Hon Louise Upston
Minister for Disability Issues

New Zealand’s strategy to improve the lives and uphold the rights of disabled people will be refreshed using an innovative new approach, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced.

“The current 10-year strategy ends in 2026 and has provided a valuable focus for disability work during the past decade,” Louise Upston says.

“While progress has been made, there is clearly more to do.

“We’re going to tackle the next refresh in a new way. In a New Zealand first, working groups drawn from the disabled community, industry and government agencies will develop actions in key focus areas. The draft strategy will then go to the wider disabled community for further review before being agreed.

“The resulting document will endure for five years, focusing on key areas where differences can be made for disabled people including education, employment, health, housing and justice.

“This is an exciting opportunity. The Ministry of Disabled People - Whaikaha is managing the refresh process, and has received almost 350 expressions of interest from disabled people keen to take part.

“Recent data from the Stats NZ Household Disability Survey found disabled New Zealanders continue to face many barriers, for example in education, employment and housing.

“We know 1 in 6 New Zealanders are disabled, yet three quarters of unemployed disabled people want to be working which means creating employment opportunities must be an important focus.

“Disabled people, like non-disabled people, want to participate in their communities, to thrive and make decisions about their own lives.

“There will be challenges ahead as the refresh proceeds, but equally there are also huge opportunities to make a positive difference,” Louise Upston says.

Notes

• The new strategy will also guide the work of government agencies to meet New Zealand’s obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled Persons.
• The Convention sets out what is needed to fulfil existing human rights for disabled people. It does not set out new rights.
• New Zealand agreed the Convention in 2008 and has an obligation to implement it over time (often referred to as progressive realisation).

© Scoop Media