The Office for Disability Issues supports and advises the Minister for Disability Issues, and provides a focal point for government's consideration of disability issues and its relationship with the disability sector. The work of the Office is underpinned by the New Zealand Disability Strategy and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Disabled Persons. The Office will work with you to develop a work programme that reflects your priorities.

Our role

The Office for Disability Issues was established in 2002 as a focal point for disability issues. The Office has the following key roles:

• supporting the Minister for Disability Issues
• providing policy advice on disability issues, including leading strategic policy development on disability issues across government
• maintaining an overview of, and contributing a disability perspective to, policy development by other agencies
• meeting formal international obligations in relation to disability issues
• promoting, monitoring and reporting on the progress of the New Zealand Disability Strategy within government and the wider community
• ensuring the disability sector has a voice within government by building strong government - disability sector relationships to enhance understanding of sector perspectives, issues and concerns (including around emerging issues).

The New Zealand Disability Strategy underpins our work. However, we are not responsible for implementing the Strategy. Our role is to promote, guide, lead, inform and advise wherever appropriate. The recently ratified United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities provides the detail that will help to inform the implementation of both our Strategy and the Convention itself.

We do not deliver disability support services, or hold funding.

As portfolio Minister, you are responsible for the priorities and work programme of the Office. There is a direct working relationship between the Office's Director and you.

Our responsibilities

One of our primary functions is to support and advise you as the Minister responsible for Disability Issues. Section 8 of the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000 sets out your duties and powers as Minister for Disability Issues. These include:

• preparing, amending or replacing a New Zealand Disability Strategy as a framework for the Government's overall direction for the disability sector, and for improving disability support services
• consulting with organisations and individuals you consider appropriate, before determining the Strategy
• reporting each year on progress in implementing the Strategy
• making publicly available, and presenting to the House of Representatives, a copy of the Strategy or any amendment of it or replacement to it, and reporting as soon as practicable after its determination or completion.

Cabinet will help you to ensure all government departments meet their responsibilities towards disabled people. This includes requiring all government departments and ACC to provide annual plans and report on their progress in implementing the Strategy, that the Office is consulted on relevant Cabinet papers, and that these provide a disability perspective (where appropriate).

We will ensure you are well informed about current disability issues, developments and trends for disabled people and the disability sector, and we will provide you with advice on opportunities for leadership on disability issues. This will include advising you through fortnightly updates and regular briefings.

The effective management of ministerial correspondence is critical to maintaining credibility with the sector and the public. We draft replies to ministerial correspondence, parliamentary questions, notes for speeches and requests made under the Official Information Act 1982.

Building strong relationships

Other Ministries, Departments and Crown agencies have specific roles with regard to disability policy and services. These include the Ministries of Education, Health and Social Development, the Departments of Building and Housing and Labour, the Accident Compensation Corporation, the Mental Health Commission, the Human Rights Commission and the Office of the Health and Disability Commissioner. We maintain close relationships with the relevant officials in each of these agencies. We also have regular contact with all government agencies with a role in implementing the New Zealand Disability Strategy.

The disability sector has a high level of expectation of us in our role. We give priority to building strong relationships with the sector, and to developing partnerships between disabled people, central and local government, communities and support agencies. To help achieve this we:

• support and are advised by a Disability Advisory Council
• meet regularly with the chief executives of large service providers and DPA Inc (the Disabled Persons Assembly)
• meet and exchange information with all parts of the disability sector on an ad hoc basis
• maintain disability sector contact databases, to encourage consultation with the sector by government agencies
• supported disabled people's participation in the negotiations to develop the United Nations Convention.

Office structure and location

The Office Director is supported by a team of nine - a policy manager and five analysts, a senior advisor and nominations service convenor, and one administrator.
The Office is located within the Social Sector Strategy Group of the Ministry of Social Development.

Figure 5 - Where the Office fits within the Ministry of Social Development

Our location within the Ministry enables us to access corporate support from the Ministry. Our administration and overhead costs are minimised through the economies of scale available to us as part of a bigger Ministry.

Our inclusion within the Social Sector Strategy Group means we can ensure the issues and interests of disabled people are considered during the Ministry's strategic policy development.

The Office's activities are funded from Vote: Social Development. Our annual work programme is agreed with the Minister for Disability Issues.