The Government’s bombshell decision to cut disability support funding in real terms, while gutting the Ministry designed by and for disabled people without even deigning to talk with the people affected first is heart-breaking, says New Zealand Disability Support Network CEO Peter Reynolds.

Disability support providers, who employ the hardworking New Zealanders who devote their lives to helping disabled people, were given just 15 minutes’ notice of the cuts from Minister Upston this morning, who did not take questions. This follows a report from a government-appointed panel that didn’t consult with disability support providers or disability advocates.

“Unfortunately, these announcements bear no relation to the needs of disabled people, their families and support workers – it’s all about cutting costs. It’s clear the Government thinks paying 0.5% of GDP to support disabled people is too much and wants to reduce spending as much as possible.”

“Freezing funding for disability support with no inflation adjustment and sidelining support for the Enabling Good Lives programme is emblematic of a Government that cares more about funding tax cuts than helping disabled people.”

“It’s true that disability support costs regularly exceed the Budget allowance, but that's because too little is budgeted, not because too much is being spent on disabled people. Every serious study of issues like residential care found that the real problem is underfunding.”

“If any consultation happened, the Minister and the review panel would have seen that frontline disability support services are inadequate now, and support workers are underpaid. They would’ve seen that the problem isn’t spending too much on minimum wage workers who slog their guts out, day in, day out for the most vulnerable New Zealanders, but a long line of governments that keep trying to cut corners on disability support.”

“The disability community fought long and hard to have a Ministry focused on the needs of disabled people with control of its own budget. Whaikaha is not perfect, but it is a big step in the right direction. Now, the Government is taking us back to the days of the Office for Disability Issues, making Whaikaha a toothless ‘advisory’ agency that will have no budget for helping disabled people.”

“If the Government refuses to fund the real cost of providing disability support, it will find that more and more support providers have to stop taking on new clients, especially those with complex needs, or shut their doors entirely. That doesn’t make the cost go away – it just puts it on to disabled people, their families and the health system instead.”

“Today’s announcement has blindsided the sector. We heard the Minister’s reassurance that support will continue, and consultation will happen, but after years of neglect and being punted around Ministries, it will take a lot to earn the disability community’s trust,” said Peter Reynolds.

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