Meetings

2 May 2012

The Ministerial Committee on Disability Issues meeting focused on renewing the Disability Action Plan. Minister Turia noted that a progress report had been provided to Cabinet on the Plan’s 2011 priority of promoting the inclusion of disabled people in the Canterbury recovery.

The Chief Executives’ Group on Disability Issues proposed that a shared outcomes approach be used to renew the Disability Action Plan. This requires active leadership by Chief Executives, with a focus on results and targets across government agencies. It reflects the Government’s approach with Better Public Services and the ten Public Sector Results.

The Ministerial Committee:

1. agreed to adopt a results focus for the Disability Action Plan 2012 to 2014
2. noted that the shared outcomes priorities for action will be “Enabling Good Lives”, “Employment” and “Rebuilding Christchurch”
3. directed the Chief Executives’ Group to lead development of work programmes for each shared outcome, with actions, targets and timeframes for delivery
4. invited the Minister for Disability Issues to report to the Cabinet Social Policy Committee in August 2012 with work programmes for the three shared outcomes.

The Ministerial Committee also noted that:

• putting a disability lens across their current initiatives in their portfolios could identify opportunities to promote gains for disabled people, such as in Christchurch
• reporting on current activity is not enough, and opportunities for new initiatives need to be explored.

12 July 2011

The Ministerial Committee on Disability Issues meeting on 12 July 2011 was an historic occasion. It was the first time that parties to the framework the Government set up to promote, protect and monitor implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities met together. The parties are the Human Rights Commission, the Office of the Ombudsmen, the Convention Coalition of disabled people’s organisations and the Ministerial Committee. The Ministerial Committee was presented with what the independent monitoring bodies had been doing so far and their preliminary findings.

The key themes discussed at the meeting were:

• better accessible government information
• supporting independent voting at general and local elections
• involving disabled people in discussion with government agencies
• ensuring disabled people’s voice is heard in the rebuilding of Christchurch.

12 April 2011

• The Ministerial Committee noted a report from the Associate Minister of Transport, Hon Nathan Guy, that provided an update on implementing the review of Total Mobility Scheme.
• Hon Rodney Hide, Associate Minister of Education, provided an update on implementing recommendations from the Review of Special Education.
• Hon Tariana Turia, Minister for Disability Issues, noted the first New Zealand report on implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities had been approved by Cabinet and submitted to the UN. The next meeting of the Ministerial Committee on 12 July 2011 will involve a discussion with the Human Rights Commission, the Office of the Ombudsmen and the Convention Coalition on progress and priorities with implementing the UN Convention.
• The Ministerial Committee discussed opportunities to focus cross-government colloboration in implementing the Disability Action Plan on the rebuild of Canterbury, over the next eighteen months. This applies particularly in the Plan's areas of Access and Mobility, and Supports for Living. The Ministerial Committee agreed on this approach, and that a report to Cabinet be submitted by the Minister for Disability Issues.
• The Productivity Allowance was discussed. The Ministerial Committee directed the Ministry of Social Development to provide more information on the Productivity Allowance.

12 October 2010

Actions from the previous meeting

The Ministerial Committee noted consideration by the Chief Executives' Group of the issues raised at the last meeting by the Association of Blind Citizens. Hon Nathan Guy, Associate Minister of Transport, noted work by the New Zealand Transport Agency to improve consistency of the Total Mobility Scheme, and that progress will be report to the next Ministerial Committee meeting.

Hon Rodney Hide, Associate Minister of Education, provided an update on recommendations from the Review of Special Education.

Officials from the Ministry of Health reported progress with a demonstration site to put into practice their new model for disability supports.

Disability Action Plan

The Chief Executives' Group presented a draft Disability Action Plan. It focuses on three leading areas as opportunities for rethinking across government how disabled people are supported to live an everyday life. The Ministerial Committee:

1. agreed to the Disability Action Plan, with three leading areas for government to rethink how disabled people can be supported to live everyday lives:

• supports for living (how government funding of supports for disabled people can align with the Ministry of Health's new model for disability supports)
• mobility and access (what government provides to enable disabled people to move around their community)
• jobs (what government provides to promote disabled people getting into paid work)

2. noted the importance of ongoing work to improve accessibility for disabled people

3. noted that public consultation on the draft government report on implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities could be useful to inform development of the Disability Action Plan

4. directed the Chief Executives' Group to report back in early 2011 with options to implement the Disability Action Plan.

