Publication information
Accessibility Statement
Mihi
E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā whetū o te ao whaikaha, tēnei te mihi ki a koutou katoa!
Mā te ngākau pono, mā te mahi ngātahi, ka whakahoungia te ao whaikaha mō ngā whakatipuranga e haere ake nei.
E Tū tonu, kia kōkiri whakamua.
To the esteemed, the voices, and the guiding stars of the disability world, we acknowledge you all.
With integrity and collaboration, we will transform the disability world for future generations.
Keep standing strong, advance and drive meaningful change.
Whakatauākī
Me he aka rātā ka tipu tahi, ka puāwai tahi kia tū kaha I ngā hihi o Tamanuiterā.
Like the rātā vines growing together and flourishing to stand strong in the warmth of the sun.
Our whakatauākī, gifted by Tim Worrall of Ngāi Tūhoe, tells a story to describe a core promise the Ministry represents – thriving futures for all of our disabled communities. Our logo was designed to reflect rātā vines growing and flourishing together.
Minister's
foreword
New Zealand is an international leader on disability rights – a commitment this Government is proud to continue. As the system steward for disability issues across government, I am pleased to see the Ministry of Disabled People - Whaikaha set out its strategic intentions to support disabled people to thrive in New Zealand.
One in six New Zealanders is disabled. Disabled people make a significant contribution to Aotearoa New Zealand socially, culturally and economically, but still face barriers in daily life. With these barriers reduced, the contribution of disabled people can only grow. The everyday stories I hear from disabled people make clear that government has a key role in removing these barriers by ensuring public services work well for all New Zealanders.
Over the 2025 to 2028 period of these strategic intentions, the Ministry has undertaken to deliver important work programmes, including a refresh of the New Zealand Disability Strategy, a refresh of the New Zealand Sign Language Strategy, and the Government response to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Ministry also intends to continue contributing to important cross-government priorities, including the Government Targets.
The Ministry will focus on making measurable improvements to the outcomes that are important to disabled people, including accessibility, education, employment, health, housing and justice. This will mean a strong focus on public services – but government, business and the community all have a role to play in improving the lives of disabled New Zealanders.
Through collaboration and a drive for outcomes, government can create real and meaningful change with disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori and their whānau.
I am satisfied the Ministry of Disabled People - Whaikaha strategic intentions are consistent with the policies and performance expectations of the Government.
Minister for Disability Issues
Chief Executive's
foreword
The Ministry of Disabled People - Whaikaha is pleased to set out our strategic intentions from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2028. In our strategic intentions, we commit to our Ministry vision of disabled people thriving in New Zealand, and we show how we will achieve that vision by driving real and meaningful change with disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori and their whānau.
In 2024, the Government undertook an Independent Review into Disability Support Services. As part of the response to the review, Cabinet agreed the Ministry would become a standalone public service department from December 2024, with a system stewardship role for disability issues across government. Our strategic intentions lay out how we will play this stewardship role to deliver on Government priorities.
Our work is evidence informed, and we know there is much to be done. Data from the 2023 Household Disability Survey shows that one in six New Zealanders, or 17 percent, are disabled, with some populations experiencing higher rates of disability and poorer outcomes. This data also shows many disabled people continue to face barriers, leading to inequitable outcomes compared to non-disabled people. The removal of these barriers creates opportunities, not just for disabled people themselves, but for all of New Zealand.
The Ministry has six strategic outcomes: accessibility, education, employment, health, housing and justice. We are leading on several government priorities, including the New Zealand Disability Strategy, which has education, employment, health, housing and justice as its five outcome areas. Our other major work programmes are the New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Strategy refresh, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) response, the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care response, the Accessibility Work Programme, work to create employment opportunities in the public service, and our Reshaping our Ministry project.
We are also supporting cross-government priorities, including the Government Targets, by providing second opinion advice, offering expertise on disability, and by brokering opportunities for disabled people to have input into public policy. At the same time, as part of our system steward function, we keep an overview of other major issues that are important to disabled people, such as transport and developments in technology.
