for educators, families and learners through: funding all schools with Year 1-8 students for a Learning Support Coordinator; and by reducing the complexity and accessibility of the application process.
Success area this progresses:
(f) the learning support system is responsive and easy to navigate
(h) disabled learners are supported by effective in-school co-ordination of support
Invest funding in additional learning support classrooms to provide choice for parents.
Success area this progresses:
(c) learning support delivery is timely and effective, so disabled learners are supported to engage and experience success
(f) the learning support system is responsive and easy to navigate
Work with the Ministry of Disabled People - Whaikaha to develop improvements in teacher training and guidance that support teachers to meet the needs of disabled students.
Success area this progresses:
(a) educators plan for diversity to meet the needs of all learners, including disabled learners
(b) the education system has high expectations for all disabled learners
Work with the Ministry of Disabled People - Whaikaha to explore opportunities to improve accountability for schools though reporting on learning and achievement outcomes for disabled learners.
Success area this progresses:
(b) the education system has high expectations for all disabled learners
(g) data is gathered to support understanding the progress of disabled learners
Support kaupapa Māori settings, within the existing Education budget, to access the resources, knowledge and capability to deliver high quality kaupapa Māori educational programmes that meet the needs of disabled ākonga (students) in a kaupapa Māori setting.
Success area this progresses:
(e) kaupapa Māori education settings have access to curriculum, assessment and learning support interventions
(b) the education system has high expectations for all disabled learners
Work with the Ministry of Disabled People - Whaikaha to explore opportunities to identify disabled learners in education data collections.
Success area this progresses:
(g) data is gathered to support understanding the progress of disabled learners
Continue implementation of the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) mechanism for reviewing provider progress in implementation of disability action plans (which will be integrated into Investment Plans from 2027). The TEC will consult with disabled student representative groups, including the National Disabled Students’ Association, on how the mechanism will be implemented.
Success area this progresses:
(i) tertiary education providers are supported to implement disability action plans
Draft New Zealand Disability Strategy Part 4 - Employment
Draft New Zealand Disability Strategy Part 4 - Health
Video transcript
Health
Goal for health
Disabled people will achieve the highest possible standard of health and wellbeing. They will decide what this means for themselves and their whānau.
What success in health means
For disabled people, success in health means:
The health system will enhance quality of life for disabled people, so they thrive, grow and enjoy lives they value.
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, and those decisions are respected.
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.
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.
Data collection about disability will be prioritised, with data used to improve the health system for disabled people.
Text Box 2, Textbox‘Nothing about us without us’ will mean disabled people are involved and represented at every level of the health system.
The case for change
Having good health is important to quality of life, but disabled people continue to experience health inequities. For example, the New Zealand Health Survey 2023/24 compared disabled people aged 15 years and over with non-disabled adults aged 15 years and over. It found that disabled people were:
less likely to report good, very good or excellent health (60 percent of disabled people compared with 88 percent of non-disabled people)
less likely to be physically active (32 percent of disabled people compared with 48 percent of non-disabled people)
more likely to have unmet mental healthcare needs (22 percent of disabled people compared with 10 percent of non-disabled people)
more likely to use emergency departments (38 percent of disabled people compared with 16 percent of non-disabled people).
Some health inequities are worse for tāngata whaikaha Māori. For example, the 2023 General Social Survey run by Stats NZ asked adults aged 15 years and over if they put off going to the doctor due to cost. It found that 54 percent of tāngata whaikaha Māori put off going to the doctor due to cost, compared with 35 percent of disabled people and 27 percent of non-disabled people.
Particular groups of disabled people also face inequities. For example, the IHC report From Data to Dignity found that people with an intellectual (or learning) disability have a much shorter life expectancy than people who do not have an intellectual disability. People with intellectual disability often receive care and treatment later than they should, which means they are 3.6 times as likely to have an avoidable hospitalisation.6
Disabled people continue to experience barriers across the health system. These include:
physical barriers, including at hospitals and other facilities
cultural barriers, especially for tāngata whaikaha Māori and Pacific disabled people
communication barriers due to lack of accessible information at the right times, or difficulties using virtual healthcare provided by phone or online
the costs of healthcare
social attitudes of healthcare providers, including discrimination
gaps in data about disability
a lack of information sharing, meaning disabled people have to retell their stories every time they engage with a different health service.
Health actions
These are the health actions proposed to be included in the strategy.
Below each action we have shown which health success statement the action will make progress towards. These are the statements on page 22 which describe what success in health means for disabled people.
Review and improve policies and practices, so the health journey is equitable, accessible and inclusive.
This review will include all interactions with the health system, covering communication, information, technology, decision-making, service design and delivery, and the built environment.
