Spring is springing up all around us – the odd daffodil and lamb tell us that Winter is officially over despite the lasting chill. Things are sprouting up on the disability front, also!
Spring brings to mind refreshment, after a long and actually pretty gnarly winter for Aotearoa. Getting a spring clean is the country’s Disability Strategy. Whaikaha, the Ministry of Disabled People is having a new look at how the strategy will roll out for 2026-2030. Tiaho Trust will be hosting a Whaikaha led consultation hui on the Draft NZ Disability Strategy for 2026-2030. The hui will be on the 15th of September at 12.30 at the Hope Church 1 Hunt Street Whangarei, New Zealand Sign language Interpreters will be present and everyone is welcome. Priority areas of the NZDS are Education, Employment, Health, Housing, Justice. Phew, big areas, but setting up such strategies is the way other practical changes that benefit disabled can be brought to life. And there are good people bringing to life such changes all around us as the season changes.
While the government recently increased the fine for misuse of mobility carparks to an eyewatering $750, private carparks currently escape this net. There is however a new crackdown on this mis-use. Leading the charge on this is CCS, Disability Action who administer the permits. They are working with Wilson Carparks initially to identify when patrons are using permits that belong to someone else. As CCS, Disability Action‘s Vivian Naylor wryly commented on Radio New Zealand, if other members of the family think “We’ll use Granny’s mobility card, so that we can park more easily somewhere to park closer” they will hopefully be nabbed under the proposed system , as their details are checked against that of the permit-holder.
Another move promising great growth to come is the establishment of New Zealand’s Autism Research Centre. The Centre will be led in collaboration Autistic people and it is committed to the mantra that never gets old in our sector, “Nothing about us, without us”. Bringing together our research for our unique part of the world is well overdue. There are a number of organisations carrying out their own research in this area – to have a single point of reference and collaboration – between organisations such as Altogether Autism and the Autism New Zealand can only improve outcomes for our Autistic community. The community will be watching with interest as to how this initiative leads to changes on the ground -in services to the Autistic community.
I am keen to see how these seeds of inspiration grow green shoots and flourish in the future. Happy spring, all!
Jonny Wilkinson is the CEO of Tiaho Trust – Disability A Matter of Perception, a Whangarei based disability advocacy organisation.