The Ministry will continue to work with disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori and their whānau to drive meaningful change. Their perspectives, experiences and voices are integral to creating a better future for us all. We know that everyone has a role in improving the lives of disabled people, and we will keep building relationships across central and local government, business and industry, and the community to make change together.
Our ability to deliver our work rests on a strong and well-performing Ministry. I will continue our work embedding the Ministry’s operating model to make sure we have the appropriate capability and systems to ensure our success.
I look forward to leading the Ministry of Disabled People - Whaikaha to deliver on our strategic intentions, and our contribution to a New Zealand where disabled people thrive.
In signing this information, I acknowledge that I am responsible for the information on strategic intentions for the Ministry of Disabled People - Whaikaha. This information has been prepared in accordance with section 38 and section 40 of the Public Finance Act 1989.
Secretary for Disabled People and Chief Executive
Ministry of Disabled People - Whaikaha
1 Introduction Tīmatanga kōrero
In this section
Who we are
Our history
The Ministry of Disabled People - Whaikaha (the Ministry) was established on 1 July 2022. Our mission was to work in partnership with the disability community, Māori and the Government for a better, more independent future for disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori and their whānau.
Originally a departmental agency hosted by the Ministry of Social Development (MSD), our dual mandate was to improve and strengthen the way disability supports are provided, and advance societal change to improve outcomes for disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori and their whānau.
During 2024, the Government undertook an Independent Review into Disability Support Services, which were provided by the Ministry at that time. As a result of the review, the Disability Support Services part of the Ministry was transferred to MSD.
On 1 December 2024, our Ministry moved from being a departmental agency hosted by MSD to a standalone public service department. Cabinet agreed a stewardship role for the standalone Ministry to drive change with disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori and their whānau.
Our strategic framework
Our vision
Disabled people thriving in New Zealand
Our purpose
Driving real and meaningful change with disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori and their whānau
Our strategic outcomes
We strive to reduce barriers, and improve equity between disabled and non-disabled people, in these areas:
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Guiding frameworks
Our work is guided by Te Tiriti o Waitangi (the Treaty of Waitangi), domestic law and international human rights responsibilities, especially the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).
We promote the Enabling Good Lives principles and approach across society, drawing insights from the lived experiences of disabled people and tāngata whaikaha Māori, to reflect their voices and perspectives in our work.
Our context
Disabled people and tāngata whaikaha Māori are diverse, with diverse experiences. The Ministry of Disabled People - Whaikaha is the system steward for disability issues across, and beyond, government. While there is no one way of defining disability, and some groups and communities prefer not to use the word ‘disabled’, the Ministry works with many groups and communities, including Deaf people and Turi Māori.
The Ministry uses the ‘social model’ to understand disability. Originating from the disability rights movement, the social model holds that disability is not caused by people’s impairments alone but by the barriers created when society is not accessible. Society has a responsibility to remove these barriers so disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori and their whānau can access things on the same basis as everyone else, make a valued contribution, and thrive.
Data from the 2023 Household Disability Survey shows that 851,000 people, or 17 percent of the population, were disabled. Some population groups had higher disability rates than the national rate.
The 2023 Household Disability Survey showed 10 percent of children aged 0 to 14 years were disabled, but this rate rises steadily as people get older, to reach 35 percent for people aged 65 years and over.
People were counted as disabled if they had difficulty in one or more key aspects of human functioning (domains) identified in the survey, and their level of difficulty met a threshold for that domain. For children, the most common domains are mental health (anxiety or depression) and accepting change to their routines. For adults, the most common domains are sensory difficulties (seeing or hearing) and cognitive difficulties.
Despite many gains, disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori and their whānau continue to face significant barriers in their everyday lives. For example, in the 2023 Household Disability Survey, 62 percent of disabled people had at least one unmet need for support, including half (51 percent) of disabled school students who had at least one unmet need for support at school.
