Once the New Zealand Disability Strategy is finalised, the Government will consider an implementation plan for government departments and other agencies. Within the implementation plan will be specific targets which agencies must build into their work programmes. It may also specify ongoing expectations to be reflected in performance agreements and contracts.

Progress on implementing the Strategy will need to be monitored. Those with responsibility for such monitoring should be people experiencing disability. The process should be well funded, with a formal cycle that uses data collected regularly, for example, through the Census. Moreover, the results of monitoring should have "teeth" - in other words, the results should be used to improve the performance of government agencies.

There should be a staged approach to monitoring that reflects the timelines for implementation.

More specifically, some possible ways of monitoring the Strategy are as follows.

• Government agencies could undertake their own monitoring of their success in implementing the Strategy, including their performance on specific targets. However, it is important that agencies do more than just meet set targets; they must take a wider view of their responsibilities in creating a non-disabling society. With this self-monitoring approach, agencies will need to report on their findings.
• In addition to internal monitoring, there could be an external system where a single government agency, advised by a group of people experiencing disability, monitors other agencies or requires them to report to it. This agency could be an existing agency such as the Disability Issues Directorate at the Ministry of Health or the State Services Commission. The monitoring agency could have the ability to make recommendations to agencies or Government.
• Monitoring could be undertaken by a separate independent body, such as a Disability Commission.

The Strategy should be reviewed regularly and updated as necessary.

Questions

30. How can the Government and people who experience disability track progress on implementing the Strategy?

31. Who should monitor progress?