Who we are
Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People was established to collaborate with the disability community, Māori, and government for a better, more independent future for disabled people and whānau in New Zealand.
About 1 in 6 New Zealanders are disabled – almost 900,000 people. By making New Zealand more accessible and inclusive, we can unlock opportunities everywhere and grow the important contribution disabled people make to society and the economy.
Our role is to drive real and meaningful change.
- System leadership and societal change: We lead the government’s approach to accessibility, the New Zealand Sign Language Board, the New Zealand Disability Strategy, and compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
- Strategic policy: We advise on matters affecting disabled people, including education, health, employment, transport, and housing.
- System-level monitoring: We evaluate and monitor progress and outcomes for disabled people.
- Disability information and advice: We provide information for the disabled community, including the coordination of alternative formats.
- Facilitate government relationships with disabled people: We support other government organisations to connect with the diverse needs of disabled people.
Disability support services external URL are now provided by the Ministry for Social Development.
We're the first government ministry to have a name in three languages:
- te reo Māori
- English
- and New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL)
Learn more about our journey to finding our names external URL .
Our history
Launched on 1 July 2022, Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People is the result of many years of work by people in the disability community and government.
In 2023, the Office for Disability Issues was integrated into the Ministry of Disabled People.
A brief history of disability in Aotearoa New Zealand external URL provides a more detailed overview of disability in New Zealand before Whaikaha – the Ministry of Disabled People was established.
Working across government
We support other government agencies to respond more effectively to the needs of disabled people in areas such as employment, education, health, and housing.
Honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi
Te Tiriti o Waitangi is central to our Ministry.
We are giving effect to core principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi through our mahi/work.
These include:
- kāwanatanga: Partnership and shared decision-making
- rangatiratanga: Protection, revitalisation and development of taonga
- rite tahi: Equity, participation and equality and non-discrimination.
As a Crown agency, Whaikaha is a Treaty partner committed to supporting and enabling Māori, whānau, hapū, iwi, and communities so that tāngata whaikaha me ō rātou whānau realise their aspirations.
Whaikaha is committed to meeting its Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations through partnerships with Māori in decisions, pursuing equitable outcomes for tāngata whaikaha Māori, and embedding Te Tiriti o Waitangi into the way we work with and for Māori.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) are foundational to Whaikaha.
Our whakatauākī
In Māori culture, a whakatauāki is like a story which has a deeper meaning. It always aims to teach the reader something – for example, a principle to live by or a way to be.
Our whakatauākī, written by Tim Worrall of Ngāi Tūhoe, underpins the visual language for the Ministry. It tells a beautiful story to describe a core promise the Ministry represents – thriving futures for all our disabled communities.
Our whakatauākī is:
Me he aka rātā ka tipu-tahi, ka puāwai-tahi kia tū kaha I ngā hihi ō Tamanuiterā.
Like the rātā vines constantly growing and flourishing together to stand strong in the warmth of the sun.
Our accessibility charter
The team setting up our Ministry worked to the principles of the Accessibility Charter, which was co-designed by the Ministry for Social Development (MSD) and Disabled People's Organisations:
- Blind Citizens NZ
- Deaf Aotearoa
- People First New Zealand.
Read the full Accessibility Charter: A commitment to accessible information external URL on the MSD website.