Following a review of New Zealand’s health and disability sector in 2021, Whaikaha - Ministry of Disabled People was launched in July 2022. Two months later and following intense lobbying from the disabled community who insisted that the CEO must be disabled, Paula Tesoriero, a former Paralympian and Disability Rights Commissioner, was appointed as the Ministry’s first Chief Executive.
A year and a half on, we thought it was time to find out how the establishment of the Ministry was going and what had been achieved in that time. We put some questions to Chief Executive Paula Tesoriero to find out.
1. For the benefit of those who might not know, what is the role of the Ministry?
Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People was set up to work in partnership to improve outcomes for disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori and their whānau. The establishment of Whaikaha reflects the shift from the ‘medical model’ of disability towards a ‘social model’ of disability which sees a person as being disabled by society rather than their impairments.
We commission and deliver disability support services and have a mandate to transform the way they are delivered.
We currently commission disability support services for approximately 46,000 disabled people and fund equipment and home and vehicle modifications for approximately 100,000 people.
We also have a stewardship role to work with other government agencies to incorporate disability perspectives and needs into their policies and services so they can meet their responsibilities to disabled people and tāngata whaikaha Māori.
We support the Minister for Disability Issues to lead the direction in how disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori and their whānau are supported to have greater choice and control over their lives and realise their full potential.
Our mahi is underpinned by our three pou: Aotearoa New Zealand’s commitments under Te Tiriti o Waitangi; the Enabling Good Lives vision and principles; and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).
2. How is the function of Whaikaha different to the way a Ministry normally functions, if it is different?
The Government designed Whaikaha to do things differently. A key part of our establishment is to work in partnership with disabled people, Māori and Government for a better, more independent future for disabled people and whānau. We have established a range of groups to support our partnership approach.
More information about how we work in partnership is available here: Working in partnership | Whaikaha - Ministry of Disabled People
I am proud that we are also the first Ministry in Aotearoa to have a name in the three languages – Te Reo Māori and New Zealand Sign Language, and English.
3. And again, for the benefit of those who don’t know you, can you tell us about yourself and your disability and how it affects your everyday life?
I have lived in the Wellington region my whole life, from going to school, university and now living here with my husband and our three children. During my time at university, I studied a variety of subjects that were of interest to me and have a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Laws and Post Graduate Diploma in Public Management.
From University I became a lawyer, and worked in both the private and public sector. During this time my training for the Paralympics intensified and I was fortunate to be selected to represent New Zealand at the 2018 Beijing Paralympics.
Being a Paralympian was a key to my disability journey, where my pride in myself as a disabled person grew, and I decided to advocate for the disability community. That led me to becoming the Disability Rights Commissioner followed by the first chief executive of Whaikaha - Ministry of Disabled People. It is a role that comes with many challenges, but one where I am reminded every day of the incredible people in our community.
4. Its nearly two years since the Ministry was launched. What has the Ministry achieved in that time?
It’s been a busy 18 months, and the time has flown by very quickly! My colleagues and I have been focused on the continual establishment of Whaikaha – setting up systems, processes and recruiting the people we need for success. We have laid solid foundations which we continue to build upon.
We have been setting up our partnership structure to support the new approach to working with disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori and their whānau to guide our key workstreams. In February we hosted the first official meetings of the new Insights Alliance, the new Strategic Advisory Group and the Transformation Management Board.
Other achievements and key areas of focus include leading and coordinating the Government’s response to the Concluding Observations (recommendations) from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).
We have contributed to Commissions of Inquiry, including the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry and the Waitangi Tribunal Health Services and Outcomes Inquiry (Wai 2575).
We also released the High and Complex Framework Strategy and the MEAL (Monitoring, Evaluation, Analysis and Learning) Strategic Framework.
As part of our stewardship role. Whaikaha is supporting other agencies to connect with the disability community and to think about how they can help make better lives for disabled people and their whānau through laws, regulations, and services. For example, we worked with health agencies on COVID-19 Strategies, Care in the Community, and improving patient experiences. We were also involved in the cross-government response to extreme weather events.
We have worked with the Ministry of Education on the third edition of the Aotearoa Autism Guidelines to support autistic people and whānau. Aotearoa New Zealand Autism Guideline: Third Edition | Whaikaha - Ministry of Disabled People.
We have also contributed to a range of other government work programmes and expert advisory groups including Ministry of Justice Te Puna Aonui - Te Aorerekura Family Violence Sexual Violence.
We released our first Annual Report in 2022/23, which is an opportunity to share with the community more about the mahi (work) we have been doing. It can be found here: Whaikaha-2022-23-Annual-Report.docx (live.com)
5. There are so many “disabilities” around today. What is Whaikaha’s definition of disability?
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) definition and the Government’s New Zealand Disability Strategy 2016-2026 is: “those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others”.
This is a broad definition. There will be some disabled people who require significant additional supports and services and others who do not.
Government agencies apply additional criteria to identify people for additional services and supports.
Whaikaha currently employs 232 people, with around 42 percent of our staff identifying as disabled.
I am committed to ensuring we build a Ministry that reflects the people it serves. We are building a Ministry of disabled people, whānau and allies, and have recruited disabled people to key positions. We acknowledge that many of the barriers for disabled people seeking employment are the recruitment process and previous employment, so we have implemented an inclusive recruitment policy and an intern programme for young disabled people.
7. What is on the Whaikaha agenda for 2024?
The year will be a challenging one for Whaikaha as we continue to build our organisation and work to transform the system so we can improve the lives of disabled people in a tight fiscal environment.
Work continues or begins in 2024 on the following programs and projects:
My Home My Choice, a project looking at how we can make disabled people have more choice and control over where they live, who they live with and who they choose to assist them.
The development of the Whāia Te Ao Mārama National Māori Disability Action Plan and a National Pacific Disability Action Plan.
The establishment of two new Growing Voice and Safety Services – People for Us and Assisting Change - to increase the focus on the voice, good lives and human rights of disabled people and tāngata whaikaha Māori; and to reduce the risk of neglect and abuse in disability support services funded by Whaikaha.
We will continue to grow our partnerships, including setting up a rangatahi/youth network and a family/whānau advisory group as well as transformation advisory groups to support particular projects.
In the longer term we will continue our cross-government work to improve outcomes for disabled people, work on legislation to guide the direction of the disability support and effective administration supports and system transformation.
So, lots of work, but lots of exciting work that will allow us to work with the community to improve outcomes for them.
More information about our work is available on our website www.whaikaha.govt.nz
Comments