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Disability strategy working group members announced

Members of the new working groups tasked with developing actions for a refreshed New Zealand disability strategy have been appointed.

Working groups drawn from the disabled community, industry and government agencies will together develop actions in the five key areas of education, employment, health, housing and justice.

Complementary work to refresh the vision and principles of the strategy will also progress so all public policy and services, communities, the private sector and the disability community can work together to support fair access to services and full community participation for disabled people. The draft strategy will go to the wider disabled community later this year for further review before being agreed by Cabinet.

Whaikaha is managing the refresh. The Ministry plays a crucial role in driving real and meaningful change for disabled people and tāngata whaikaha Māori. We work across central and local government, businesses, and communities to make a difference. The draft strategy will go to the wider disabled community later this year for further review before being agreed by Cabinet.

In total there are 26 members across five working groups and the chairs of each group are:

  • Education – Grant Cleland has lived experience and worked in the health, disability, education and employment sectors for more than 30 years at governance, senior leadership and practitioner levels. Recently he has worked extensively in the education sector on the development and implementation of Disability Action Plans and as a member of the NZQA Board.
  • Employment – Lorraine Toki has a background in community development and held leadership roles supporting hapū and iwi development.
  • Health – Dr Josephine Herman is a Public Health Physician, a GP and the Chief Clinical Advisor for Pacific Health, with the Pacific Health Directorate, Public Health Agency, Ministry of Health. In 2020 as Secretary (Director General) of Health for the Cook Island’s Ministry of Health she helped lead the national emergency health response to COVID-19.
  • Housing - Daniel Clay is chief executive of iwi-owned Ngā Maunga Whakahii o Kaipara Whenua Hoko Holding Ltd, a property and housing investment and development entity. Daniel’s daughter has cerebral palsy and is a wheelchair user. He is President and Chair of the Cerebral Palsy Society of New Zealand.
  • Justice – Paul Gibson has lived experience of disability and is a former Disability Rights Commissioner and a former Commissioner for the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry.

Find more information about the working group members

Find Minister for Disability Issues Louise Upston's media release external URL .