Carers, too, are facing barriers. Compared with carers of non-disabled children, the 2023 Household Disability Survey showed that carers of disabled children were more likely to feel stressed all or most of the time, less likely to have a paid job, and much less likely to say they have enough or more than enough spare time. Some found it hard to find support to look after their child.
The ongoing barriers faced by disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori and their whānau have important implications for public services, which do not always respond sufficiently to barriers, or may even create them. The New Zealand Disability Strategy is one important way the Government commits to reducing barriers and supporting disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori and their whānau to thrive.
Addressing barriers creates opportunities for all of New Zealand – and more can be done to realise the untapped potential of the disabled workforce. The 2023 Household Disability Survey showed that 72 percent of disabled people aged 15 to 64 years who did not have a job would like to be employed, and identified the kinds of supports that would help them to find work. With those supports in place, more disabled people could contribute to New Zealand’s economic growth.
Work in recent years means government is well-placed to help disabled people thrive. For example, a range of surveys, including by Stats NZ, have begun collecting data on disabled people. This means that, in addition to the rich data collected through the 2023 Household Disability Survey, we now have a wide range of data that allows us to compare outcomes for disabled and non-disabled people across many areas of life.
Our challenge is to turn insights into action, and working with others, turn action into better outcomes for disabled people.
New Zealand has affirmed its commitment to disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori and their whānau by ratifying the UNCRPD in 2008. The Ministry’s role is to act as a system steward, helping New Zealand give effect to this commitment. Through this role, we will drive real and meaningful change – ensuring disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori and their whānau thrive.
Our stewardship functions
The Ministry is the system steward for disability issues across, and beyond, government. Our job is to look across different sectors, think long term, and work with others to drive real and meaningful change with disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori and their whānau. We have five stewardship functions, agreed by Cabinet in August 2024.
System leadership and societal change
Strategic policy
System-level monitoring
Disability information and advice
Relationship building with disabled communities
2 Our strategic direction Tō mātou ahunga rautaki
In this section
Our strategic outcomes
The Ministry has six strategic outcomes that guide us in our work. These strategic outcomes reflect areas that are important to disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori and their whānau. While we also keep a system steward overview of other major issues that are important to disabled people, such as transport and developments in technology, our strategic outcomes are our main focus.
We progress our strategic outcomes through work we lead, including the New Zealand Disability Strategy and the Government response to the UNCRPD. We also contribute second opinion advice and disability expertise to cross-government work programmes such as the Government Targets, which are strongly aligned with all of our strategic outcomes. We draw on the voices and experiences of disabled people as well as data and research evidence to inform decision-makers.
Our strategic outcomes relate to one another, and help us take a life course approach that sees connections between the different parts of disabled people’s lives, and changes in their lives over time. For example, when accessibility is improved, it can increase a disabled person’s participation in education, which in turn flows through to better employment outcomes. Going forward, we plan to increase our Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI) capability to carry out research, so we can better understand where and how disabled people interact with the system over their lives, and identify areas to focus our efforts for the most impact.
Accessibility
All disabled people can access the places, services and information they need, and fully participate in their communities with ease and dignity.
Why this strategic outcome?
Our contribution
Education
Disabled people have a positive experience of schooling and tertiary education, and are supported to achieve strong educational outcomes.
Why this strategic outcome?
Our contribution
Employment
Disabled people have access to employment on an equal basis with others, in an inclusive and accessible labour market that provides them with equal remuneration for work of equal value.
Why this strategic outcome?
Our contribution
Health
Disabled people have the highest attainable standards of health and wellbeing.
Why this strategic outcome?
Our contribution
Housing
All disabled people have access to, and can make choices about, suitable housing.
Why this strategic outcome?
Our contribution
Justice
Disabled people can access and participate in justice services that are responsive to their needs.
Why this strategic outcome?
Our contribution
3 How we operate as an organisation Ā mātou mahi hei rōpū
In this section
Our work programme
The Ministry is leading a strategic work programme with seven major projects, many of which will deliver significant milestones in the next 12 to 18 months.
