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OIA0644

Craig Nielsen
[FYI request #32416 email]

24 October 2025

Tēnā koe Craig

Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) request of 28 September
2025, to the Ministry of Disabled People - Whaikaha (Whaikaha), requesting the
information relating to the New Zealand Disability Strategy refresh.
I have answered each part of your request in turn.
…information relating to the New Zealand Disability Strategy refresh
and the associated working groups formed prior to the release of the
draft 2026-30 Disability Strategy.
In particular, if there was any reference to, or recommendation for
Enabling Good Lives (EGL) to be included, or referenced in the draft
strategy document, provided to the Ministers Advisory Group(s), by
Working Group members.
As part of the work to refresh the New Zealand Disability Strategy (the Strategy), five
working groups were established to develop actions in priority outcome areas: health,
education, employment, housing, and justice. Each working group was made up of
people with lived experience of disability, cross-agency government officials, and
industry or sector experts.
In Appendix 1 you will find the document “NZ Disability Strategy Refresh: Working
Group Outcome Area proposals”, which presented recommendations from the Working
Groups to the Ministerial Disability Leadership Group (MDLG).
The recommendations from the Working Groups were developed over several weeks
through an iterative process. Whaikaha provided secretariat support, templates, and
advice. This included suggesting the following criteria to prioritise the actions:
•  Feasible to deliver over five years, aligned with government priorities and
affordable
•  Tangible and specific to deliver and measure

•  Clear links with the goals and outcomes identified, and good evidence base for
impact on the lives of disabled people and tāngata whaikaha Māori
•  Advancing Te Tiriti o Waitangi, including addressing equity gaps for Māori
•  Value for money and cost-effective.
Working Group recommendations were given to the MDLG for consideration in June.
The MDLG’s feedback on this document, along with further advice from agencies, was
used by Whaikaha to develop the draft Strategy.
Some information has been withheld from Appendix 1 under the following grounds of
the OIA:
•
9(2)(g)(ii) - to maintain the effective conduct of public affairs through the
protection of such Ministers, members of organisations, officers, and
employees from improper pressure or harassment
•
9(2)(f)(iv) – to maintain the constitutional conventions for the time being
which protect the confidentiality of advice tendered by Ministers of the
Crown and officials.
Any communication or evidence referring to Enabling Good Lives being
discussed in Working Groups prior to feedback being provided to the
Minister(s).
In Appendix 2 you will find excerpts from the Working Group’s meeting minutes. We
have provided all references to Enabling Good Lives (EGL).
When reviewing this material, it is important to note:
•
the views of the working group members were captured as they were
expressed and do not represent official government positions.
•
the Working Groups were composed of independent members, including
disabled people, and government agency representatives who also had a role in
providing contextual information for other members.
•
non-government Working Group members were selected for their
expertise and networks (rather than as representatives of their workplaces).
•
some minutes were not finalised and therefore may not fully reflect all
aspects of discussion undertaken.
Ministers made final decisions about the content of the draft strategy, including the
content for each of the priority outcome areas. This is standard practice for a
government strategy.
Whaikaha also commissioned Te Amokura Consultants to provide independent advice
on an updated vision and principles for the draft Disability Strategy. This process
consisted of a series of engagements with disability and tāngata whaikaha Māori
groups and organizations to help develop the updated vision and principles. The

engagements sought input from participants on the ‘Vision,’ ‘Principles,’ and
‘Approaches’, assessing whether the existing strategy remains relevant to the needs
of disabled New Zealanders today. The National Enabling Good Lives group was one of
the pan disability groups consulted as a part of this work.
In Appendix 3 you will find a copy of the advice provided to the Minister for Disability
Issues regarding the vision and principles as a result of this engagement. This
document was also given to the Working Groups.
Any pre-final-draft strategy document that included reference to
Enabling Good Lives.
An earlier draft version of the Strategy document contained the following in the Health
actions section:
“2. Build health workforce capability and capacity to deliver services that
are inclusive, culturally safe, and easy to navigate.
This includes increasing the number and proportion of disabled people and tangata
whaikaha Māori across the health and disability workforce, through inclusive and
targeted recruitment and workplace policies, inclusive and accessible work
environments, and career development.
It also includes embedding disability responsiveness and lived experience into
health workforce training and ongoing professional development. Training should
give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the UNCRPD, and Enabling Good Lives
principles.”
This was adjusted during the internal development process, as Whaikaha worked to
keep the Strategy as concise as possible.
Any reference to omitting reference to Enabling Good Lives from the
draft strategy from Minister(s), or Ministry(s) representatives.
These parts of your request are refused under section 18(e) of the OIA, as the
documents alleged to contain this information do not exist.
If you wish to discuss this response with us, or if you are seeking any further
information, please contact [Ministry for Disabled People request email].
If you are not satisfied with this response, you have the right to seek an investigation
and review by the Ombudsman. Information about how to make a complaint is
available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or 0800 802 602.
Ngā mihi nui

Emma Williams
Manager, Ministerial and Executive Services

Document Outline