Hon Louise Upston
Minister for Disability Issues

Strong interest in the development of a refreshed New Zealand disability strategy has been welcomed by Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston.

Membership of the strategy working groups was announced today, drawn from the disabled community, industry and government agencies. The groups will develop actions in the five key areas of education, employment, health, housing and justice.

“There has been a particularly strong response from the disability community, reflecting the commitment of people who want to be part of this important work,” Louise Upston says.

“The Ministry of Disabled People - Whaikaha received almost 350 expressions of interest from the disability community before making their appointment decisions.

“In total, Whaikaha is announcing 26 members of the groups, including the chairs, who I congratulate today:

• Education – Grant Cleland
• Employment – Lorraine Toki
• Health – Dr Josephine Herman
• Housing - Daniel Clay
• Justice – Paul Gibson

“The Ministry is taking a new approach to developing the new strategy, and I will be excited to see the results.

“Ultimately, the purpose is to improve the lives of disabled people. For instance, recent data from the Stats NZ Household Disability Survey found disabled New Zealanders continue to face many barriers, for example in education, employment and housing.

“We know 1 in 6 New Zealanders are disabled, yet three quarters of unemployed disabled people want to be working which means creating employment opportunities must be an important focus.

“Disabled people, like non-disabled people, want to participate in their communities, to thrive and make decisions about their own lives.

“The strategy refresh represents huge opportunities to make a positive difference,” Louise Upston says.

The Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha is managing the refresh process. The draft strategy will go to the wider disabled community later this year for further review before being agreed by Cabinet.

Biographical notes

Education – Grant Cleland has lived experience and worked in the health, disability, education and employment sectors for more than 30 years at governance, senior leadership and practitioner levels. Recently he has worked extensively in the education sector in the development and implementation of Disability Action Plans and as a member of the NZQA Board.

Employment – Lorraine Toki has a background in community development and held leadership roles supporting hapū and iwi development.

Health – Dr Josephine Herman is a Public Health Physician and GP and the Chief Clinical Advisor for Pacific Health, with the Pacific Health Directorate, at the Public Health Agency, Ministry of Health. In 2020 as Secretary (Director General) of Health for the Cook Island’s Ministry of Health she helped lead the national emergency health response to COVID-19.

Housing - Daniel Clay is chief executive of iwi-owned Ngā Maunga Whakahii o Kaipara Whenua Hoko Holding Ltd, a property and housing investment and development entity. Daniel’s daughter has cerebral palsy and is a wheelchair user. He is President and Chair of the Cerebral Palsy Society of New Zealand.

Justice – Paul Gibson has lived experience of disability, is a former Disability Rights Commissioner and a former Commissioner for the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry.

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