A number of Ministers, their associated departments and other agencies have specific roles with regard to disability policy and services. The key agencies are outlined below.

Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC)

ACC is a Crown entity responsible for administering New Zealand’s accident compensation scheme. The scheme provides accident insurance for all New Zealand citizens, residents and temporary visitors to New Zealand. ACC provides accident insurance cover, injury prevention services, case management, medical and other care and rehabilitation services. ACC also provides advice to Government on accident insurance matters.

Ministry of Education

The Ministry of Education’s role in disability focuses on providing education services to children and young people with disabilities. Ministerial servicing and strategic policy work is portfolio-specific and reported to the Minister of Education.

Ministry of Health

Prior to the establishment of the Office for Disability Issues, the Ministry of Health, through its Disability Issues Directorate, provided policy advice and ministerial servicing to the Minister for Disability Issues. It also led the development and initial implementation of the New Zealand Disability Strategy.

The Ministry of Health has core responsibility for strategic and operational policy advice and funding for disability services. This includes prioritisation of services, issues of quality in service provision, Māori and Pacific peoples service development, and service focused research. This work is undertaken for the Minister of Health and the Associate Minister of Health with responsibility for disability support.

Department of Labour

The Department of Labour provides policy and purchasing advice to the Minister of Social Services and Employment (and Associate Ministers) on policies relating to labour market and employment issues, including vocational services, for people with disabilities. It also provides advice on accident insurance policy and admin-istration of employment legislation relating to people with disabilities.

Ministry of Social Development

Although the Office for Disability Issues is part of the Ministry of Social Development (MSD), its function is separate from the sector-specific disability policy work undertaken by MSD.

MSD is responsible for disability policy work for the Minister of Social Services and Employment, particularly relating to income support issues. Examples of this work are the voluntary "employABLE" demonstration projects. These are evaluating new and innovative initiatives to assist Sickness and Invalids Benefit recipients into work, if they choose. MSD is also leading work items arising from the recent review of vocational services.

Health and Disability Commissioner

The Health and Disability Commissioner is the primary vehicle for dealing with complaints about any health and disability service provider in New Zealand. Its functions are provided for in the Health and Disability Commissioner Act 1994.

The purpose of the Health and Disability Commissioner Act is to promote and protect the rights of health consumers and disability services consumers, and, to that end, to facilitate the fair, simple, speedy, and efficient resolution of complaints relating to infringe-ments of those rights (s6). This objective is achieved through the implementation of a Code of Rights, the establishment of a complaints process to ensure enforcement of those rights and the ongoing education of providers and consumers.

Human Rights Commission

The Human Rights Commission is an independent statutory body which administers the Human Rights Act 1993 (the Act) and its amendments. The Act gives the Commission a wide range of functions and powers. The Commission’s primary functions are to:

• advocate and promote respect for, and an understanding and appreciation of, human rights in New Zealand society; and
• encourage the maintenance and development of harmonious relations between individuals and among the diverse groups in New Zealand society.

The Act provides protection for people facing unlawful discrimination on one or more of the following grounds: sex, marital status, religious belief, ethical belief, colour, race, ethnic or national origin, age, sexual orientation, employment status, disability, political opinion and family status. Sexual harassment and racial harassment are also unlawful. People are protected from unlawful discrimination in: government or public sector activity, employment, education, accommodation, access to public places, vehicles, and facilities, provision of goods and services, industrial and professional associations, qualifying bodies and vocational training bodies and partnerships.

The Commission provides assistance to people who believe they have been discriminated against and has the power to resolve disputes relating to unlawful discrimination through education and resolution focused mediation services.

Mental Health Commission

The Mental Health Commission is based in Wellington and has a staff of 13 and three Commissioners, including one who is the designated Chief Executive Officer. The Commission’s specific functions are defined by the Mental Health Commission Act 1998. Its three key functions are to:

• monitor and report to Government on the performance of the Ministry of Health and the District Health Boards in the implemen-tation of the Government’s National Mental Health Strategy;
• work with the sector to promote better understanding by the public of mental illness and eliminate discrimination; and
• strengthen the workforce by working with the sector and those involved in training to promote training opportunities, and the recruitment of staff with the appropriate range and quality of skills.

For further information contact the Office for Disability Issues.