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A dedicated Ministry for Disabled People is coming! - Brochure

The new Ministry for Disabled People’s journey begins from 1 July 2022.

So what does this mean for you?

Disabled people deserve better

Disabled people deserve a way to engage and shape a better future for themselves. This is the reason for the new Ministry

The new Ministry will take the lead for disability support services and transforming them so that in the future, disabled people have more control over the services they

receive. It will work with disabled people to put an Enabling Good Lives (EGL) approach in place across New Zealand.

The Ministry will:

  • Lead and coordinate strategic disability policy across government
  • Deliver and transform disability support services
  • Work to transform the wider disability system
  • Work in partnership with disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori, families and whānau and Māori.

What is happening now?

There’s a team of people called the Establishment Unit, whose job it is to set up the new Ministry.

The Establishment Unit is making sure the new Ministry has what it needs in place when it starts:

  • A name and location
  • Staff
  • Equipment and processes (like finance and communications systems).

The Establishment Unit is also making sure the new Ministry is set up to meet the challenges for the future. This means the Ministry will:

  • Listen and respond to the voices of disabled people and their families and whānau
  • Work with disabled people as partners
  • Give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi
  • Operate in line with Enabling Good Lives principles.

It will take time for the new Ministry to be fully established. Disabled people will continue to be part of leading and shaping the new Ministry’s development.

Here are some key questions:

Will my services change?

Don’t worry – if you receive disability support services or funding, they will not be affected. Current disability support services and funding will remain the same during this transition period.

Why isn’t the new Ministry rolling out Enabling Good Lives immediately?

There is work to do, building on the information from the current sites, to confirm the Enabling Good Lives model to be rolled out and how

that happens in each region. That will be done in partnership with disabled people and family/whānau. Many communities also want time to build their regional leadership so they can better work with the new Ministry on the Enabling Good Lives approach in their region.

Where can I get more information on the work being done or anything about the new Ministry?

Email us and we will send you our regular updates. See the back page for the email address and other ways to get info.

We want to hear from you

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This is just the beginning of a new journey!

Your voice, opinion and involvement matter.

There is a real opportunity for the disability community to have a say, be heard, and get involved in shaping a better future, so we encourage everyone in the disability community, their whānau, and friends to have a say.

The Establishment Unit will share the collective views of the community with the incoming Chief Executive when they start on 1 July so please use any of the below to contact us.

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