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The New Zealand Disability Strategy refresh
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The New Zealand Sign Language Strategy refresh
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United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities response
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Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care response
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Accessibility Work Programme
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Creating employment opportunities in the public service
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Reshaping our Ministry
The next 12 to 18 months will lay the foundations for the period that follows, with much of our future work programme to be determined by the refreshed New Zealand Disability Strategy and New Zealand Sign Language Strategy, and by the Government response to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State Care. We anticipate that once the foundations for our future work programme are laid, it may require us to update our strategic intentions in about two years’ time.
How we work with others
As a system steward, the Ministry works in collaboration with others to drive real and meaningful change. Our valued relationships are at the heart of what we do.
Our three organisational values provide the foundation for the way that we work. We aim to work in ways that are values-based, and this helps to foster trust, capability and confidence.
We value the insights and contributions that our communities bring and recognise the demands on their time in an increasingly complex environment. It is important to provide time and resources for relationships to develop as this sets a strong foundation for building relationships that are meaningful, sustainable and enduring.
Growing community capability and leadership is part of our commitment to reciprocal relationships based on shared success so that disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori and their whānau can thrive. This includes growing governance capability and supporting disabled people and tāngata whaikaha Māori into governance roles across the public sector.
Disability groups and communities
Māori-Crown relationships
Central and local government
Business and industry
The wider community
Our values
We are a Ministry based on three enduring values.
Mana taurite Equity drives us
Mana kaha We strengthen and support
Mana tūhura We explore and learn
Our team
We have approximately 80 fulltime equivalent staff members, and about 62 percent of our staff are disabled.
We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations. This means creating an environment intended to ensure equality of opportunity by meeting an employee’s needs in relation to disability, family commitments, and particular religious practices or ethical beliefs.
Te reo Māori, tikanga, whakataukī and karakia are woven into our daily life as a Ministry.
We are arranged into three groups, each led by a Deputy Chief Executive.
Strategy and Enablement
Our Strategy and Enablement Group is responsible for making sure the Ministry has the capability to achieve our purpose, by delivering our corporate functions, delivering the Alternate Formats service, and ensuring probity, risk management and safety.
Deputy Chief Executive Ginny Baddeley
Policy and Insights
Our Policy and Insights Group leads advice to Ministers, and progresses major work programmes, such as the refresh of the New Zealand Disability Strategy and the Government response to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Group focuses on system-level change supported by data and insights.
Deputy Chief Executive Ben O’Meara
Outreach and Innovation
Our Outreach and Innovation Group delivers accessibility initiatives, invests in community governance capability and leadership, develops trust with our stakeholders, and creates a strong foundation from which we can influence.
Deputy Chief Executive Rebecca Elvy
Kaihautū – Chief Advisor Māori
Our Chief Executive is also supported by a Kaihautū – Chief Advisor Māori, who sits on the Executive Leadership Team and grows our Ministry capability to maintain effective Māori-Crown relationships and act as an honourable Tiriti partner.
Kaihautū
Ronelle Baker
Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga a Hauiti, Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Ngāti Apakura, Ngāpuhi
As part of our transition to a standalone public service department, we are undergoing a ‘Reshaping our Ministry’ process to build on areas identified by the Independent Review, and make sure we are well-placed to deliver on the stewardship role Cabinet agreed for us. We are setting in place a new operating model that includes the structure, capabilities, culture and processes that will ensure our success.
Measuring our performance
The Ministry uses three broad types of performance measures.
Our strategic outcome measures show how disabled people are faring in relation to our strategic outcomes. These measures form part of our system-level monitoring role, including our role reporting annually on the New Zealand Disability Strategy, and will also be made public in our dashboard reporting of the outcome areas of the New Zealand Disability Strategy. They help indicate the effectiveness of cross-government work to improve outcomes for disabled people.
Our appropriation measures show how well we have delivered our external commitments and made use of our funding. These measures include the quality of our policy advice and Ministerial satisfaction with our policy advice.
Our work programme measures use typical reporting and project approaches to show how we are delivering on our work programme. We provide a quarterly work programme report to the Minister for Disability Issues, summarised on our website.