6 Sept 2000: Karen Poutasi, Director-General, Ministry of Health

Banquet Hall, Parliament Buildings, Wellington 11am, Wednesday, 6 September 2000.

I am very happy to be here to be involved in the launch of this important strategy document Making a World of Difference : Whakanui Oranga.

I am aware that a lot of thinking and preparation work has gone into this strategy from a number of people.

I would particularly like to acknowledge the input from the people in the disability sector reference group set up by the Minister Ruth Dyson, and the people in their networks that they drew on. Thank you for the generous way that you have shared both your knowledge and at times your personal experiences of disability.

The strength of this strategy so far is that it really has been a collaborative effort. I am confident that we have started in the right way and the next stage of extensive consultation will build on this.

In the consultation we are really asking four questions:

• What are the things that stop you from having a good life and being part of your community?
• How do you want New Zealand to be?
• What needs to happen to get there?
• How do we know when we are there and who and how will progress be measured?

I look forward to hearing the views and comments that people make in response to these questions.

The Strategy is an important opportunity for government agencies to be responsive to disability issues. The strategy document being released for consultation is a first step in helping agencies to become more aware of their responsibilities.

We expect the Strategy to be a key driver of agency work programmes and to be a vehicle for real changes in both awareness and actions.

The disability sector reference group has spent some time on discussing how you change the way things are done in government agencies so there is a greater focus on disability issues. "Making a World of Difference" asks for feedback from you on how to do this.

Any intersectoral project of this size is a challenge. There are currently other intersectoral projects underway which are also relevant to the NZ Disability Strategy. These include the Positive Ageing strategy work and Closing the Gaps.

I appreciate there will always be boundaries between strategies and between sectors. The challenge for us is how we work across these boundaries, both within the health and disability sector, and across other sectors that also need to respond to disability issues.

Just seeing the number of people here today at the launch from different sectors and departments shows that there is a high level of support for this intersectoral approach to continue to grow.

The Ministry of Health does need to lead by example on this Strategy. We do need to provide a good model. We can always improve and I hope that the vision in the Disability Strategy is owned by all the Directorates in the Ministry of Health.

In saying this however this strategy will be a key piece of work for the newly formed Disability Issues Directorate. Throughout the development and Implementation of the New Zealand Disability Strategy (NZDS) I expect them to provide leadership across the sectors on disability issues.

This means that as well as their responsibility for policy development around the funding of support services, they will also need to embrace a wider role of advising on disability issues.

I am confident that the people currently working in the directorate, and the people that we will recruit into the unfilled positions will be able provide this leadership.

Finally I hope all those involved in the large number of public meetings, focus groups, hui and fono that are being held around this strategy find the discussions worthwhile.

I encourage everyone to take the opportunity to have their say. It is important that people respond. This is a real opportunity to influence change by commenting on the proposed vision and action areas for the strategy.