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Whaikaha Ministry of Disabled People View our
NZSL name

Connecting and strengthening disability communities

The Ministry provides and oversees supports that relate to tāngata whaikaha Māori and disabled people, and their whānau, to access services and information by investing in provider and workforce capability, NASCs and Disability Information and Advice Services (DIAS).

Enabling Good Lives

There are three EGL sites in Christchurch, Waikato and Mana Whaikaha in Palmerston North. The EGL sites were inherited as part of the transition and no new sites have been added. In 2023/24, there were 90 people working across these locations, with approximately 4,500 disabled people accessing support through them.

The EGL sites have continued to support their communities to adapt to changes to the purchase rules in a relational way, and to focus on seeing the options that continue to be available for support. The ongoing work of the Directors’ Funding Panel is achieving increased convergence in practice across the sites, and providing additional assurance about the consistency and quality of decision-making for high-cost funding packages.

Some key highlights across sites during the year are:

  • Connecting with an experienced Behaviour Support Specialist in managing packages under EGL Waikato. This is an expansion of specialist facilitation, which help with personal budgets and the supports delivered through them to be as effective as possible.
  • EGL Waikato working alongside a local residential care provider to support them to take a more authentic approach to living arrangements and broaden the range of living situations.
  • Developing an internal website for EGL Christchurch updated with community resources to reduce research time for Connectors and strengthen the use of alternatives to personal budgets. This has been shared with the local NASC to support them as well.
  • Mana Whaikaha relocated to a new building in Palmerston North. This move has delivered on a longstanding hope from the Mid-Central community that there is a bespoke space that the community can come into.

This year, Mana Whaikaha has had a particular focus on ‘Mainstream First’:

  • The Community Development team has been successful in rolling out the ‘Companion Card’ in the Horowhenua, making mainstream support for disabled people more affordable and reducing reliance on personal budgets to meet some expenses supporters might incur.
  • Mana Whaikaha has continued to deepen the relationship with MSD, to ensure seamless support across government. This includes supporting the Ministry to ensure that disabled people access their full and fair entitlements and manage risks that benefits will lapse from non-contact with the system. It has also involved ensuring kaimahi/staff understand existing mainstream support.

Payment for family members for support services

People receiving disability supports have the option to choose to pay a family member to provide those supports. This applies to supports that would otherwise be provided by a support worker through the Ministry’s funding and Health New Zealand-funded support services. The Ministry has utilised this funding to address increases in costs where disabled people were receiving Family Funded Carer services and are now receiving Individualised Funding and other flexible supports.

New Zealand Sign Language Board

Latest data from the 2023 Census shows the number of New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) users has increased to almost 25,000 people. Of this group, around 4,500  are estimated to be Deaf.  NZSL is fundamental to learning, communicating and participating in society. International research illustrates that access to sign language is a strong predictor of good health and wellbeing outcomes for Deaf people. 

The Ministry provides support for to the NZSL Board in its key functions:

  • maintaining and promoting the use of NZSL
  • ensuring the rights of Deaf people and NZSL users to use NZSL
  • providing advice to the Government and the community on NZSL.

This includes co-ordinating government monitoring and reporting on the implementation of the NZSL Strategy, UNCRPD and the New Zealand Disability Strategy, as well as executive support for the Board’s Annual Report, responses to Official Information Act requests and correspondence with the NZSL community. 

During the last year the Ministry and the NZSL Board have:

  • progressed work to develop the next NZSL Strategy 2025 to address systemic barriers to the use of NZSL and explore opportunities for its growth
  • continued investing in strategic contracts aimed at promoting and maintaining NZSL, such as contracting Victoria University to maintain and update the NZSL Dictionary
  • allocated $175,000 in community grants to maintain and promote NZSL
  • refreshed the Board by appointing a new Chair and three new members
  • strengthened relationships between the NZSL Board and its advisory body, Te Rōpū Kaitiaki, and supported the development of an action plan for Turi Māori
  • delivered the Sign Language Proficiency Interview service, to assess the NZSL proficiency of educators and other NZSL users
  • progressed policy work to explore how to implement a high-quality, professional NZSL interpreting standards system, and improvements to the accessibility of the NZSL Community Grant process 
  • launched a new stand-alone website for the NZSL Board.

Pacific disabled people

Pacific people’s perspectives on disability differ from non-Pacific people, reflecting their belief in the interconnectedness of health, spirituality and social aspects of life.

Pacific disabled people experience less equitable outcomes in comparison with other groups.

The Ministry is undertaking initiatives to improve disability support and services, accessible information and cultural responsiveness to the needs of the diverse communities we serve.

Over the past year, our focus has been on developing and publishing the inaugural National Pacific Disability Action Plan (Action Plan), with community leaders involved at every step of Plan’s development to ensure that each Island group’s voice was valued and heard.

A series of 20 talanoa facilitated by regional leadership and respective Island groups was held across New Zealand, bringing together over 1,000 Pacific disabled people, their aiga/whānau, carers, community leaders, Pacific NGOs/providers and extended family.

The talanoa highlighted a crucial need to place greater emphasis and value on families who, out of deep cultural values, love and a strong sense of duty are often the primary caregivers for many Pacific disabled people. Providing access to the necessary tools, information and assistance will support both the Pacific disabled person and their family networks.

The Action Plan sets out priorities, initiatives and actions over the next five years to improve outcomes for Pacific disabled people and their families.

It provides a foundational framework from a Pacific disability perspective, ensuring that community-led initiatives and solutions are effectively integrated and supported by the Ministry. This includes improving disability literacy in communities to reduce stigma and promote inclusive attitudes, addressing workforce gaps through cultural competence and targeted recruitment, and strengthening support for families by improving access to resources and services.

A comprehensive monitoring and evaluation framework is being developed, incorporating a flexible Pacific model with culturally relevant practices and values to track progress and assess impact.