Dunedin City Council calls on government to reverse the funding cuts
YouTube: 30/04/2024
Tonight's meeting of the Dunedin City Council voted to support a motion by Councilor Mayhem for the Council to call on the government to reverse the changes to funding for disabled people.
Presentation by DPA member Chris Ford to the councilors at 6 minutes into the meeting.
The discussion 4 hours and 13 minutes into the meeting.
Taonga Takiwātanga Charitable Trust and Auckland Disability Law are proud to present Empowering Disability Rights Workshop
Presented by Rachael Wiltshire
When Thursday 2nd May
Time 9am to 3pm
Where Waikanae Surfclub, Gisborne
Light refreshments available
Spaces are limited
Registration link
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/F53L8F6
By: 1News Reporters
TVNZ: 30 April, 2024, 12:28pm
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the under-fire Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha.
New Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston said the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of the services to provide disabled people and carers with certainty around what they can access.
The Ministry now funds services for approximately 50,000 disabled people and equipment modification for approximately 100,000 people, administering an annual appropriation of $2.3 billion.
The Ministry had previously announced rule changes to funding for equipment, modification support and services due to financial pressure, which saw Whaikaha's chief executive apologise for the stress caused to the disabled community due to how the announcement was handled.
More recently, former Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds was stripped of her portfolio.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, who cited "major financial issues with programmes run by the Ministry of Disabled People", said he now wanted a senior minister in the portfolio.
Upston said since coming into office the Government had received "worrying advice about the risks inherited by the ministry when it was set up less than two years ago, and whether it was adequately equipped to manage them".
"We all want to see the best outcomes for the disabled community, their families, and those who care for them, and the coalition Government is focused on maximising this support.
"A three-person review panel will be appointed within the next few weeks and will be expected to make recommendations within four months of that date. I will then consider those recommendations and report back to Cabinet on next steps. The community will be consulted on the review's findings."
She said the review will be funded through the ministry's existing budgets.
"The Government is focused on delivering better public services that improve the lives of all Kiwis. This review will help give disabled people, their families, and carers certainty around the choices they have for how they lead a good life."
Disability Support Network chief executive Peter Reynolds said disability support providers expect the review to confirm the sector is "significantly underfunded" and that the Government needs to do better for disabled people.
He said in the disability support system, nearly all the money goes to the 'frontline' and this provides an opportunity for the Government to "prove their commitment" to workers in the sector.
"We note the irony that the review's terms of reference has not been subject to any consultation with our sector, and therefore risks repeating mistakes from the botched March 18th Whaikaha announcement."
He said an estimated 10.4% increase in funding would be needed "just to keep pace with rising demand and costs in the disability sector," with 24% in total needed to make up for historic underfunding.
"Disability support providers are already struggling to keep their heads above water. If funding fails to keep up with rising need costs, services will be cut back and disabled people will not get the support they need."
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha.
Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston said the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and carers with certainty around what they can access.
“We all want to see the best outcomes for the disabled community, their families, and those who care for them, and the coalition Government is focused on maximising this support.
“Since coming into office we have received worrying advice about the risks inherited by the ministry when it was set up less than two years ago, and whether it was adequately equipped to manage them.
“Crown expenditure on Disability Support Services, adjusted for inflation, has roughly doubled since 2005-06. The ministry now funds services for approximately 50,000 disabled people and equipment modification for approximately 100,000 people, administering an annual appropriation of $2.3 billion."
A three-person review panel will be appointed within the next few weeks. It is expected to make recommendations within four months after that. Upston will then take those recommendations to Cabinet, and then consult the community.
“This work will be funded through the ministry’s existing budgets.
Cabinet has agreed that the panel will consider:
By: Isaac Davison
The NZ Herald: 30 Apr, 2024 05:00 AM
As the Government prepares a review of the troubled Ministry of Disabled People, a confidential memo reveals its many flaws.
Whaikaha - The Ministry of Disabled People - took on huge financial risks during its hurried establishment and has not been equipped with the ability to manage them, a confidential briefing shows.
The ministry has been in the spotlight after it abruptly restricted funding to disabled people last month because it was about to run out of money - a bungle which led to the demotion of former minister Penny Simmonds.
The National-led Government is expected to confirm a review of the ministry today, barely two years after it was set up as part of the previous Government’s health reforms.
A briefing to the former Finance Minister Grant Robertson from September, obtained by the Herald, showed that officials flagged a number of significant problems within the ministry, which is responsible for commissioning $2.2 billion in support services each year.
The Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) stocktake said Whaikaha’s relatively short six-month establishment period placed “significant pressure” on the team tasked with setting up the ministry.
As a result, the team employed a “lift and drop” approach by simply transferring staff, functions, roles and responsibilities directly from the Ministry of Health to the new ministry.
That meant limited due diligence was carried out, especially given the size, complexity and ageing systems which were used to administer disability support services.
Whaikaha’s leadership inherited a number of risks, including a history of cost increases above inflation. Despite these increases, it had few levers to control spending and “a lack of financial management and monitoring capability to predict and respond to financial challenges”, the briefing said.
DPMC also identified a number of operational risks: “[The ministry’s] administration of disability support services is underpinned by legacy IT systems, ageing business practices, and weak assurance, audit, monitoring and fraud analysis functions which are not fit for purpose.”
The new ministry inherited workforce shortages and capacity problems from the Ministry of Health. As of September, 97 of its 289 positions remained vacant.
While the ministry now had a new organisational model, which reflected its new mandate, its operating budget had not been scaled to meet the demands of its $2.2 billion in annual commissioning, its new system leadership and policy functions, the briefing said.
DPMC reviewed Whaikaha’s five main workstreams and graded three of them as “mixed” and two as “problematic”. One of the problematic areas was the ministry’s work on building partnerships. Trust among disabled Māori people in particular was “eroding”, the briefing said.
Newly-appointed Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston said she received the briefing when she took over the portfolio last week and was “very concerned” about the financial pressure the ministry was under. The disability support system was “not fit for purpose”, she said.
“It would appear to me that while the ministry was established with the best intentions, the previous Labour Government set it up in a hurry and was aware that disability support services were not sustainable under the current settings.”
Labour Party disability issues spokeswoman Priyanca Radhakrishnan said disabled people and their advocates had long sought a dedicated ministry.
“There are a large group of people - about 1.1 million New Zealanders [who] identify with a disability and they face challenges virtually more than any other group in New Zealand and therefore want a dedicated ministry.”
She agreed that the new ministry had inherited problems from the Ministry of Health which were “less than ideal” and said it was working to establish adequate funding systems.
Radhakrishnan said Simmonds should have ensured the ministry had the funding it needed to meet cost pressures while it worked on its systemic problems.
The extent of Whaikaha’s troubles emerged last month when the ministry suddenly restricted funding for respite care and equipment purchases.
Simmonds said at the time that the ministry was about to run out of the money it was given in last year’s Budget to pay for disabled people’s allowances. She and ministry CEO Paula Tesoriero later apologised for the way the changes were announced.
The funding announcement came without warning and took disabled people, advocates and health professionals by surprise.
It also surprised Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, who removed Simmonds from the portfolio in a reshuffle last week.
The Government agreed to top up the funding for allowances. It later relaxed some of the restrictions, allowing disabled people to spend again on essential therapy and regional travel for carers, but many of the new limitations remained in place.
The ministry provides support services to 45,000 people and equipment to around 100,000 people.
Isaac Davison is an Auckland-based reporter who covers health issues. He joined the Herald in 2008 and has previously covered the environment, politics, and social issues.
Last Updated 30/04/2024
RESOURCES
Disabled people are everywhere. Disabled United (DUNZ) campaigns to unite all disabled people in the ongoing fight for our mana and our rights as full human beings. Regardless of place of residence, disability, national origin, religion, sex, political affiliation, sexuality, etc.
One small practical step is to make resources available in the many languages spoken in NZ.
For a start there are the official languages, English, Maori and NZ Sign Language. But there are many more spoken in migrant communities. The campaign needs to reach everyone.
In Invercargill, DUNZ supporter Kahutaiki kindly translated some English text to Maori for the "Join DUNZ" poster used in the campaign.
If you can help, we need volunteers who speak other languages to also translate material for the campaign.
For example: Samoan, Mandarin, Hindi, Tagalog, French, German, Spanish, Hebrew, Arabic, Tongan, Panjabi, Korean, etc.
RESOURCES
By: Zane Small
Newshub: 28/04/2024
The new Minister for Disability Issues has only been in the job a few days but is already coming under pressure.
The Labour Party held a public rally on Sunday calling for Louise Upston to fully reinstate disability funding flexibility for carers and to apologise to disabled communities.
