PSA
20 March 2024
It’s time for disability support to be well and reliably resourced.
We call on Penny Simmonds, the Minister for Disability Issues, to bridge the funding gaps in the Budget in May.
The PSA’s Deaf and Disability Committee is outraged this Government is overseeing drastic cuts and restrictions to essential support for disabled whānau. With over a million New Zealanders living with some form of disability, ongoing funding deficiencies in the disability sector have caused untold hurt to our most vulnerable. These latest cuts have come out of the blue without conversation with our communities, even though they have the power to reshape many of our lives.
What we choose to fund is about what we choose to value. Successive governments have severely underfunded services, equipment, and programs that remove barriers for disabled people to participate fully in our communities and direct our lives. This underfunding has contributed to Whaikaha this week changing policies without warning or engagement. The decision to prioritise support and impose restrictions on spending parameters was undertaken without consulting families, carers, and those living with disabilities. This move will leave disabled kiwis cut off from the financial and social support needed to enable lives of dignity and autonomy.
We call on Penny Simmonds, the Minister for Disability Issues, to bridge the funding gaps in the Budget in May. The situation this week where thousands of families have been thrown into turmoil by inadequate resourcing is unacceptable, and unnecessary. It’s time for disability support to be well and reliably resourced.
The Deaf and Disability Committee supports the kaupapa of Whaikaha and believes that they are the right organisation to administer support for people living with disability. It is imperative that significant changes are made to ensure Whaikaha is resourced to provide demand-driven support for the needs of this ever-growing community.
We ask Minister Simmonds: How do you intend to bridge the funding gap? How are you going to ensure the needs of the disabled community are addressed in the upcoming budget?
Kia kaha,
PSA Deaf and Disability Committee
RESOURCES