After months of targeting disabled people, the Government has dealt its harshest blow yet by slashing Whaikaha, the Ministry of Disabled People.

“It’s beyond disgraceful how this Government is treating our disability communities,” acting disability spokesperson Carmel Sepuloni said.

“The Government plans to leave the Ministry with minimal staff and will remove financial control. Support services worth $2 billion are also being taken from Whaikaha.

“It’s also cruel that the Government has halted the Enabling Good Lives programme. A programme disabled people have been greatly worried and vocal about being tampered with.

“This programme gives choice and control to disabled people to lead better, meaningful, and dignified lives. To halt the rollout in its tracks, is nothing short of shameful.

“Ironically, it was a National-led Government that started the programme. Labour honoured this commitment and made record investment into it.

“Given the Government is unable to reveal the savings of their devastating move to restrict disability funding in March, any claims of savings here cannot be believed. The only thing we can be sure of is disability communities will be missing out.

“Disabled people, their carers, whānau, and disability organisations across the country deserve so much more.

“They are tired of losing out on support and cannot reconcile the callous treatment they are receiving under this Government. It all serves to take disabled people back decades,” Carmel Sepuloni said.

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