A strong and robust partnership with the disability sector has underpinned both the development and the implementation of the New Zealand Disability Strategy. Our disability sector comprises people with disabilities, organisations formed by people with disabilities themselves, including impairment specific and sector-wide groups, families and caregivers of people with disabilities, and, disability service providers and advocates. Government works across these different interests and groups but, under the New Zealand Disability Strategy, our primary relationship is with the people with disabilities and their own organisations, and the caregivers and families of people with disabilities. In particular, this ensures that people with disabilities have a voice in their own right, one not channelled through or influenced by provider groups.

With such strong ownership of the New Zealand Disability Strategy within the disability sector, people with disabilities play an active role in ensuring the Strategy’s implementation remains true to the vision and stated outcomes. They monitor government agencies to ensure progress continues to be made and that people with disabilities continue to be empowered to stand up for their rights, to be involved in their community, and to take charge of their own future.

Working in Partnership

“If implementing the Disability Strategy means making service providers accessible and accountable, and it means disabled people are given more opportunities to advocate for themselves, and the solutions they propose are adopted, then there will be a constructive way forward for disabled people.”

For many projects, government supports and works in partnership with the NGO disability sector. The government agency Sport and Recreation New Zealand is developing a collaborative partnership with Paralympics New Zealand, the Halberg Trust and Special Olympics NZ to promote sport and recreation opportunities for people with disabilities under its No Exceptions Strategy. The agency is also establishing a National Advisory Group comprised of people with disabilities representing a combination of impairment and sporting experience.

Even where formal partnerships don’t exist, government agencies are expected to consult people with disabilities over proposed changes likely to affect them, in line with the ‘nothing about us without us’ maxim. A recent high profile example of this was the inclusion of representatives of organisations of people with disabilities in New Zealand delegations to the United Nations Ad Hoc Committee working on the United Nations Draft Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. New Zealand actively advocated for the representation and government support of organisations of people with disabilities in the development of the draft Convention. The representatives of people with disabilities were an integral part of New Zealand’s delegation, working in partnership with government officials to progress the draft.

The history of government support has nurtured a strong and active disability community in this country, with people with disabilities taking leadership roles on the national and international stage. New Zealand has contributed two international presidents of Rehabilitation International - the first president with disabilities (John Stott), and the first woman president with disabilities (Anne Hawker). New Zealander Robert Martin, from Inclusion International, was the first person with an intellectual disability to address the United Nations. Two of New Zealand’s Human Rights Commissioners have been people with disabilities. Both, through their work, have modelled good practice and leadership by people with disabilities within the international arena.