Disability Position Statement

October 2026

Our Goal: A System that Puts You First

We want a disability support system that puts disabled people and their families first. Deaf and disabled people have rights. They are not just people who receive government support. Everyone deserves the same opportunities to learn, work, and take part in their community.

Our approach is built on dignity, independence, and real partnership. We also value the vital role that families and carers play. The system must work with them, not against them.

In government, we will work alongside Deaf and disabled people, families, whānau, and carers to design any changes. We will base these changes on clear facts, community feedback, and a careful look at costs and practical steps.

We promise to:

Respect your choices, wishes, and what you want.
Give you the support you need to live a fulfilling life.
Work in true partnership with you and your family.

Our Approach

Our goal is a disability support system where you have rights, choice, and control over your own life.

We believe that:

Families and carers must be valued. They should be supported, not forced to fill the gaps left by a broken system.
Disabled people must lead. Deaf and disabled people must have a real voice in every decision that affects them.
New Zealand must be fully accessible. We want a country where everyone can take part in their community with dignity, independence, and the right opportunities.

1. Financial Security and Jobs

We will look for ways to:

Make sure benefit rules do not trap you in poverty. Our Citizens’ Income and Disability Allowance give people better financial security.
Enable you to work without losing your support. You should be able to work without facing unfair cuts to your income support.
Ensure fair pay for everyone. We will end rules that allow employers to pay disabled people less than the minimum wage.
Help businesses hire and keep disabled staff. We will look for ways to give employers better support so they can confidently recruit disabled workers and help them stay in their jobs.

2. Supporting Families, Whānau, and Carers

Families and whānau give an enormous amount of unpaid care. They should not have to fill the gaps left by a broken disability support system.

We will look for ways to:

Provide financial security. Our Citizens’ Income and Disability Allowance can support unpaid carers. It will also make sure benefit rules do not penalise you for doing paid work.
Help balance jobs and caring. We will give unpaid carers more flexibility to balance their paid employment with their caring roles.
Give carers a real break. We aim to improve respite care and support for unpaid carers.
Plan for the future. As family carers grow older, we want to help families plan ahead. We know that disabled adults need good, supported places to live when their family can no longer provide care.
Keep you at the centre. We will always respect the rights, choices, and voice of the disabled person when deciding on their support.

3. A Strong Care and Support Workforce

Care and support workers do essential work for disabled people and older New Zealanders. However, recent changes to the law under the Equal Pay Amendment Act 2025 cancelled many active pay equity claims. This included disability care and support workers. Experts warn this will make it harder to hire and keep workers, cause staff shortages, and lower the quality of care.

We will re-instate the fair rules from the Equal Pay Amendment Act 2020.

This will ensure that:

Care and support workers get the fair pay they deserve. Their valuable skills and hard work are fully recognized.
New Zealand builds a stable, long-lasting care workforce for the future.

4. Better Health and Disability Support

Our Health policy increases funding for health, especially primary and community care. We also want a 10-year plan agreed across parliament so we can work together towards changes such as:

Fair and accessible healthcare. Everyone should easily get the health, treatment, rehab, and disability support they need. This means making physical spaces, online services, and care culturally safe and accessible.
Choosing your own navigator. You should be able to choose the person who helps you guide and manage your way through the health and disability system.
A "Tell Us Once" system. If you have long-term support needs, you should not have to repeat your story or do unnecessary tests over and over. We will protect your privacy and let you decide how your information is shared.
Connecting different government systems. We want to better connect disability support, health, education, and ACC so no one falls through the cracks between agencies.

History has shown that some of these objectives are hard to get right. A health system with stable long-term funding and planning is a first step to putting them in place.

5. Better Access to Education

People with learning disabilities should have the same rights, opportunities and choices as everyone else.

Our Education policy includes support for neurodivergent people, and specialist support - including learning support coordinators, RTLBs, speech-language therapists, psychologists and mental health services.

6. Choice and Independent Living

Independent living does not mean doing everything on your own. It means having choice and control over where you live, who you live with, and the support you need to take part fully in your community. Government support should build on what your family does, not replace it.

To make this happen, we support reviewing and improving:

Home modifications. Making it easier to change your home so it works for you.
Equipment and gear. Improving the services that give you the tools and equipment you need.
Person-led future planning. Helping you lead the planning for your own life and your future.
Supported-living pathways. Creating clear steps and options for you to live independently.

7. Rights, Choice, and Accountability

Disabled people have rights in the support system. Your choices, wishes, and goals must be respected. Families and carers are there to help you use your rights—not to take over and decide what they think is best for you.

We will work with the disability community to strengthen:

Your right to decide. You have the right to make decisions about your own life, with the support you choose.
Accessible information. You should have access to information, communication, and services in formats that work for you.
Independent living. You have the right to choose where you live and who you live with.
Fair complaints and appeals. You need easy, accessible ways to complain or speak up if things go wrong.
Safety from harm. You deserve protection from abuse, neglect, and unfair treatment.
Real action when rights are broken. You must have effective ways to fix things when your rights are not respected.
Children's voices. Disabled children have the right to take part in decisions that affect their lives.
Our global promises. New Zealand must keep its promises under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

8. Making New Zealand More Accessible

We want an accessible New Zealand where things are built right from the start. We believe in designing public spaces, buildings, and services so everyone can use them easily. This stops barriers from being created in the first place, though you will always have the right to extra personal support whenever you need it.

We will work to steadily remove barriers in:

Housing: Creating more homes that everyone can access and live in.
Transport: Making buses, trains, and travel options easy to use.
Public buildings: Ensuring shops, offices, and community spaces are fully open to all.
Digital services: Making sure websites, apps, and online tools work for everyone.
Jobs: Removing hurdles so it is easier to get hired and do your work.

9. Deaf and Disabled People Leading Decisions

Deaf and disabled people must have a real voice in making, running, and checking disability policies.

We will:

Work with disability leaders. We will partner with Disabled People’s Organisations and groups run by disabled people.
Support independent oversight. We will respect the role of the Independent Monitoring Mechanism, the group that checks if New Zealand is keeping its global promises under the UNCRPD.
Partner with Māori leaders. We will work directly alongside tāngata whaikaha Māori and Turi Māori leaders.
Be open about progress. We will provide clear, honest reports on how we are doing with our promises.

Te Tiriti and Tāngata Whaikaha Māori

We recognize Te Tiriti o Waitangi as the foundation for disability policy in Aotearoa.

We will work in true partnership with tāngata whaikaha Māori and Turi Māori leaders. This ensures our policies respect Māori goals, tino rangatiratanga (self-determination), and cultural ways of support and decision-making.