Improving access to broadcasting for disabled people

The Minister of Broadcasting, Hon Jonathan Coleman, presented on progress and current work by the Ministry for Culture and Heritage to promote access to broadcasting by disabled people.

Rugby World Cup 2011 - ensuring accessibility for disabled people

Martin Sneddon and Grace Walsh, Rugby World Cup 2011 New Zealand organising committee, and Minnie Baragwanath, Auckland City Council, presented on work to make the Rugby World Cup facilities and games accessible for disabled people

20 July 2010

The Chief Executives' Group on Disability Issues reported progress with the new whole-of-government diability action plan. Instead of recording the large amount of low impact activity undertaken by government agencies, it is the Ministers' goal to have a disability action plan that focuses on a smaller number of strategic actions. This will help simplify the reporting obligations by agencies. The plan will be guided by the Ministerial Committee's three priorities of Modern Disability Supports, Accessible New Zealand and Contributing Citizens; and also the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Already underway is the Ministry of Health's new model for supporting disabled people. With the new model approach now endorsed by Cabinet, the Ministry of Health is setting up demonstration projects to put into practice such things as local area co-ordination and encouraging flexible arrangements to enable more choice and control for disabled people. Learning from these projects will inform how the new model will roll out in the future. As part of developing the action plan, the Chief Executives' Group will look at how the new model approach can be extended to other government agencies' disability supports. This will help promote consistency in how government funded disability supports are provided.

Other items discussed by the Ministerial Committee were:

- proposed recommendations from the Review of Special Education

- the Ministry of Justice plan to improve the government's system for reporting on international human rights treaties

- efforts being made in Auckland to make the Rugby World Cup accessible to disabled people.

The Association of Blind Citizens joined the meeting to present key access barriers experienced by vision impaired people. These issues will be considered by the Chief Executives' Group and reported back to Ministers.

18 May 2010

This meeting received a report from the Chief Executives' Group on Disability Issues. The group is working to get a better co-ordinated work programme across government on disability issues. They also aim to identify where better action can be prioritised. As the Social Services Select Committee inquiry into the quality of care and service provision report noted in 2008, while there has been lots of activity by government agencies on disability issues, disabled people and their families say they are not experiencing significant improvement in their lives.

Ministers were pleased to note that Budget 2010 prioritised several initiatives supporting disabled people.

The Ministry of Health's presented on their new model for disability supports. It responds to several recommendations in the Government response to the Social Services Select Committee inquiry report, such as increasing disabled people's choice and control over disability supports, allowing more flexibility in how funding is allocated, and introducing a local area co-ordination type service. The Ministerial Committee supported implementation by the Ministry of Health of the new model approach.

Hon Heather Roy, Associate Minister of Education, presented on the Review of Special Education and noted how there has been a large number of submissions received during the consultation round. Government will consider recommendations from the Review later this year.

Disabled people's organisations who are leading a programme to monitor rights of disabled people presented on their proposed work.

28 October 2009

At this meeting, Ministers agreed:

• to endorse the Minister for Disability Issues asking the Chief Executive of the Ministry of Social Development to establish a Chief Executives' Group on Disability Issues; and the Minister exploring options for independent monitoring of disability issues 
• to consider the issues raised by the Coalition. The coalition members are People First, Disabled Persons Assembly, Standards and Monitoring Services, Standards Plus and Parent to Parent
• that the Office for Disability Issues develop processes for ensuring all Ministerial Committee members receive communications about agencies' disability-related achievements
• that Ministers of Health and Social Development and Employment discuss further the possible transfer of vocational services from the Ministry of Health.

23 September 2009

At this meeting, Ministers agreed to:

• three themes setting priorities for government agencies to progress the New Zealand Disability Strategy and development of practical low cost actions by government agencies
• to the role and activities of the Ministerial Committee on Disability Issues
• to encourage efforts underway in Auckland to make accessibility a more visible goal for all and to go beyond minimum requirements for the Rugby World Cup in 2011 to make it a very accessible event
• to inform government agencies that new infrastructure spending should incorporate accessibility for disabled people 
• that the Ministry of Health investigate a new model of supporting disabled people that incorporates the key elements of Local Area Co-ordination, but also includes other features such as an emphasis on supported living and individualised funding.

3 June 2009

At this first meeting, Ministers agreed to administrative arrangements for the Ministerial Committee. Government agencies were asked to provide actions that could be achieved in the short-term to progress the New Zealand Disability Strategy. Progress updates were requested from government agencies on individualised funding, eligibility criteria for supports in different sectors, local area co-ordination, and leading greater co-ordination of services.