Self-determination should be a key consideration of this review. This includes making tools for self-determination and supported decision-making standard practice in health care – especially for people with different communication, cognitive or psychosocial needs.
Success area this progresses:
(a) enhance quality of life for disabled people
(b) disabled people have self-determination through their health journey
Build health workforce capability to deliver services that are inclusive, culturally safe, and easy to navigate.
Building workforce capability includes increasing the proportion of disabled people across the health and disability workforce, through recruitment and workplace policies, inclusive and accessible work environments, and career development.
It also includes embedding disability responsiveness and lived experience into health workforce training and ongoing professional development.
Success area this progresses:
(c) support tāngata whaikaha Māori through te ora o te whānau
(d) accessibility, equity, and inclusion supported by a skilled and responsive health workforce
Create opportunities to build disabled people’s skills and knowledge to take up health system roles.
Government agencies will create opportunities to build the capability and capacity of disabled people to carry out health system roles. These roles will include health system design, consultation, monitoring, leadership, advisory and governance roles.
Success area this progresses:
(f) ‘Nothing about us without us’
(d) accessibility, equity, and inclusion supported by a skilled and responsive health workforce
Identify disabled people in national health data.
Identifying disabled people in data will make them more visible in the health system. It will enable better monitoring of population health outcomes and patient experiences.
Success area this progresses:
(e) disability data is used to improve the health system for disabled people
Implement systems to enable disabled people to record their accessibility needs against their National Health Index.
Recording people’s accessibility needs will mean these needs can easily be shared with health providers. Disabled people will not have to repeat their accessibility needs each time they engage with health services, and health providers will be better placed to plan and meet those needs.
Work to progress this action should be guided by disability community expectations and data sovereignty.
Success area this progresses:
(e) disability data is used to improve the health system for disabled people
(d) accessibility, equity, and inclusion supported by a skilled and responsive health workforce
Draft New Zealand Disability Strategy Part 4 - Housing
Video transcript
Housing
Goal for housing
Disabled people and their whānau have affordable, healthy, secure, and accessible homes that meet their needs.
What success in housing means
For disabled people, success in housing means:
There are a range of suitable housing options in the community, so disabled people can choose who they live with and where they live.
The supply of accessible homes meets the demand, with homes that meet the full range of accessibility needs. Monitoring will be in place to help ensure supply meets demand.
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.
The housing sector understands the accessibility needs of disabled people and how to build for accessibility.
Urban design and planning is fully accessible, so disabled people can easily access their neighbourhoods, local amenities, and transport.
Having suitable housing improves disabled people’s outcomes, including their physical, family, and mental health. It helps to protect disabled people from harm, neglect, violence and abuse.
Text Box 2, Textbox
The case for change
Accessible7, healthy housing is important for disabled people’s autonomy, access to employment, and overall quality of life. It can make it easier for disabled people to visit family and friends and access their community, make disabled people less reliant on support workers, and reduce injuries for disabled people, their whānau and carers. Other groups also benefit from having accessible housing, such as older people, children, their parents, and people who have temporary impairments, such as through illness or injury.
However, New Zealand has a large shortage of accessible housing. Although data is limited, it is estimated that less than 2 percent of New Zealand housing is accessible.8 At the same time, the need for accessible housing is increasing, in part because the number of older people with age-related mobility and sensory impairments is growing. There is a need for better data on how much accessible housing exists so that suitable homes, in the right places, can be matched to disabled people’s accessibility needs.
Accessible homes are also less likely to be affordable for disabled people who have lower incomes on average and are less likely to buy their own homes.
The way housing is currently designed and built does not meet the needs of a large portion of the population and means that many disabled people are not able to live in homes which meet their needs. The 2023 Household Disability Survey asked disabled people about the last time they had to search for housing. The survey found that 28 percent of disabled people had to look for a home with special surroundings, features or modifications. Of these, 23 percent were able to find a property that met only some of their needs, and 7 percent could not find a suitable property at all. Of those who did find a property that met some or all of their needs, 40 percent said that it was not easy to find. The survey also found that about 12 percent of disabled people had some level of unmet need for modification in their home.
The shortage of accessible housing can mean that disabled people cannot live in the community and need to live in residential care settings when they do not want to. More accessible housing that is also affordable can help to take some of the pressure off residential care and support more choice and control for disabled people.
Research has long shown that New Zealand housing and construction practices have not been meeting the needs of disabled people. People who want to build, sell or rent a house do not have an easy way of knowing whether their house is accessible. This could be due in part to a lack of publicly available guidelines and standards, on what accessible houses are, and how to build them.
Making a house accessible from the outset is much more cost effective than retrofitting it later. However, unlike some other countries, New Zealand does not mandate minimum accessibility features in new-build private housing.
