In 2001, a total of 743,800 New Zealanders, or one in five people, reported some level of disability. For people under 65 years, the reported rate was one in six, or 15%. The disability rate has not changed since 1996/7. However, because the likelihood of disability increases with age, numbers and rates are likely to increase as the population ages.

Recent decades have seen a significant shift in approaches to disability and to provisions appropriate to respond to this. Within New Zealand and internationally the traditional medical model – under which disability has been seen as an individual problem to be “cured” or at least contained – has been largely replaced by the social model. This model focuses on the relationship between people with impairments and their social environment, and locates the required interventions within the realm of social policy and institutional practice.

Two basic characteristics of the social model are its rights-based approach, which requires that people with disabilities receive the help they need as an entitlement, and its orientation to community-based support, so that people with disabilities are recognised as participants in the community.

Role of the Minister for Disability Issues

The portfolio of Minister for Disability Issues was established in 1999. The portfolio’s role is focused on ensuring that the Government meets its responsibilities to people with disabilities. The New Zealand Public Health and Disabilities Act 2000 sets out specific duties for the Minister, oriented around the development of a New Zealand disability strategy.

The establishment of the portfolio is valued by the disability sector, and recognises the significance and place of people with disabilities in New Zealand society.

This briefing comprises five chapters which together give a broad over-view of the major issues relevant to the portfolio of Minister for Disability Issues. This overview section provides a synopsis of the content of each chapter, its key information and key messages.