Day 178 - NZDSN - Disability support providers deserve support, not spin

Disability support providers deserve support, not spin

Opinion: Peter Reynolds, New Zealand Disability Support Network CEO

NZDSN: September 13, 2024

It’s been disappointing and insulting to see the rhetoric about our support provider colleagues working with Oranga Tamariki from the Minister for Children, accusing support providers of concentrating on building their own bank balances.  Disability support providers, who often work with OT clients, must wonder if they’ll be next for this kind of accusation. 

The reality is disability support funding increases have consistently been lower than inflation for the last four years – what business can survive that? 

The sector is coping with 3,500 new disabled people seeking support each year, often with increasingly complex needs. That’s alongside the increasing costs of delivering that support, thanks to inflation and added complexity of the care required. The sector is simply being throttled. 

The support sector is full of skilled and passionate all too familiar with doing their jobs on very little resource. The reality is, this is a sector where funding is always tight, and our members are always looking for how we can do things more efficiently.  

So, rather than throw stones at providers, why not work with them? There is an open invitation to Ministers and MP’s to visit disability support providers, and meet the people delivering these crucial services, hear their korero and ask any questions to get clear on what’s happening on the ground. 

They’ll tell you their challenges and how they try to overcome them, what effect a funding cut is having on their roles and the people they support, and where the remaining risks are. These are the very frontline workers the coalition government claims to support, but right now they’re wondering what the review panel recommendations, and the gutting of Whaikaha means for them. 

Any politicians willing to visit providers will find they’re 100% focused on supporting disabled New Zealanders, as it should be. No-one is in this sector to make money – if they were, they’d soon be found out.  

We deserve better from elected Ministers targeting providers performing really challenging roles in our sector – I think they deserve support, not spin.

Last Updated 14/09/2024

RESOURCES

• https://nzdsn.org.nz/disability-support-providers-deserve-support-not-spin/

• https://nzdsn.org.nz/providers-search/

• New Zealand Disability Support Network

Day 92 - Opinion - A report from the NZDSN National Conference

A report from the NZDSN National Conference

Event: New Zealand Disability Support Network 2024 National Conference

Location: Wellington Takina Events Centre

Date: Monday 17- Tuesday 18 June 2024

Opinion: By a disabled participant

Okay, everyone. I need to pre-warn you about the direction of the government and Whaikaha based on what I heard at the NZ disability provider network conference. I don't think Minister Louise Upston or Whaikaha CEO Paula Tesoriero thought there would be disabled people in the audience. 

Tesoriero was the first keynote speaker. She confirmed that last year's transformation budget was put into "My Home, My Choice," which examines the transformation of residential care. 

Tesoriero also said they met with the Australian government's national disability insurance scheme at the beginning of the year, which led them to halt the transformation of disability support services. 

The review is not going to change anything. 

Tesoriero said the additional funding only goes to the people with the highest need, meaning residential care. Apparently, they are doing this in Sir Robert Martins's name. I pulled them up on that and said no, that's not what my friend wanted. He wanted everyone with a disability to have support regardless of their degree of disability.

The second keynote speaker, Minister Upston, told the providers in the room that transformation would not be happening at all. That means enabling good lives; in other words, system transformation will not occur even after the review. She stated that it would not be until the GDP is stable, which means comical finance. 

Minister Upston stated that Whaikaha was not told to decrease its costs or savings. However, I have heard otherwise from disabled people in Whaikaha. They say there is a travel ban for Whaikaha employees and that they were told to save 7% of costs, too. A staunch provider in the audience confirmed this.

I asked the Minister if communication devices would be addressed, but not sufficiently to reduce the waiting list. It went unanswered.

The third keynote speaker was Dr Sam Bennett, Disability Programme Director, Grattan Institute, Victoria, Australia. He was a policy analyst at a university in Australia that is not respected, trying to state that Auitsm was driving the course of NDIS to overspend due to high rates of autism diagnosis and that the government's national autism strategy is causing the government money strain. This person does not work for the government. I berated this speaker in front of everyone.

Last Updated 19/06/2024

RESOURCES

• My Home, My Choice

• New Zealand Disability Support Network National Conference

• 2024 Conference Program (PDF)

• New Zealand Disability Support Network (NZDSN)

• Dr Sam Bennett Grattan Institute, Victoria, Australia

Day 90 - Scoop - Disabled New Zealanders Must Have A Seat At The Cabinet Table

Disabled New Zealanders Must Have A Seat At The Cabinet Table

NZDSN: Monday, 17 June 2024, 11:06 am

Press Release: NZDSN

Politicians and parties were challenged to give disabled New Zealanders winnable positions on party lists, and seats at the cabinet table in the opening address of the New Zealand Disability Support Network national conference this morning. 

“Disabled people have put their names forward for several political parties over the years, but too often they’ve been placed in unwinnable party lists positions,” said NZDSN CEO Peter Reynolds.

“No matter how well-intentioned, how dedicated, and how well-briefed successive Ministers for Disability Issues have been, and many of them have made creditable progress in some areas, the fact there’s not a choice of capable disabled people vying to be Minister of Disability Issues is an indictment on how inclusive of disabled people this country truly is.”

Mojo Mathers and Tracy Martin were acknowledged for their trailblazing work in Parliament and since, but delegates heard that the current Parliament aren’t representative of the needs, aspirations and historic neglect of disabled people.

“This matters to providers, because when there is not a disabled person who is respected as an advocate in the disability community around the Cabinet table, it is too easy for the impact of underfunding and neglect not to be communicated with full authenticity when it matters.”

“A society should be judged on how it treats its most vulnerable, those who can’t speak for themselves. To truly feel heard and seen we need a seat at the table,” said Peter Reynolds.

Last Updated 17/06/2024

RESOURCES

• Scoop

• Disabled New Zealanders Must Have A Seat At The Cabinet Table

• New Zealand Disability Support Network