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We are excited to bring you this conference, our first post-COVID conference! The theme: “Disability Support – at the Crossroads” reflects the many challenges we face currently, explores those challenges and how we might cope and manage our way through.
Register Here
What to expect: We have chosen four key sub-themes that build on the Crossroads picture:
- Commissioning services, which includes funding issues, service frameworks, contracts service transformation and Enabling Good Lives
- Workforce explores the need for a wider Disability Workforce Strategy in addition to recognising the current challenges around supply and demand, qualifications, etc
- Accessibility and Housing topically explores the drive for a robust accessibility system in New Zealand and the shortage of accessible social housing and facilities to meet the demand for respite, appropriate under-65 facilities and more
- And finally, Pay Equity explores the two pay equity claims currently on the table, the impact on the wider disability sector and the need for a fully and additionally government funded solution that doesn’t leave providers high and dry!
Programme
Time | Tuesday 18th July | Time | Wednesday 19th July |
0930 | Powhiri | 0730 | Breakfast Session – Political Panel |
0940 | Morning Tea | 0900 | Commissioning Keynote #2: Rt Hon Sir Bill English |
1000 | Welcome Minister – Sean Stowers, NZDSN Chair | 0945 | Commissioning Panel Discussion |
1010 | Minister for Disability Issues, Hon Priyanca Radhakrishnan | 1045 | Morning Tea |
1040 | Minister’s Q&A with members | 1105 | Commissioning concurrent sessions (per service type) |
1115 | Workforce Keynote: Ben Drew | 1205 | Lunch |
1215 | Lunch | 1300 | Pay Equity Keynote: Amy Ross (Public Service Commission) |
1250 | Workforce Panel Discussion | 1345 | Pay Equity Panel Discussion |
1350 | Workforce concurrent sessions (per service type) | 1430 | Pay Equity concurrent sessions (per service type) |
1450 | Afternoon Tea | 1530 | Closing Keynote: Red Nicholson |
1510 | Accessibility & Housing Keynote: Paul Gibson | 1630 | Closing Remarks (CEO) |
1610 | Accessibility & Housing Panel Discussion | 1640 | Karakia Whakamutunga – Closing Prayers |
1710 | Accessibility/Housing concurrent sessions (per service type) | ||
1800 | Chairman’s Cocktail Function & Awards |
Concurrent sessions will involve three breakout sessions by service type:
- Residential services
- Community services
- Vocational Services
Sponsors
Details coming soon
Trade Exhibitors
Details coming soon
Speakers

Hon Priyanca Radhakrishnan, Minister for Disability Issues
Workforce Keynote
More details coming soon
Workforce Panellists

Creative Solutions

NEGL Leadership
Rachel Daysh Whaikaha


Te Ake Whai Ora
Accessibility and Housing Keynote:

Paul Gibson, Human Rights Commission and Royal Commission into Abuse in Care
Accessibility and Housing Panellists

Community Connect

Accessible Housing
Kainga Ora

NZDSN Board
Political Panellists





Commissioning Keynote:

Rt Hon Sir Bill English
Commissioning Panellists

Whaikaha

Te Whatu Ora
NZDSN Board Member
Ministry of Education
Pay Equity Keynote:

Amy Ross, Public Service Commission
Pay Equity Panellists

NZ Health Group

CCS Disability Action
NZDSN Board Member
Small Provider
Closing Keynote:

