The Disability Action Plan 

This four-year cross government plan for New Zealand to advance implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was released in May 2014. Disabled Persons Organisations (DPOs), including DPA, worked alongside government to write the plan and will help oversee it's implementation.  A section is included in the plan called Increase Employment and Economic Opportunities, Read this section of the plan below. We will keep you informed as work progresses. The Disability Action Plan will be formally reviewed in the second half of 2015. 

Go here to read more about the Disability Action Plan

Priorities from the Disability Action Plan

Priority: Increase the number of disabled people who transition from school and from tertiary education into employment.

a) Improve transitions.
Lead: Ministry of Education

Update June 2015

The Ministry of Education are preparing a paper on this that will define the term transition clearly.

Priority: Increase the number of disabled people, including long-term unemployed disabled people, in paid employment and self-employment on an equal basis with others.

a) Implement the Health and Disability Long Term Work Programme to improve employment outcomes for disabled people including the development of guidelines on reasonable accommodation.
Lead: Ministry of Social Development

Update June 2015

DPA continues to engage with the Ministry of Social Development as it implements the Health and Disability Long Term Work Programme .The programme is also being re-scoped and re-prioritised to make sure it has the most impact on positive employment outcomes for disabled people.

Work that’s progressing includes:

• The Opt In trial for 16- 29 year olds on the Supported Living Payment who want to work more than 15 hours a week. Seventy-six people are currently on the trial. Four people have moved to full-time work and 22 people are working part-time. Read more about Opt In
• Development of draft Reasonable Accommodation guidelines. (A reasonable accommodation is any change in the workplace that enables a qualified individual with a disability enjoy equal employment opportunities.)
• Changes to Work and Income tools and information to make them more accessible for disabled people
• Policy work on improving employment supports and services, eg wage subsidies.
• Development of health and disability training for Work and Income staff.

Download the Health and Disability Long Term Work Programme

b) Develop better alternatives to replace the minimum wage exemption, looking at existing and new schemes.
Lead: Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment

Update June 2015

The ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and the Ministry of Social development are working on this. A paper is being prepared.

Priority: Increase the number of employers who are confident in employing disabled people, with the public sector taking a lead.

a) Government to take a lead in employing disabled people and providing paid internships
Lead: Office for Disability Issues

Update June 2015

This work has been delayed.

Disability organisations contribute their views

The Disability Employment Forum

The forum is an active network of national disabled people’s organisations and allied provider organisations working to improve employment opportunities for disabled people.

 Senior government officials worked with the Disability Employment Forum on the
 Health and Disability Long Term Work Programme

Four priority action areas have been identified by the Forum. They are:

• workplace education for employers and potential colleagues
• more leadership from large employers
• more work experience for young people and those in tertiary education, and
• a flexible and adequate funding model.

There are a number of reports outlining work done by the forum. Go to. Disability Employment Forum reports.

The working group still meets every three weeks.

The DPA Agenda for Change