Some disabled people qualify for housing modification funding from the Ministry of Social Development or ACC, to make their homes accessible. However, there are problems with how this works. For example, when there are delays in getting housing modifications, disabled people’s homes may not be safe or liveable while they wait. Housing modification funding for the same need can generally be used only once, which can limit disabled people’s ability to move house as their life circumstances change.
Lack of accessibility and a lack of data are also problems in social housing. Disabled people are very likely to be overrepresented in social housing. Available information shows that people who have requested home modifications wait longer on the Housing Register, because it is harder for them to find suitable social housing. Better information should be collected and shared with housing providers to make sure that disabled people can be placed in suitable homes faster.
Housing actions
These are the housing actions proposed to be included in the strategy.
Below each action we have shown which housing success statement the action will make progress towards. These are the statements on page 26 which describe what success in housing means for disabled people.
Develop, consult on, and make publicly available, clear definitions of accessible homes, describing the 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).
Success area this progresses:
(d) the housing sector understands disabled people’s accessibility needs
Improve data matching between disabled people and social housing properties with accessible features that meet their needs and 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.
Success area this progresses:
(a) suitable housing options in the community allow disabled people to choose
(b) supply of accessible homes meets demand
Identify possible barriers to increasing supply of accessible houses in the private market and investigate opportunities to remove those barriers.
Understanding barriers to the supply of accessible housing will help target potential interventions to improve supply.
Success area this progresses:
(a) suitable housing options in the community allow disabled people to choose
(b) supply of accessible homes meets demand
Review and explore ways to improve the housing modification system.
Addressing inefficiencies in the housing modification system could reduce current problems: inaccessibility of homes, increased costs, and health and safety issues for disabled people, whānau and carers.
Success area this progresses:
(c) disabled people enjoy secure housing tenure and have the freedom to move
(f) suitable housing improves disabled people’s outcomes and helps to protect them from harm
Gather annual data on the housing-related needs of disabled people and compare this to what is being built in each region, to influence the housing market to build and make available more accessible housing.
Data will increase developers’ awareness of the housing-related needs of disabled people and raise the profile of the demand for accessible homes.
Success area this progresses:
(b) supply of accessible homes meets demand
(d) the housing sector understands disabled people’s accessibility needs
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.
Success area this progresses:
(d) the housing sector understands disabled people’s accessibility needs
(e) urban design and planning is fully accessible
Draft New Zealand Disability Strategy Part 4 - Justice
Video transcript
Justice
Goal for justice
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.
What success in justice means
For disabled people, success in access to justice means:
Disabled people, including disabled children, young people and adults in care, are safeguarded from abuse, neglect and violence.
The needs of disabled children and young people are understood and supported early to avoid them becoming involved in the care and protection or criminal justice systems.
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 consistently considered, and they have the right supports to transition out of those settings.
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.
The justice sector workforce will have the right skills and capabilities to uphold the rights of disabled people.9 This includes disability competence, Deaf competence, and an understanding of supported decision-making.
Disabled parents who use the Family Court will have equitable access to family justice services.
Text Box 2, Textbox
The case for change
Disabled people and their whānau have the same human rights and freedoms as non-disabled people. However, the rights and needs of many disabled people are often not met in the justice system itself and on the pathway into the justice system.
Disabled people are more likely than non-disabled people to be victims of crime, and for tāngata whaikaha Māori, the inequity is even greater. Age-adjusted data from the New Zealand Crime and Victims Survey10 shows that:
39 percent of disabled people in the New Zealand population had been victimised, compared with 30 percent of non-disabled people
35 percent of non-disabled Māori had been victimised, compared with 53 percent of tāngata whaikaha Māori.
Disabled people were also more likely to be victims of sexual and partner assault. The survey shows that, when adjusted for age:
41 percent of disabled people had an experience of sexual assault in their lifetime, compared with 24 percent of non-disabled people
35 percent of disabled people had an experience of partner assault in their lifetime, compared with 16 percent of non-disabled people.
The data above likely underrepresents victimisation and violence against disabled people, because data is not collected on disabled people in residential care or secure facilities, disabled young people in youth justice, or disabled adults in the criminal justice system.
Some factors can mean disabled people are more at risk of abuse than non-disabled people. These factors include some disabled people’s decision-making capacity, and having their decisions made by others who might misuse their powers. Disabled people face barriers to reporting crime and abuse. They may be afraid of retaliation or losing essential supports, or face assumptions that they are not credible or competent.
The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions (Royal Commission) found that Deaf and disabled people, and tāngata whaikaha Māori, disproportionately experienced abuse in care. The Royal Commission made a number of recommendations aimed at ensuring all State entities providing care, either directly or indirectly, have effective safeguarding measures and oversight, including accountable leadership. Safeguarding initiatives proposed in this Strategy are aligned with the Government’s formal response to the Royal Commission’s recommendations.
