News

17th & 18th June 2024, Takina Events Centre, Wellington Seeing the Opportunity! Tirohia te whai waahi Focussing on innovation, solutions to issues and problems that providers have found and are likely to face in future, amidst the most challenging of times. The Conference, over two days, will include keynote presenters, presentations from NZDSN members across …

We at New Zealand Disability Support Network applaud the Commerce Commission for filing proceedings against One NZ for their latest failure on 111 Contact Code. It doesn’t take much to think of harmful or fatal scenarios for people with disabilities and their families if they can’t call on 111 in an emergency. Disabled people are amongst our …

The Court of Appeal’s just-released decision that family carers of disabled people are not employees of Whaikaha, the Ministry of Disabled People, shows policy in this area must be fixed, says New Zealand Disability Support Network CEO Peter Reynolds. “While it’s positive to finally have a Court of Appeal decision on this issue, it’s not …

This is about where to draw the line and when to move forward. As we all know, on 18 March, Whaikaha issued a statement imposing purchasing guidelines on those accessing equipment management services and to guide those on Individualised Funding packages on where they can spend their support funding and where they can’t.  This announcement …

Where do things stand as the dust settles after a week’s worth of headlines on the Whaikaha support fund announcement? I personally think some rules around the use of support funds are appropriate. But the announcement of the purchasing guidelines for equipment management services’ funding and the use of funding by those receiving Individualised Funding …

RNZ:  https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018931831/disability-support-network-on-funding-boost- ft Peter Reynolds interview  Newsroom: https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/03/26/external-review-to-probe-disability-ministrys-spending-and-systems/ Our position – NZDSN welcomes the additional Cabinet oversight of Whaikaha to ensure they have the funding to do the job.  The decision addresses the previous ill-advised decision to appoint a Minister outside of Cabinet for such an important portfolio. Disability support has been subject to decades …

New Zealand’s population over the second half of 2023 grew at its fastest rate since 1946 putting our population at just over 5.3 million people. The government has introduced changes to immigration settings with Finance Minister Nicola Willis saying the door has been open to too many low-skilled workers. Minister Willis has been saying she …

An ongoing series of disability support services cuts, including equipment disabled people can purchase to help them live good lives, offering respite for them and their carers amongst other costs is undermining the entire disability sector, says New Zealand Disability Support Network CEO Peter Reynolds. NZDSN is a network of not-for-profit organisations and some for-profit …

Click Here: Whaikaha – Purchasing Rules and Equipment and Modification Services (EMS) Update Whaikaha have just announced changes to the system for purchasing equipment and modification services.  The covering e-mail states that “…changes do not reduce the amount of funding that is allocated to disabled people (or carers), they provide clarity and certainty for disabled …

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ajr.13020 An interesting article with parallels to the issues faced by the NZ Disability Workforce and the need for greater strategic planning for the future workforce expectations in NZ. The parallels include a geographically dispersed workforce as support services seek to deliver much-needed support across the country, not just in the main urban centres.  Among …