KaihautūTikaHauātanga Disability Rights Commissioner Prudence Walker says it is very disappointing to see a key function of Whaikaha, Ministry for Disabled People, removed from it.

Minister for Disability Issues Louise Upston announced yesterday that handling of disability support services will move from Whaikaha, Ministry of Disabled People, to the Ministry of Social Development (MSD), following a review released yesterday.

Walker says while she acknowledges the Minister’s commitment to get things right for disabled people, this decision will affect disabled peoples’ already low trust in the system.

“I know many disabled people are anxious at the moment because there has been change after change that has affected them. It feels like we don’t know what is coming next.”

“When the lives of disabled people are truly valued and our rights fully realised we will see a system that upholds and supports them. We’ve got to put the challenge back onto the system to identify how it will achieve dignified lives for disabled people,” says Walker.

Disabled people have long advocated for a system that understands human rights and te ao Māori models of disability. This advocacy led to the establishment of Whaikaha in 2022.

“The reason disabled people wanted a standalone agency was to create a system that understands and truly supports disabled people, as individuals and collectively. Hence the holistic role of Whaikaha aimed at tackling the barriers experienced for decades in a system that has not been built for or with disabled people.

“Disabled people, like everyone, want to live a life of dignity and be able to participate in community, in education, in employment, and in cultural and family life.

“Engaging disabled people and tangata Whaikaha Māori in decisions affecting us is essential. However, the decisions announced yesterday by the Government do not appear to have been made with our involvement.

“I’m concerned by the return to placing disability support services within an agency that is not specifically designed to meet the needs of disabled people. We had begun to move beyond this approach, to one that is specifically designed for and respects the right to dignity and participation of disabled people. But it appears this is being discarded before Whaikaha had the chance to demonstrate enduring success,” says Walker.

“New Zealand has committed to progressive realisation of disabled people’s rights so we can live lives on an equal basis with others, and the purpose of the disability support system is to do just that.

“The best solutions arise when the people decisions are intended to benefit are involved in their design,” says Walker.

© Scoop Media