Prudence Walker. Photo: Prudence Walker
The government's move to strip Whaikaha of its responsibility for delivering support services has been criticised by the disability rights commissioner.
Prudence Walker said it would "affect disabled peoples' already low trust in the system", with Whaikaha (also known as the Ministry for Disabled People) yet to have a chance to prove itself.
"I know many disabled people are anxious at the moment because there has been change after change that has affected them. It feels like we don't know what is coming next," Walker said on Friday.
The government on Thursday said it would transfer responsibility for delivering support services to the Ministry of Social Development (MSD). Whaikaha would be left as a smaller, standalone department with a focus on advocacy and policy advice.
The change, announced by Minister for Disability Issues Louise Upston, came after a critical review she ordered in April, which said the ministry was not set up to effectively manage the scale and nature of its funding, and had inadequate budget controls.
The ministry was established by the previous Labour government, former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins admitting there was more demand than expected and calling for more money to be funnelled into it.
Louise Upston. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Upston said the shift of support service delivery to MSD was "significant but necessary".
"MSD has the controls and capability already in place to better manage this funding. This will also solve the conflict of the Ministry of Disabled People - Whaikaha having both advocacy and service provision roles, making it a representative and powerful voice in government for disabled New Zealanders."
She said the government was committed to supporting disabled people, "which is why we provided a record $1.1 billion funding boost to disability support services in this year's Budget". But she would not rule out the possibility of Whakaha getting caught up in the government's job-cutting campaign, which has seen thousands in the public service lose their jobs in recent months.
Walker said disabled New Zealanders had waited a long time for Whaikaha.
"The reason disabled people wanted a standalone agency was to create a system that understands and truly supports disabled people, as individuals and collectively. Hence the holistic role of Whaikaha aimed at tackling the barriers experienced for decades in a system that has not been built for or with disabled people.
"Disabled people, like everyone, want to live a life of dignity and be able to participate in community, in education, in employment, and in cultural and family life.
"Engaging disabled people and tangata Whaikaha Māori in decisions affecting us is essential. However, the decisions announced yesterday by the government do not appear to have been made with our involvement.
"I'm concerned by the return to placing disability support services within an agency that is not specifically designed to meet the needs of disabled people. We had begun to move beyond this approach, to one that is specifically designed for and respects the right to dignity and participation of disabled people. But it appears this is being discarded before Whaikaha had the chance to demonstrate enduring success."
Others involved in the disabled space criticised the government's move too, including IHC, the New Zealand Disability Support Network and disability rights lawyer Huhana Hickey.