Disability panel appointments confirmed

Appointments to the Disability Advisory Panel have been approved by Auckland Council’s governing body.

The 10 members of the panel will meet for the first time on 24 November 2014 to consider a work programme for the next couple of years, providing advice to councillors on how council plans, policies and strategies can impact on people with disabilities.

The council received 34 applications. Successful candidates were selected for having good knowledge of their communities, experience with governance and advisory roles, and an understanding of council’s future direction as envisioned in the Auckland Plan.

“We’re delighted to have such a high-calibre team in place,” said Councillor Sharon Stewart, liaison councillor for the panel. “I look forward to a constructive relationship with the panel and hearing ideas of how the council can engage more effectively with people with disabilities.”

The panel’s term will end a month before the next council elections in 2016.

The members are:

Clive Lansink - Clive Lansink was a member of the previous Disability Strategic Advisory Panel. He is blind. He is director of the company Accessible Information and Communications Ltd. He has held governance roles on a number of boards and committees in the disability sector. Mr Lansink has a degree in law, and has been involved with Disability Law, a Ministry of Justice community service that provides free legal advice on disability issues.

Colleen Brown - Colleen Brown served as deputy chair on the previous Disability Strategic Advisory Panel and was a Manurewa Local Board Member in the first term of Auckland Council. Ms Brown was also a Manukau City councillor. She has direct experience of living with a disability as she has a son with an intellectual disability. She has been involved in the disability sector for a long period of time and has served on a number of groups, government agencies and committees.

Dan Buckingham - Dan Buckingham has used a wheelchair since the age of 18. He has been involved in wheelchair rugby as a player, and was the president for the New Zealand Wheelchair Rugby Association. He has mentored people in disability sport. He is currently chair of Attitude Trust which provides media initiatives, such as the television programme “Attitude”, to connect people with disabilities.

David Hughes - David Hughes was a member of the previous Disability Strategic Advisory Panel. Mr Hughes is on the governance group of CCS Disability Action and has lived with a disability for over 50 years. He is currently serving on seven committees in the disability sector. He has a strong focus on facilitating access to services including housing and health for people with a disability. He is also on the steering group of the Auckland Disability Law Incorporation.

Don McKenzie - Don McKenzie was a member of the previous Disability Strategic Advisory Panel. He is blind. He was a member of the Waiheke Local Board for the first term of Auckland Council. He is a well-known member of the Waiheke community has been the president of the local Rotary branch. Mr McKenzie has numerous governance roles, and has served as a ministerial appointee and as a delegate to international conferences. He has now retired yet continues to assist with and prepare submissions on behalf of the disability community.

Dr Huhana Hickey - Dr Huhana Hickey was the previous chair of the Disability Strategic Advisory Panel. She is a post-doctoral fellow at the Taupua Waiora Māori Health Research Unit at the Auckland University of Technology. Dr Huhana is hearing impaired and is a wheelchair user. She identifies as being of Māori, Aboriginal, Native American and Sami descent. She is involved in a number of community groups and is the current kaituitui for the Disabled Persons Assembly.

Jade Farrar - Mr Farrar brings youth and Pasifika experience to the panel. He is strongly connected to Pasifika disability networks in Auckland. He is the social media and network manager for PHAB, a support organisation for disabled youth. He is a member of the Enabling Good Lives Leadership Group (part of the Office for Disability Issues), which provides advice to ministers on disability Issues. Mr Farrar has cerebral palsy and uses a wheel chair.

John Herring - John Herring has served on the executive board of the Cerebral Palsy Society and has a child with cerebral palsy. Mr Herring was also one of the founders of the Glow Kids Trust, which provides intensive therapy and education for children with neurological motor disorders. Mr Herring is a civil engineer and is very familiar with Resource Management and Building Act issues with regard to access.

Nicola Keyworth - Nicola Keyworth has ten years’ experience working in the disability sector, particularly with families that live with young people with disabilities. She has experience helping people with disabilities in various countries. Ms Keyworth works for Recreate NZ, which provides programmes including camps, getaways and school holiday programmes for families and young people with disabilities.

Susan Sherrard - Ms Susan Sherrard was a member of the previous Disability Strategic Advisory Panel. She has over 25 years’ experience in leadership roles within the disability community. She is involved in the Election Forum which provides advice to disabled people on their right to vote and ensure that they are able to vote. Ms Sherrard has served on committees including the Waitemata DHB Disability Strategic Advisory Committee and the Whangarei Accessible Housing Trust.

Ends

© Scoop Media