The Waitaha Enabling Good Lives (EGL) Regional Leadership Group has made a submission on the Disability Support Services Bill. We do not support the Bill in its current form because it does not uphold the rights, choice, and control of disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori, whānau, or aiga.
 

Our submission outlines that we do not support the Bill because it:

• Was developed without genuine co‑design with disabled people or tāngata whaikaha Māori

• Weakens rights and protections guaranteed under the UNCRPD and EGL

• Places too much responsibility on unpaid family and whānau

• Allows Ministers to change key rules without public input

• Enables means‑testing, which would reduce fairness and increase hardship

• Shifts expectations from an ordinary life to a lesser “everyday life”
   

We believe these changes would take disability support backwards and risk repeating past harms.

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We are calling for the Bill to be withdrawn and rebuilt through authentic partnership with the wider disability community including disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori, tagata sa’ilimalo, whānau and aiga, providers and DPOs.
 

Any new legislation must:

• Be grounded in Enabling Good Lives principles

• Uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi

• Protect Individualised Funding

• Embed rights and entitlements in primary legislation

• Support disabled people to live full, meaningful, ordinary lives

• Retain, protect, and strengthen funded Respite support and Carer Support for whānau, and ensure these supports are further developed through active partnership with a focus on improving choice for whānau carers

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We are ready to work alongside Government and the disability community to help design legislation that truly reflects the rights, aspirations, and leadership of disabled people and whānau.