Last month, the Ministry of Disabled People, Whaikaha, restricted what disability carers could spend their allowance on because it was about to blow its budget by tens of millions of dollars.
Galatea Young, who looks after her disabled daughter Fiadh, it felt like a just-manageable situation was being made too hard to handle.
"I've given my life already to my daughter and it's just restricted my life a whole lot more," Young told Newshub on Sunday.
Fiadh, four, has Angelman syndrome, a rare neurological disorder.
"She has seizures, she has really big issues with sleep, she can't walk, she can't talk," Young explained.
She used her allowance from the Ministry of Disabled People to pay for carers and nights off for herself, because Fiadh has trouble sleeping.
"The way we previously used it was for hotel rooms so that I could have nights off where I could actually go and sleep."
The funding restriction sparked protests because it was made with no consultation, and Whaikaha chief executive Paula Tesoriero later apologised.
"The ministry managed this far short of my expectations," she told Newshub at the time.
Earlier this week, a partial U-turn allowed money to be used for things like essential therapy tools and regional travel. But the damage was done, and the minister in charge, Penny Simmonds, was stripped of the portfolio.
"She acknowledges there've been challenges there and she gets it," Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said on Wednesday.
Four days in, and the new Minister for Disability Issues, Louise Upston, is already under pressure.
Labour held a public meeting in Porirua on Sunday demanding funding flexibility for carers be fully re-instated.
"A more flexible approach for funding was long overdue and I know that it's made a big difference," Labour leader Chris Hipkins told the crowd.
Labour also wanted an apology from Upston to disabled communities for comments made by her predecessor.
Simmonds, speaking in Parliament last month, said: "Funding has been used to purchase Lotto tickets, alcohol and tobacco."
Hipkins told reporters the comments were unacceptable.
"The comments that Penny Simmonds made in justifying changes to flexible funding were wrong, they were very hurtful to the people who are working as carers."
The new minister in charge was busy in her Taupō electorate on Sunday but told Newshub in a statement it was "clear the ministry has some funding challenges that need to be worked through".
She said that was why the Government has committed to a funding review.
Upston didn't give an apology but said: "The ministry has already publicly acknowledged the recent changes to flexible funding have been distressing and caused confusion for the disability community."
Young said she didn't feel encouraged by the change of minister.
But she had a message for Upston: "Listen, come spend time with us, and be part of our community, before you make your decisions."
Because decisions by the Government thus far, have made life more difficult for the single mum of a disabled daughter.
DUNZ: 27 April 2024
In the wake of recent developments, a national meeting of DUNZ members using Zoom is being organised over the next 2 weeks using different time slots.
The March 18 announcement of changes to how we can use our funding evoked outrage within the disabled community.
To reach the broadest possible audience, DUNZ uses everything that works.
Most disabled people don't use Facebook. It's also a barrier for many blind people, older people and those without access to technology.
Zoom is the best option for a meeting at the moment. The Zoom Free Basic Plan can host a meeting.
Over the last few weeks, people from the disabled community have been joining DUNZ using the online join form.
This Zoom meeting is for those who have offered to help. The invite will be sent.
Mike Peters will give a 10-minute summary, including visual slides for the deaf community.
The Zoom meeting will be repeated at these times on different days to ensure all members have a chance to participate.
An additional meeting with members of Blind Citizens NZ (BCNZ) could be held using Zoom, which is very accessible.
An additional meeting with members of the Deaf Community could be held using their preferred communication system.
Last Updated 28/04/2024
RESOURCES
Manawanui: 26/04/2024
Manawanui’s Community Network Meetings are a chance for you to meet other people in your local area who are using Individualised Funding, to share ideas, collaborate and connect.We hold them in more than 15 regional locations at least once a year and encourage everyone who can to attend and give us your feedback.
Our CEO Marsha, says Community Network Meetings are the favourite part of her job, and we couldn’t agree more.
You can find details of upcoming meetings below. If there are no meetings scheduled, please contact us about meetings and workshops in your local area.
We still have plenty of Network Meetings to go and some more to announce as well. You can register for any of these locations below, using this link here.
Tuesday 30th April, 9:30am – 11:30am & 1pm – 3pm, Distinction Hotel, 6 Liverpool St, Dunedin
Wednesday 1st May, 11am – 1pm, Ascot Park Hotel, 41 Racecourse Rd
Thursday 23rd May, 11am – 1pm, Gisborne RSA, 184 Childers Rd, Gisborne
Friday 24th May, 11am – 1pm, Napier War Memorial Centre, 48 Marine Parade, Napier
Monday 27th May, 11am – 1pm, Whanganui War Memorial, Watt St, Whanganui
Tuesday 28th May, 11am – 1pm, Distinction Coachman Hotel, 140 Fitzherbert Ave, Palmerston North
Tuesday 11th June, 10am – 12pm, Plymouth International, 220 Courtenay Pl, New Plymouth
Thursday 11th July, 10am – 12pm, Hotel Elms, 456 Papanui Rd, Christchurch
Friday 12th July, 11am – 1pm, Nelson Golf Club, 38 Bolt Rd, Nelson
Last Updated 26/04/2024
RESOURCES
By Red Nicholson
The D*List: Friday, 26 April 2024
A recent change saw Whaikaha restoring flexible funding for some - but not others. Did you have a plan lined up before 18th of March? You're all set. After that? You're out of luck.
OPINION: This week, Whaikaha - the Ministry of Disabled People released yet another update to the purchasing restrictions recently imposed on people who receive flexible support funding. While this recent announcement restores degrees of flexibility for some people, it continues to leave others out in the dark.
We know there has always been an invisible asterisk that sat alongside the phrase 'flexible funding'. Flexible, sure, but only sort of. Or flexible within particular boundaries. Alcohol and gambling, for example, have always been excluded. But the changes first announced on March 18 and the clarifications since represent the largest existential risk to the pipe-dream of flexible support funding that truly Enables Good Lives.
As Whaikaha - and the Government - soon discovered after announcing the initial set of changes, introducing strict rules to what had previously been a flexible system only led to more complexity, confusion and uncertainty. Setting one rule meant making clarifications to another. Limiting one set of purchases all of a sudden meant disabled people couldn’t travel. Or get to work. Or honour their employment agreements with their staff. So as issues arose, the clarifications rolled on, attempting to mitigate various violations of human rights and employment law.
Because our lives – well, they’re complicated. We often talk about disability not being a homogenous experience, so flexibility is critical to ensuring disabled people can live the lives we want. Having rules, limitations and exclusions arbitrarily and immediately imposed upon us by policymakers had a substantial impact on our lives, and was deeply upsetting for many in our communities and our whānau.
A group of disabled and nondisabled people protest, with a man speaking into a megaphone in front of the crowd. A cardboard sign reads: Good lives disabled by Penny's lies. Another sign reads: Carers care, do you?
Since the changes to flexibility were first announced, shades of grey have been introduced week by week, each weekly update providing additional clarification – but very little relief.
However, the latest update announced this Wednesday introduces a new red line that means many will be disadvantaged through no fault of their own. The update dated 24 April states: “existing support arrangements can continue [so long as] … that commitment was made before 18 March 2024”. Further reading on the Whaikaha website reveals that “existing support arrangements” means that some disabled people will be able to use their funding just as flexibly as they could before, including paying for:
This is a big deal – limiting the ability for disabled people to pay for support workers’ travel had a material and profound impact on many of our opportunities for employment, recreation and social activities. So it’s great to have this flexibility restored. But - bizarrely - this exemption is only available to those who had an existing arrangement for work, study or therapy in place prior to March 18, 2024.
Did you start a new job on the March 17 and need to pay a support worker’s travel costs? No worries. Start on March 19? You’re out of luck. Did you sign up to a programme in February that requires you to make disability related purchases to attend? Great, use your funding! Oh, you signed up on March 19? Sorry - pay those costs yourself. Two people who begin the same study, employment or therapeutic journey two days apart will have access to vastly different levels and conditions of support.
Whaikaha are very clear about this: “Your flexible funding cannot be used to support you to participate in any new course of study that you had not committed to before 18 March 2024,” reads their website. This arbitrary distinction makes absolutely no sense at all, and only serves to further confuse and divide our communities.
The question must be asked: Why carve us out like this? Why make it so difficult to access the tools we need to survive? As we know, the more complex a system is to navigate, the less likely people are to engage. This leaves those that will benefit the most as the people with the most privilege. The people used to working within systems that have historically been designed to meet their needs. And the people who know the conversations to have with people inside the system to get what they need.
The question must be asked: why carve us out like this? Why make it so difficult to access the tools we need to survive?