Red Nicholson
Chairperson’s Cocktail Function

The Chair of NZDSN, Sean Stowers, invites you to attend this cocktail function to further enjoy the networking benefits of conference and to celebrate with your colleagues the winners of the following awards, to be presented at the function.
Below prices include GST:
Member – Standard Registration (both days) – $661.25
Member – One Day Registration – $396.75
Non Member – Standard Registration (both days) – $776.25
Non member – One Day Registration – $465.75
Virtual Registration (observe keynote and panel discussion sessions live online) – $661.25
Accompanying Support Person – $143.75Gift Registration (a Gift Registration is for you to sponsor someone unable to otherwise attend the conference due to hardship; awarded on the sponsor’s behalf by NZDSN) – $529.00
Register Here
Regional Networking Meetings
Please see the following dates and times for the regional network meetings being held throughout New Zealand in 2023.
These meetings provide a great opportunity for local providers to connect and network with others in their regions.
These are placeholder notices for members to save these dates, times and locations in your diaries for the Regional Networking Meeting being held around New Zealand.
Northland – please contact Adam.Dade@northable.org.nz for updates
Thursday 15th June
Auckland – please book for these events here www.nzdsn.org.nz/events
Times/dates for these meetings below. These meetings will be face to face where possible but via zoom when necessary.
Wednesday the 5th April 2023 Time: 9.30am – 12.30pm Venue: 74 Epsom Avenue, Auditorium/6EB-113
Wednesday the 28th June 2023 Time: 9.30am – 12.30pm Venue: 74 Epsom Avenue, Auditorium/6EB-113
Wednesday 20th Sept 2023 Time: 9.30am – 12.30pm Venue: 74 Epsom Avenue, Auditorium/6EB-113
Wednesday 29th November 2023 Time: 9.30am – 12.30pm Venue: To Be advised.
Waikato – dates and times as below:
Thursday 10 August 10am – 2pm – venue to be advised
Thursday 16 November 10am – 2pm – Community Living (180 Collingwood Street, Hamilton WAIKATO 3204, New Zealand)
Hawkes Bay – bookings for these events are not open at this time, please contact admin@nzdsn.org.nz for updates
Times/dates and venue will be advised in the new year.
Manawatu – please contact Mike mike@options.org.nz for more details.
Monday 29 May
Wednesday 28 June
Monday 31 July
Monday 28 August
Monday 25 September
Monday 30 October
Monday 27 November
Lower North Island – please book for these events Here www.nzdsn.org.nz/events
Venue: Community Connections 5 Sheffield St, Paraparaumu or Zoom if required
Times/ Date as below:
- Thursday 8 June 2023 10:30am – 12:30pm
- Thursday 7 September 2023 10:30am – 12:30pm
- Thursday 16 November 2023 10:30am – 12:30pm
Nelson – bookings for these events are not open at this time, please contact Karen.Bailey@nmdhb.govt.nz for updates
Times/dates for 2023 as below. These meetings will be via zoom. Please email Karen Bailey Karen.Bailey@nmdhb.govt.nz for the links
- Monday 13 February 11.30am – 1.00pm
- Monday 11 April 11.30am – 1.00pm
- Monday 12 June 11.30am – 1.00pm
- Monday 14 August 11.30am – 1.00pm
- Monday 9 October 11.30am – 1.00pm
Canterbury Networking Meeting – dates and times Please contact Canterbury Providers cantdpn@gmail.com for more information.
Wednesday 5 July
Wednesday 6 September
Wednesday 1 November
Otago Networking Meeting – bookings for these events are not open at this time, please contact info@cct.org.nz for updates
Times dates and venue will be advised in the new year.
Any queries regarding the above events should be directed to admin@nzdsn.org.nz or 04 4734678
International Day of People with Disabilities (IDPwD)
In Person
Tiaho Trust
Friday 2nd December 2022 10am – 2pm, Whangarei
For more information: 0800 430 3406
https://tiaho.org.nz or email arlene@tiaho.org.nz
Both In Person and via Zoom
APM
Throughout November and December, either in person or on Teams, you can hear from:
Peter Sim: What you can do as a colleague of a person with autism to make the workplace more inclusive
When: Monday 21st November 2pm AEDT / 11am AWST
Where: APM South Melbourne office
Ellie Cole: What employers can do to support the employment of para-athletes
When: Monday 28th November 1pm AEDT / 10am AWST
Where: APM West Perth Office (56 Ord Street)
Ben Johnston: What are the barriers in the workplace that are faced by people with vision impairment and how can we overcome them?
When: Thursday 1st December 2pm AEDT / 11am AWST
Where: APM North Sydney office
Read more about our presenters here
Blind Low Vision NZ
Blind Low Vision NZ will be marking International Day of Disabled Persons through an article in our client newsletter, Kōrero (published on Thursday 24 November), a news article on our website, an intranet piece and through content on our social media channels. We will link back to the IDPWD website on all of these so that people can find out more information if they need.
Be sure to register for any event you are able to attend! If you can, get into the office to see the presentation in person!
Access Advisors
We are getting together with some friends to discuss the language used around disabilities. Even IDPWD can be problematic. Come along and hear some different perspectives on Disabled People vs People with Disabilities, access needs vs special needs, wheelchair user or wheelchair bound.
This free webinar will provide insight onto the complexities of language and the impact words can have.
Date: Monday 5th December
Time: 12 – 1.30pm
Tickets are available through Humanitix.
Parafed
The TrailRider Fun Day is being held in association with Parafed Bay of Plenty on Saturday, 3 December 2022 to celebrate the International Day of People with Disabilities.
People will be taking the trip on the day with friends and whānau or with the help of volunteers from our community, including the Bay of Plenty Volcanix development squad and Priority One.
There will also be some fun activities for all the family on the day. Come along to Hopukiore – Mount Drury Reserve from 10am to 5pm and check out how Te Kaiwhakatere – TrailRider works, along with some live music, adaptive yoga and CrossFit, and ocean activities and beach games on Mount Maunganui Main Beach.

Event Link : https://fb.me/e/2mOktkuX3
Spectrum Care
To celebrate International Day of People with Disabilities, Spectrum Foundation Group and Spectrum Care’s Advisory Team (aka ‘The A Team’) of people with lived experience of disability will be hosting a ‘Kōrero and Kai’ session for our head office staff.
The theme this year is ‘Transformative solutions for inclusive development: the role of innovation in fuelling an accessible and equitable world’, with a special focus on disability inclusive developments in employment, reducing inequality, and sport as an exemplar for inclusion.
It’ll also be an important opportunity to acknowledge that ‘not all disabilities are visible’.
Disabilities come in all shapes and forms, and just because something isn’t visible, doesn’t mean it’s not important or impactful.
An example of an invisible disability is neurodiversity. Neurodiverse people see, experience and interact with the world differently.
Our staff will be congregating on the day to hear from our Advisory Team about their disabilities and how they see the world, as well as some of their hopes for the future.
In line with Spectrum Foundation’s promise to ‘leave no one behind’, we’re also using the session to do our part in finding innovative solutions for and with disabled people to make the world more accessible and equitable.
We’re looking forward to having an open kōrero with our colleagues to discuss their innovative ideas! Ngā mihi, Spectrum Care
Care On Call International Day of Disabiled Persons
This year, would love to celebrate our clients and staff with lived experiences of having a disability. To prepare for this, we are opening a discussion about how we can improve the experience of our clients and supports workers with a disability – particularly from an accessibility point of view.
See more in the attached flyer.
See more in the second attached flyer