PVI provided feedback to Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People on the draft refresh of the NZ Disability Strategy. Below is a short summary of our feedback, or you can download the full feedback (at the bottom of the page).
DISABILITY STRATEGY – CONDENSED FEEDBACK SUMMARY
Key Gaps Across All Sectors
- Exclusion of Complex and High Needs Individuals
- Actions largely target mild/moderate or single-area disabilities.
- Intellectual disabilities, non-verbal children, and multi-disability individuals consistently absent.
- Lack of Funding, Enforcement, and Accountability
- Most action points are aspirational or guidance-based.
- No mandatory measures, enforceable obligations, or timelines for implementation.
- Consultation feedback is not linked to tangible outcomes.
- Insufficient Integration Across Sectors
- Education, employment, and health actions are siloed.
- Limited linkage between school, post-school transitions, and workforce participation.
- Digital infrastructure gaps undermine implementation (e.g., health accessibility records, learning support coordination).
- Disconnected from Lived Experience
- Parents and whānau report strategy appears “outsider-written” or AI-generated.
- Whānau and child voices largely absent in design and execution.
- Structural Barriers Ignored
- BOTs, employers, housing providers, and health institutions lack accountability.
- Ableism, stigma, and service inflexibility remain unaddressed.
- Māori and Kaupapa Māori contexts underrepresented, especially in education and health.
Sector-Specific Recommendations
Education
- Mandatory, funded professional development for teachers, TAs, and BOTs.
- Include complex and high needs learners in all programs.
- Embed transition planning from school to tertiary education and employment.
- Ensure accountability for inclusive practice, particularly for ORS-funded children.
Employment
- Include complex, intellectual, and multi-disability individuals in all employment actions.
- Address systemic barriers, ableism, and employer accountability.
- Link initiatives to education and school-to-work transitions.
- Implement measurable outcomes and monitoring for all disability types.
Health
- Embed whānau and child voice throughout health services.
- Fund accessible, inclusive health services and digital infrastructure.
- Include all disability types, including intellectual and complex needs, in workforce planning.
- Support disabled people in frontline, professional, and leadership roles, not only peer support.
- Ensure accountability and monitoring of health system improvements.
Housing
- Fund and enforce accessible new builds and home modifications.
- Cover all disability types, including intellectual and complex needs.
- Separate housing provision from disability service delivery where appropriate.
- Embed monitoring and accountability for housing providers.
- Prioritize disabled people and whānau needs over bureaucratic rules.
Overall: Parents and whānau report a consistent lack of practical, funded, enforceable actions across sectors. The disability strategy currently risks being aspirational “vibes” without real-world impact, especially for high needs and complex disability populations. Immediate attention to accountability, cross-sector integration, and lived experience inclusion is essential.
DISABILITY STRATEGY FEEDBACK (SUMMARY)
| Sector | Key Gaps / Issues | Recommendations |
| Education | – Focus on mild/moderate disabilities; complex/high needs children absent – Teacher training insufficiently mandatory, ongoing, or targeted – BOTs not held accountable for inclusion – Transition to tertiary education/employment missing | – Fund mandatory, on-the-job professional development for teachers, TAs, and BOTs – Include complex/high needs learners in all programs – Embed transition planning from school to work and tertiary education – Ensure school accountability for inclusive practices |
| Employment | – Focus on physically disabled, single-area disabilities – Intellectual and complex disabilities excluded – Overemphasis on awareness campaigns; systemic barriers ignored – No accountability for employers | – Include all disability types, including complex/intellectual needs – Address systemic ableism and barriers – Link employment initiatives to education and transition programs – Implement measurable outcomes and monitoring – Support meaningful career progression, not just entry-level roles |
| Health | – Whānau and child voices largely absent – Digital infrastructure gaps (NHI, accessibility needs) impede action – Frontline roles for disabled people under-supported; focus on peer support roles – Intellectual and complex disabilities ignored | – Embed whānau and child voice in all health actions – Fund accessible, inclusive services and digital infrastructure – Include all disability types in workforce planning – Support frontline, professional, and leadership roles – Implement monitoring and accountability mechanisms |
| Housing | – Generic actions; no funding for new builds or modifications – Intellectual and complex needs absent – Slow, inflexible processes (e.g., Kāinga Ora) – No separation between housing provision and disability services | – Fund and enforce accessible housing and modifications – Include all disability types – Separate housing provision from service delivery where needed – Embed monitoring and accountability – Prioritize disabled people and whānau needs over bureaucratic rules |
| Justice | – Complex/high needs, intellectual, and non-verbal disabled people largely absent – Workforce lacks mandatory disability competence, Deaf competence, trauma-informed and supported decision-making training – Frameworks aspirational, under-resourced, unclear timelines – Lived experience and whānau input not consistently included | – Include all disability types in justice actions – Mandate workforce training in disability competence, Deaf competence, trauma-informed and supported decision-making – Fund, resource, and enforce safeguarding frameworks – Embed lived experience and whānau input throughout policy, design, and monitoring – Implement culturally safe approaches for Māori and whānau |
Cross-Sector Observations
- Complex, high needs, and intellectually disabled individuals are consistently excluded.
- Actions are aspirational, lacking funding, enforcement, and accountability.
- Consultation perceived as disconnected from lived experience; AI/writing concerns reported.
- Parents report frustration with repetitive, non-impactful consultation processes.
- Cross-sector integration (education → employment → health → housing) is weak.
You can read the full submission here:
