Pick Me!

Pete Carter

Standing for:Northland District Health Board
Position: Whangarei
What are the three biggest issues affecting disabled people in your community and what would you do as a Board member of NDHB to address these? The three biggest issues facing disabled people in Northland are:
  • Limited opportunities for disabled people to live in their communities of choice
  • Limited employment opportunities for disabled people to earn an adequate income and to enjoy the benefits of contributing to their communities
  • No public transport available for disabled people living in rural areas of Northland so that they can easily participate in their communities and limited accessibility of public places
  • As a Board member of the Northland District Health Board I will address each of these issues through encouraging closer working relationships between the Board, the staff of Northland DHB and other Government Departments and Local Bodies.
  • To address issue 1, I will tackle the three main barriers that hinder disabled people living in communities of their choice which are: appropriate and adequate support; appropriate housing; and adequate income. I will work with the staff of Northland DHB and with the Ministry of Health to ensure appropriate and adequate support and services are available and that additional funding goes to "support" agencies to ensure that they have sufficient staff, and that these staff are trained to provide support as required and directed by the disabled people these staff are supporting. I will work with Housing New Zealand to encourage further modifications to their housing stock so that these houses are universally accessible and that Housing New Zealand continues to support initiatives such as the Whangarei Accessible Housing Trust to ensure accessible housing is available across Northland. Similarly I will work with Local District Councils to encourage them to modify more of their housing stock to be universally accessible. I will work on improving the employment situation of disabled people (issue 2 - see below) to ensure they have an adequate income.
  • To address issue 2, improving employment opportunities for disabled people, I will work closely with the Ministry of Social Development, with Workbridge and with local training providers to ensure that disabled people have opportunities for training that will allow them to get real jobs in the community. I will encourage the Ministry of Social Development and Workbridge to put greater effort into working with communities and employers to break down the discrimination that creates a barrier to many disabled people finding work. I will encourage the Ministry of Social Development and Workbridge to give confidence to employers that adequate supports will be available for disabled people to work in the varied workplaces where they can be employed.
  • To address issue 3, to ensure disabled people living in rural Northland can get around and can access public places when they get there, I will work with local authorities to encourage them to provide accessible transport and to work in partnership organisations such as Tiaho Trust and Home Support North who have accessible vehicles. I will also work with local authorities to encourage them to improve access to public places with accessible paths to beaches and parks, improved street crossings in all urban areas and much greater availability of well located disability parking.
What role do you think the Disability Support Advisory Committee should play in effectively advising the Board?
  • The Disability Support Advisory Committee's primary purpose is to advise the Board on matters affecting the disability community, as raised at Committee meetings by the community representatives appointed to that committee. The Disability Support Advisory Committee is the Board's conduit for information from and to the disability community. The Committee, therefore, must play the very important role of providing the Board with information and advice on what is happening in the sector and what the sector expects of the Board and its providers. The Disability Support Advisory Committee must also be able to play the other important part of its role, that of keeping the disability community up to speed with what the Board and its providers are doing on behalf of the disability community.
How do you think the Disability Support Advisory Committee could effectively advise the Board and have the advice acknowledged and acted upon?
  • The Disability Support Advisory Committee can effectively advise the Board by passing motions at Committee meetings that are then taken to the Board by the Committee Chair for consideration by the Board. The Committee can also inform and advise the Board through papers prepared by Committee members that are approved at Committee meetings and then tabled by the Committee Chair at the Board meeting. Finally, the Committee can advise the Board through reports prepared by senior DHB staff who attend the Committee meetings, and these reports should be included in the Board agendas.
  • The advice of the Disability Support Advisory Committee should always be considered and acknowledged by the Board as it is received. The Committee Chair should lead discussions with the Board on matters raised by the Committee and these discussions should be supported by the other Board members who are on the Disability Support Advisory Committee. The Committee Chair or one of the other Board members from the Disability Support Advisory Committee should raise motions to support the advice of the Disability Support Advisory Committee and should actively encourage the Board to accept and act upon these motions.
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Public Comment 1

Posted by Mary Dore  on  09/28  at  09:19 AM

Well Done,

it is great to see such a long response to the questions and also a well thought through response.

However the boards’ response to the advice given is critical to getting any thing actually done.

Public Comment 2

Posted by David Senior  on  09/30  at  04:00 PM

Well done, I agree with Mary’s response Pete! You’ve got my vote! Best response of the lot really!

Public Comment 3

Posted by Maria Wihongi  on  10/02  at  11:50 AM

Another excellent response, you have clearly identified what I believe has been a major issue for people with disabilities for many years.  “Congratulations on a well thought through response” you have my vote.

Public Comment 4

Posted by Carol Peebles Norgate  on  10/09  at  01:47 PM

A good response to the questions and your comments about the DISAC are very good.  However, one thing you did omit to mention was access into and around buildings in Tai Tokerau, ie lifts, steps instead of ramps.  Otherwise you my vote.

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