Minister for Disability Issues, Hon Ruth Dyson

Rau rangatira maa,
Tenei te mihi ki a koutou i runga i te kaupapa o te ra.
Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.

[Distinguished guests, greetings to you gathered here for this purpose today. Greetings once, twice, three times to you all.]

It's my pleasure to be here today to celebrate with you our imminent ratification of the Disability Convention. Ratification will start on 26 September. This is an important milestone in New Zealand's history, and it's come about through the hard work and collaboration of many of the people in this room today.

The 26th of September is also Dominion Day in New Zealand - the day that then Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward, declared New Zealand's status had changed from a colony to a more self-governing dominion. It was a milestone on our country's journey to the independent and fully sovereign state that we are today.

In a similar way, the Convention marks a new status for disabled people. As an international legal framework, it obliges States to ensure that disabled people are equal citizens and should enjoy rights on an equal basis with others.

It has been eight years now since we launched the New Zealand Disability Strategy - and some of you would have likely been there at that celebration.

It was the first time that New Zealand had a dedicated government framework to guide policy and services impacting on disabled people. But more importantly, the New Zealand Disability Strategy was developed as the result of extensive consultation with disabled people - the objectives and actions reflected the priorities that disabled people said were important.

And in the last eight years, we've made significant progress in many key areas - all over New Zealand, disabled people are living more inclusive and independent lives.

In education, there are increasing numbers of disabled children accessing mainstream education services, and there is a new emphasis on personalised learning for all students.

Increasing numbers of disabled people are in some kind of employment, and more practical supports are being provided to help disabled people get ready for work and to stay in jobs.

Transport services are improving through such things as increased funding to the Total Mobility scheme, building the accessibility of public transport services, and new vehicle standards being developed.

We're increasingly aware of the necessity to plan our built environments with better accessibility for all.

There's been a shift towards supporting disabled people to live ordinary, independent lives in the community - there are no longer large institutions that segregate disabled people from others.

The Disabled Persons Employment Promotion Act 1960 has been repealed, meaning that disabled people can no longer have lesser employment conditions or be paid under the minimum wage just because of where they work.

The Like Minds Like Mine campaign continues to combat stigma and discrimination against people who experience mental illness.

New Zealand Sign Language has been recognised as an official language, giving deaf people the right to use it in legal proceedings. The new school curriculum has added New Zealand Sign Language to the languages students may choose to learn.

Deaf and hearing or speech impaired people can use the Telephone Relay Service to communicate with other people, and increased funding has been made available for scholarships for New Zealand Sign Language interpreters

Government agencies are increasing their responsiveness to disabled people by making their information, services, buildings and employment practices accessible and inclusive of disabled people. This includes measures such as mandatory standards for websites, and the Office for Disability Issues is developing guidance on best practice in making information accessible.

These are just some of the initiatives that are contributing to progressively removing barriers to the participation of disabled people in society.
We can be proud of this work, much of which has happened through collaboration and partnerships between government agencies, community organisations and the disabled community.

New Zealand has received international recognition for these sustained achievements, including the 2007 Franklin Delano Roosevelt International Disability Award. The Governor-General collected this award at a ceremony in New York at the United Nations in May this year.

Another high point for me was representing New Zealand at the United Nations on 30 March 2007, where I signed the Convention along with 80 other States. This was the largest number of States to sign a human rights treaty on the same day ever. I understand 130 States have now signed the Convention, and 37 States have ratified it, indicating strong global commitment to disabled people's rights.

The expertise we have gained through implementing the New Zealand Disability Strategy put New Zealand in a good position to play a lead role in negotiating the Convention.

We modelled the spirit of participation with disabled people - through consultation on the evolving Convention text and involvement of disabled representatives in our official delegations to the United Nations.

The partnership between governments and disabled people's organisations was key to the success of the Convention. This ensured the Convention was finished in record time and that it provides very practical guidance to States on what needs to be done to make a real improvement in disabled people's lives.

At the Convention's heart is the proposition that disabled people should be able to enjoy and exercise rights on an equal basis with others. It focuses on what is required to implement existing human rights as they relate to disabled people.

The Convention will support our existing programme to progressively change New Zealand from a disabling to an enabling society. The New Zealand Disability Strategy will be reinforced through implementation of the Convention's practical measures.

The recently passed Disability Bill amended some domestic legislation that required primarily minor and technical amendments before ratification could proceed. Many of these were older enactments that had not been amended in some time or that carried over wording from the past.

I appreciate the co-operation and support of other parties in ensuring an efficient passage of the Bill through the Justice and Electoral Committee and the House. This is a good example of cross-party partnerships towards greater goals.

We have come a long way since 2001. But there is still some way to go. The recent review of progress with implementing the New Zealand Disability Strategy found that, while there have been sustained achievements by government agencies, more work needs to be done before the vision of a society fully inclusive of disabled people is realised. The Convention will be a useful tool to help us in this work.

It remains a high priority for government to identify and remove barriers experienced by disabled people. The government will continue to invest in building better supports and services for disabled people. As well, the government is committed to ensuring that measures that benefit the general population, or a section of the general population, such as children, also benefit disabled children and adults.

We have started developing a framework to co-ordinate the promotion and monitoring of the Convention. This work, led by the Office for Disability Issues, will be done with the involvement of disabled people's organisations. Disabled people will be involved in the actual monitoring of the Convention to make sure real differences are being made.

By ratifying the Convention now, New Zealand will be able to fully participate in the setting up of monitoring of States' implementation. The first Conference of States Parties, those countries that have ratified the Convention, will be held on 31 October and 3 November 2008. The new Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities will be elected at this meeting. New Zealand will definitely be there, continuing our leadership role.

I also want to pay tribute to the many people and organisations that helped make the Convention, and New Zealand's ratification of it, happen - including officials current and past, disabled people in our official delegations, and the disability sector.

In particular, I would like to mention New Zealand Ambassador Don Mackay, who chaired the United Nations Committee that negotiated the convention. Special mention should also be made of Robert Martin, who was the first person with an intellectual disability to ever speak at the United Nations where he represented Inclusion International.

I also want to acknowledge the role of the many disability sector organisations that have been involved, and the lead role taken by DPA, CCS Disability Action, IHC and others who organised consultation and input.  Also, the involvement of the Human Rights Commission and the Mental Health Commission who, amongst other things, ensured Robyn Hunt and mental health service user, Chris Hansen, were able to participate as part of our official delegation to the United Nations.

And I appreciate the support of government agencies, especially for their work in the last year to prepare our way forward to ratification. It was definitely a whole of government exercise.   I extend my thanks, in particular, to the Office for Disability Issues, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Social Development, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Parliamentary Counsel Office - who worked tirelessly to get us through the official processes in time.

While New Zealand is a small nation, we can succeed and excel on the world stage - just look at the success of our Paralympics team recently!

But tonight, let us celebrate the progress that we have made to help ensure that disabled people in New Zealand, and throughout the world, can enjoy their the rights, and opportunities to live a good life, on an equal basis with others.