So yes, this is a disability rights issue. We must continue to speak up against systems, processes and policies that reduce the scope of our lives and reduce us to passive recipients of support done to us, rather than designed by us. But this is also an equity issue. Government agencies continue to impose unwieldy and hostile eligibility criteria that only serves to entrench existing layers of privilege and inequity. What we’ve seen from the Government over the past month does nothing to address these issues, and in fact, by continuing to introduce needless complexity and senseless exclusions, we further entrench the very social inequities that our Ministry was set up to challenge.
Let’s cancel the clarifications, and return true flexibility, agency and self-determination for disabled people and our whānau.
Last Updated 26/04/2024
RESOURCES
Southland Deaf Community Leader Speaks Out
By Roger Strong
YouTube: 25/04/2024
Roger Strong, President of Southland Deaf Community, uses video to explain how Invercargill needs a sign language interpreter , and the impact of the recent funding cuts. His wife Philippa Strong, provides his voice in the first segment, and then Roger uses NZ Sign Language. Subtitles by YouTube
Last Updated 26/04/2024
RESOURCES
By: TVNZ Reporters
One News: 24 April 2024
Whaikaha Ministry for Disabled people has provided "clarifications" on purchasing rules for flexible funding support following feedback from both the community and providers.
Last month, Whaikaha announced it would place new rules on funding for equipment, modification support and services due to financial pressure.
The enforced budget caps and reductions in orders were "not cuts", the Government said, adding that funding for the ministry would be topped up in this year's Budget.
The plan was revealed through a leak which was reported in Stuff, with disabled New Zealanders and those that care for them speaking of being "blindsided" by the changes.
Whaikaha's chief executive later apologised by the stress caused by the changes and the way it was announced, and Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds said the department hadn't been clear enough with its communication.
At the time of the announcement, Simmonds said criticism of a funding cap for equipment for disabled people is "absolute rubbish" — and revealed her ministry was within “days” of running out of its funding.
She later caused controversy when she claimed carers had been taking advantage of a "broad" funding criteria to use public money "for massages, overseas travel, pedicures, haircuts" for themselves.
Finance Minister Nicola Willis said future decisions by the ministry about funding would go to Cabinet to be signed off.
Today, the ministry outlined new clarifications on how people can use some of the disability funding.
1. Ride and driver services can be used to support a disabled person to access services or engage with the community, where this is a reasonable and cost-effective option.
2. The following items can be purchased for a disabled person to assist self management, on a one-off basis within a flexible funding allocation period:
3. Household support arrangements in place through Choice in Community Living or a personal budget can continue, where these arrangements are an alternative to residential care that enables people to live in the community.
4. Existing support arrangements can continue where:
The disabled person has committed to employment, a course of Study, therapy, or a timebound programme; and
They have relied on the availability of flexibility under the previous Purchase Rules to support them to participate in those commitments; and
That commitment was made before 18 March 2024.
Autism NZ said being able to carer support and individualised funding for sensory items, tablets and noise cancelling headphones would come as a "great relief" to many people living with autism.
However, it was disappointed the update did not contain changes "to the inability for carers to pay for accommodation to take a break".
"Many autistic people cannot tolerate residential care services, or leaving their home for respite.
"So carers must be able to leave the home to avoid burnout or overwhelm, and the cost of a night in a domestic hotel is, in Autism NZ's opinion, a reasonable expense for someone providing millions of dollars for unpaid labour across a lifetime."
In today's announcement, Whakaha said it had "a lot to learn" about the way it communicated the initial changes.
"We acknowledge the changes have been distressing and caused confusion for the community, and for the service providers who support disabled people.
"We are committed to our partnership approach and the transformation of the disability support system."
Last Updated 28/04/2024
RESOURCES
Tāmaki Makaurau disability communities protest funding cuts
By: Olivia Shivas
The D* List: Monday, 22 April 2024
"No ifs, no buts, stop the disability funding cuts," chanted around 100 protesters gathered in Auckland's CBD on a wet and windy Sunday afternoon.
There is a photo essay on the D*List
Last Updated 10/05/2024
Resources
Here is a speech by Paul Brown to the crowd at the Auckland Protest Rally at Aotea Square, Auckland on Sunday 21 April 2024.
Last Updated 22/04/2024
RESOURCES
Auckland: 21 March 2024
Today, there was a successful protest rally in Auckland City at Aotea Square. According to Nicola Owen, one of the organisers, 100 people came.
These photos were supplied via Facebook by Nicola Owen, Joe Carolan, and Janine Wilson.
