Arts, culture, and heritage participation for disabled people
In February 2026, the Ministry for Culture & Heritage - Manatū Taonga released a report on New Zealanders’ cultural participation during 2025.
Nau mai, haere mai.
Welcome to Whaikaha - Ministry of Disabled People.
About 1 in 6 New Zealanders are disabled. We work across government, businesses, and communities to improve outcomes for them.
We focus on things that make a tangible difference to disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori, and their families and whānau, whether that means working with partners to get more people into employment or making New Zealand more accessible.
Disabled people and tāngata whaikaha Māori make an important contribution to society and the economy. We have a huge opportunity for that to grow even further.
Whaikaha does not provide direct support to disabled people or their families. For more information about services and support available, visit Disability Support Services.
News from Whaikaha
Many people with intellectual disability face material hardship
In June 2025, IHC released ‘The Cost of Exclusion: Hardship and People with Intellectual Disability in New Zealand’.
Labour market statistics for disabled people: June 2026 quarter
Stats NZ’s 'Labour market statistics: June 2026' quarter provides a picture of the New Zealand labour market.
About Whaikaha
Get to know Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People, our role in Government, and our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Find resources on collecting and using disability data and recent updates from across New Zealand.
The New Zealand Disability Strategy gives direction to government agencies on issues disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori and whānau say are important.