Disabled people are more likely to become involved in the criminal justice system and fare worse in that system than non-disabled people.
Data is limited, but the available evidence suggests that disabled people enter the criminal justice system in disproportionate numbers. This is in part because young people with intellectual (learning) disabilities or neurodevelopmental conditions are often identified late, or not at all, in the health and education systems – and may not get the supports they need from these systems. The higher levels of violence and abuse faced by disabled people may also contribute to disabled young people offending at higher levels, as there are strong links between childhood trauma and offending by children and young people.
Disabled people face significant barriers when they interact with the criminal justice system. Right across the justice system, the justice sector workforce lacks disability competence and Deaf cultural competence which are key to understanding the needs and upholding the rights of disabled people. Disabled people can experience poor treatment by police, including their reasonable accommodations not being met. Legal professionals, such as lawyers and court staff, often lack understanding of neurodevelopmental conditions, and how these may affect communication, behaviour, and decision-making capacity. These gaps in workforce capability can mean disabled people’s behaviour may be incorrectly seen as threatening, non-compliant or unreliable, leading to unnecessary escalations.
Disabled people face challenges in upholding their rights in legislation across the criminal and civil justice systems.
In the criminal justice system, disabled people may be treated differently from non-disabled people, creating natural justice issues. Various laws allow for people found unfit to stand trial, including disabled people, to be detained on a different standard of proof, than people found fit to stand trial.
In the civil justice system, under the Protection of Personal and Property Rights Act 1988 (PPPR) Act, a person not considered to have decision-making capacity can have someone appointed to make decisions for them. However, the Act can be difficult to follow.
There are also inequities relating to the rights of disabled people as parents and guardians. Under the Adoption Act 1955, the consent of birth parents or guardians can be waived if they are “unfit, by reason of any physical or mental incapacity”. The Family Court does not use a fixed definition of ‘unfit’ and may remove a parent as a guardian under the Care of Children Act 2004 if it is satisfied they are unfit. Ableist assumptions about disabled people’s parenting can create risks that may lead to their children being removed.
There is limited data about disabled people right across the criminal justice system. Pressing gaps include the lack of data on young disabled people in youth justice. The prevalence of disability among ‘crossover children’, who are involved with both the youth justice and care and protection systems, is thought to be significant, although estimates vary.11
Justice actions
These are the justice actions proposed to be included in the strategy.
Below each action we have shown which justice success statement the action will make progress towards. These are the statements on page 31 which describe what success in justice means for disabled people.
Develop and 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.
Success area this progresses:
(a) disabled people are safeguarded from abuse, neglect and violence
(c) disabled people’s rights and accessibility needs are consistently considered when they interact with the criminal justice system
Establish a cross-agency project to identify and address gaps in data and evidence about disabled people’s experiences of crime, including for disabled people in residential and secure facilities, and experiences of cyberbullying.
Success area this progresses:
(a) disabled people are safeguarded from abuse, neglect and violence
Develop a social investment plan for early intervention and support, to reduce the number of disabled children and young people entering the youth justice system.
Success area this progresses:
(b) disabled children and young people’s needs are supported early
The Law Commission has been asked to undertake a review of the Criminal Procedure (Mentally Impaired Persons) Act 2003 (CPMIP). This review is expected to consider the CPMIP’s relationship to other relevant legislation, such as the Intellectual Disability (Compulsory Care and Rehabilitation) Act 2003 and Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 1992.
Success area this progresses:
(d) disabled people unable to stand trial are treated consistently with the
New Zealand Bill of Rights Act
Review, as work programmes allow, the effectiveness of current protections for disabled people in family law, including adoption, guardianship and personal property rights, to identify gaps where strengthened provisions or support are needed. Any review should also consider supported decision-making and use of plain language in key justice sector legislation and processes. Consideration should be given to reviewing human rights legislation, as work programmes allow.
Success area this progresses:
(f) equitable access to family justice services
Integrate lessons from disability-specific safeguarding approaches into the development of the future state for multi-agency responses to family violence, to strengthen outcomes for disabled people experiencing violence and abuse. This includes supporting workforce capability to ensure a coordinated, safe and disabled-person centred response.
Success area this progresses:
(a) disabled people are safeguarded from abuse, neglect and violence
(e) the justice workforce has the right skills to uphold the rights of disabled people
Develop and implement a plan to make the justice sector workforce more disability competent, including in the use of mana and trauma informed practices. This plan would include increasing recruitment and retention of disabled people and should consider mandatory professional standards.
Success area this progresses:
(c) disabled people’s rights and accessibility needs are consistently considered when they interact with the criminal justice system
(e) the justice workforce has the right skills to uphold the rights of disabled people