Last Updated 22/04/2024
RESOURCES
6th April 2024
To,
Hon Minister Simmonds
Minister Disability Issues,
New Zealand.
Re: Concerns for the wellbeing of the disabled community in Aotearoa and need for trauma informed approach across disability issues.
Tēnā koe,
I am writing on behalf of the Neuroscience And Trauma Informed Network Aotearoa (NATINA) Board to share our concerns about the impact of recent changes made to the Purchasing Rules and EMS on 18th March 2024 which have severely impacted the disabled community.
NATINA are a charitable trust with a vision to create inclusive, safe, trauma informed schools and communities so that every ākonga belongs, learns and thrives. Our mission is to promote, support, educate and advocate for neuroscience and trauma informed approaches to create safe, inclusive, holistic, thriving learning spaces & communities. Our board members have a deep understanding of trauma across their communities and it’s impact on the wellbeing of communities.
As a network, we provide a platform for the community which includes families, educators, disabled and neurodivergent people, community leaders and professionals interested in becoming neuroscience and trauma informed so they can network, share and deepen their understanding and improve their practice towards becoming more inclusive through a neuroscience and trauma informed lens.
While many disabled people and families have written to you about the direct impact recent changes have had on their lives and requested the immediate reversal of these changes, (which we most definitely support), we wish to shed light on the collective trauma that your and Whaikaha’s words and actions have caused to the community, and wish to request that yourself, the government and Whaikaha adopt a trauma informed approach as you move forward in the future engaging with disabled people and their families.
Most disabled children, people and their families are exposed to discrimination on an ongoing basis due to the lack of inclusive attitudes, policies and practices across their communities and government sectors. This causes complex trauma and impacts disabled people and their families’ wellbeing negatively.
Your words belittling and devaluing the role of parents/families as carers, and the way the changes were made without any community engagement has triggered disabled people and families, and retraumatised them as their self-worth has been diminished. They have felt helpless, frustrated, and enraged as their autonomy, choice and control has been stripped away due to the restrictions imposed.
Most importantly disabled people and their families have experienced collective trauma as their self-worth, need for self-care and self-determination has been poorly judged by you/officials who never engaged with the community or took the time to know and understand their lived reality.
We are concerned about this collective trauma that the disabled community have experienced because of the following reasons, and we hope you can see the reason for our concerns about the long-term impact on disabled children, people and their families in Aotearoa.
• Trauma impacts every aspect of a person’s life, and can affect their physical, mental, emotional wellbeing significantly, and negatively affect their sense of self-identity and self worth. It puts them at much higher risk of chronic diseases, physical ailments, and mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety.
• Trauma impacts the way a person perceives and processes information from the world around them, and can skew a person’s sense of reality, sense of felt safety and heighten sensory experiences which can cause distress and impair functioning.
• Trauma affects the ability to connect, engage and build relationships with others, and can lead to isolation, loneliness, distrust and harmful attachment patterns. The quality of relationships across families and communities, ability to care for others, and capacity to engage in collaborative respectful partnerships is likely to be compromised.
• Trauma reduces a person’ window of tolerance and their ability to self-regulate and cope with the minor daily stressors of life, which in turn can lead to increased distressed behaviours.
• Trauma puts individuals at higher risk of substance abuse, self-harm, and harmful coping mechanisms, especially when there is lack of appropriate supports to help with processing and healing of trauma.
The collective trauma that has impacted disabled people and families’ needs to be addressed and unfortunately our current mental health supports and services are not adequate, nor accessible to most of our community. Research shows that when people are well supported to process and heal their trauma, there can be post traumatic growth and this can benefit the individual positively. We request you to consider the following in order to redress what has been done, allow healing to happen, and ensure no further harm and trauma is brought upon the disabled community in Aotearoa.
• Acknowledge the hurt, harm and trauma that has been caused.
• Repair by connecting and engaging with the community and hear what the community has to say so they feel heard and seen.
• Restore flexibility, choice and control for disabled people and their families to use their funding as they see fit to support their good life.
• At the very least, ensure disabled people and family can access their funding to purchase mental health, wellbeing and counselling services to support with addressing the distress and sense of hopelessness they have experienced recently.
• Commit to honouring the Enabling Good Lives approach and ensure disability supports and services are EGL aligned.
• Resource Whaikaha and disability support services more adequately based on needs within the disabled community.
• Commit to adopting a trauma informed approach across the work of Whaikaha moving forward.
