What We Do
About the work programme of the Office for Disability Issues.
The work of the Office for Disability Issues is organised around three themes:
- Policy into action.
- Monitoring government responsiveness to the New Zealand Disability Strategy
- Accessible government
Providing support to the Minister for Disability Issues in her advocacy role is an important function of the Office and sits alongside our ongoing work.
Working with the disability sector is an important part of the Office’s work.
The Office’s Nomination Service nominates appropriately skilled disabled people for positions on government boards and committees.
Read more about the Nomination Service
Policy into action
The Office has a legislative role to provide advice to the Department of Building and Housing on determinations made under the Building Act 2004 that impact on access to public buildings by disabled people.
The Office works with other government departments to promote action in key social policy areas impacting on disabled people. Priority areas include:
- Transport
- Built environment (such as buildings, housing)
- Employment and income
- Education
- Health
- Sport and recreation
- Broadcasting
- Communications.
See the government agencies' New Zealand Disability Strategy implementation plans for details of what each agency has committed itself to doing.
Read the Work Plans
The Office leads policy development (with other government agencies) in the following areas:
Monitoring government responsiveness to the New Zealand Disability Strategy
Promoting the NZ Disability Strategy and monitoring its implementation by government agencies and wider society is ongoing work for the Office. This includes regular and ongoing contact with government departments and other agencies in their development of work plans and annual progress reports on their implementation.
The Office compiles an annual report for the Minister for Disability Issues on overall achievements in realising the NZ Disability Strategy, which is presented to Parliament.
Accessible government
The Office works with government departments to promote action on making information, buildings, and services accessible to disabled people. This also includes ensuring departments are a good employer of disabled people.
The Office asked departments to demonstrate their responsiveness to being accessible in the New Zealand Disability Strategy implementation plans.
Read more about the implementation plans