• Commit to adopting a trauma informed approach yourself and encourage this across the government as the minister for disability issues.
We hope you can understand the significance and severity of the risks that disabled people and their families have been exposed to because of the recent changes and messages from yourself, and the level of distress, harm and trauma this has caused them. Hence, we request you to address the matter with urgency in a way that allows repair and healing for the community.
We wish to reiterate our request that all engagement and work with regards to disabled children, people, and their families across Whaikaha, other sectors and across government needs to be trauma informed to ensure the wellbeing and prevent retraumatisition of the community. A human rights approach and an Enabling Good Lives approach are both trauma-informed as they align with the 6 key principles of trauma informed approach.
1. Safety: physical & psychological
2. Trustworthiness and Transparency
3. Peer Support
4. Collaboration and Mutuality
5. Empowerment, Voice and Choice
6. Cultural, Historical, and Gender Issues
NATINA would be happy to offer you and your staff free workshop/professional development on understanding neuroscience and trauma informed approaches that support community development, building collaborative partnerships, and allow for healing and prevention of re traumatisation of the disabled community. As the minister for disability issues you have the capacity to influence and shift the way our community is valued and supported, and we would be happy to support you to do this in a manner which allows for the mana of disabled people and their families to be held up rather than be diminished.
We are happy to meet with you and engage with you further on this matter and look forward to hearing from you.
Ngā mihi,
Frian Wadia MNZM
Founder & Chairperson
NATINA Charitable Trust.
By Matthew Littlewood
ODT: Saturday, 20 April 2024
Dunedin's disabled community is calling on the government to reverse changes to access funding and restore their autonomy.
Yesterday, more than 80 people joined a march from the Meridian Mall to the Octagon to protest the government’s changes to access funding.
Disability Issues Minister Penny Simmonds has said there have been "no changes to funding" of the disability support appropriation, and the changes were "simply about ensuring the funding allocated to disabled people is actually being used for that purpose".
But protest organiser Dr Amy Taylor disputed this.
"We've lost a lot of flexibility.
"They've tried to clarify things; but they're still as clear as mud.
"We don't have a lot of autonomy as disabled people. "Ideally, we would like to spend our money as best we can.
"We shouldn't be told by some bureaucrats in Wellington what we need."
Removing the flexibility leads to an "incredibly narrow" type of assistance, she said.
[PHOTO]
A protest group advocating for the disabled community marched to the Octagon yesterday. Photo: Peter McIntosh
"People are not able to leave the city with a carer any more; that’s not possible.
"People aren’t allowed to use the funding to purchase glucose monitors for diabetics ... you can spend it on support workers, but it’s not enough: $80 per day doesn't pay anyone’s salary."
Protester Emily McClelland said the changes affected her family, because her 11-year-old daughter Liliana had a lot of "additional needs".
"It’s limited our options as to how she can be cared for.
"I would to see like the reversal of all the changes."
Ms Simmonds has said in Parliament there were a small proportion of people who were accessing the funding for care services such as massages, hairdressers, pedicures and other appearance or therapeutic services, or for purchasing Lotto tickets.
Ms McClelland said this claim was "nonsense".
Dunedin MP Rachel Brooking also attended the protest in support.
"Governing MPs have seen there is disquiet among the community about these decisions; I'm always optimistic we can effect change.
"Congratulations to the disabilities communities for staying motivated; when government decisions such as these are very de-motivating."
On Thursday we held another meeting at the Main Street Cafe with 10 people in attendance.
Posters - Thank you to those who have made the effort and placed the posters around town and other places such as staff rooms, dairy's and community noticeboards. There are still plenty more to go up as we near the next protest. If you would like some copies there is one on the website that can be downloaded and printed. If you are unable to print then do reach out to the team and we can arrange to drop some off.
T-shirts - We are currently looking into getting t-shirts printed with the wording of Disabled United at the top, the QR code in the middle and the website on the bottom. Once we have figured out costs these will be available to purchase.
Banners -To make us seen we are looking at getting banners made up that can be shared around the country. We will be using the same set up across banners, posters and other items to show a clear message that can be
easily replicated.
Public Meeting - Hopefully we will get some progress on this soon once we can find a venue and arrange speakers etc. More info to come.
Protest Organisation - Plans are going well for the upcoming protest on Thursday 2nd May with the following people in charge.
If anyone has any hi vis vests please bring these to the protests. We look forward to seeing you all there as we come together to fight these changes.