17 November 2021

There is a sense that this has been a long time coming, and the public statements by some of the leading disability support groups have been supportive.

One of the most prominent voices has been that of Paula Tesoriero, the Disability Rights Commissioner. In welcoming the announcements as a ‘potential platform for positive change’, she commented:

‘The big positives are the ministry will be an agency with a CE reporting to the head of the public service in the same way other government agencies do. This gives greater visibility for disability rights across government at a senior level. It will have two main functions: delivering support services that currently sit with the Ministry of Health and developing policy.

‘For too long issues for disabled people have been siloed into different agencies. I’m hoping the new agency can develop policy in a more holistic way that reduces the challenges and barriers faced by disabled people.’

As someone who has a grandchild with a disability, I personally have a sense of excitement about these changes.  What an opportunity!  The Directorate has had the vision of being transformative for some time, and has made many steps towards this.  The change has been led by the Enabling Good Lives Governance and Leadership Groups made up of many representative organisations and people.  The ambition for the new Ministry is aspirational. To truly transform the way government serves disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori, families and whānau/aiga and family carers, the Government decided to look beyond disability supports to examine and strengthen the cross-government disability system.

Happening rapidly

Since the announcement, things have been happening rapidly. The Ministry of Social Development has begun to set up an Establishment Unit, and applications have opened for the Establishment Director role. Meanwhile, some of our Enabling Good Lives sites are already looking to the future.

Like in Ōtautahi / Christchurch where the Enabling Good Lives approach has been available to school leavers with High and Very High ORS, and their families, since 2013. ORS is the Ongoing Resource Scheme, a programme run by the Ministry of Education. The Enabling Good Lives Christchurch team is committed to continuing to serve this group of over 650 young people and their families.  

As well as including Christchurch ORS-verified high school students, the programme is now being widened to accept referrals from the Selwyn and Waimakariri areas. This move is supported by the Waitaha EGL Regional Leadership Group, with the intention of realising the EGL principle of ‘beginning early’.

Packed week

The new Ministry announcement came in a packed week for disability-related news. The day before the announcement, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern attended the launch of a new tool to help disabled people to get vaccinated. The Manaakitanga Journey is an online tool on the Unite against Covid website, that will be updated weekly with information specifically for disabled people, and in formats accessible to disabled people. You can read more about that below.

The Government has also published an amended Health Order for mandatory COVID-19 vaccination of health and disability workers. The Ministry of Health is regularly updating general advice relating to the Vaccination Orders, which can be found here: COVID-19: Mandatory vaccinations | Ministry of Health NZ and at  Vaccination Order Guidance document for PCBUs and workers (health.govt.nz).  We have also prepared advice for Individualised Funding Hosts, which you can find here.

As part of the COVID-19 section, I am also providing our most up-to-date COVID-19 vaccination statistics for people receiving disability supports.

We love to hear stories from the disability sector, so please feel free to provide these if you would like them shared more widely through this newsletter.

Ngā mihi

Adri Isbister – Deputy Director-General Disability.

This month

• Recruitment begins for roles in Establishment Unit
• Ongoing disability supports during transition
• Cat Mackay joins the Dunedin team
• Disability COVID-19 vaccination rates
• My Covid Record
• Prime Minister announces accelerated vaccination focus on disabled people
• Making vaccination centres accessible
• Dedicated MIQ rooms for essential health and disability workers
• Third primary vaccination dose

New Ministry for Disabled People

Recruitment begins for roles in Establishment Unit

Applications have opened for the position of Establishment Director. This is the first senior appointment to be made for the Establishment Unit, and the Director will lead the establishment of the new Ministry. They will also develop and manage a work programme for the new Ministry, that meets the needs of the disability sector.

Applications for this fixed-term role (until 31 July 2022) are open until 21 November.

And last week MSD started a recruitment process for further roles in the Establishment Unit.

Disabled people, tāngata whaikaha and whānau whaikaha will be actively encouraged to apply and highlight the lived experience and expertise they will bring to this mahi and kaupapa. MSD has a flexible working and reasonable accommodation policy that enables them to consider people from all locations.

The following positions are part of an establishment programme of work and will deliver to the establishment plan.  Be part of a multi-disciplinary team achieving great things in the disability sector and bring your skills and experience to this unique opportunity.

People must be available to start immediately or before 31 January 2022 to be considered and commit through to end July 2022. 

Programme Team

• Programme Planner/Scheduler
• Programme/Project Analyst
• Programme Administrator
• Change Management Advisors

Policy and Legislation Team

• Policy Analysts and Advisors
• Māori & Equity Strategic Advisor

Future Operating Model Team

• Team Lead – Future Operating Model
• Principal Advisors – Operating Model Design

Operations Transition Team

• Operations Transition Lead
• Corporate Services Transition Lead
• Operational Services Transition Lead
• Provider Services Transition Lead

Functional Leadership Roles

• Finance and Appropriation Lead
• Information Management Lead
• Technology and Systems Lead
• People Lead
• Workplace Lead for Accessibility

Support Roles

• Contract Specialists
• Financial Analysts
• HR Advisors
• Information Management Specialists
• Technology Specialists
• Workplace Accessibility Specialists

You can read more about the roles available here: Establishment Unit - Ministry for Disabled People (msd.govt.nz)

To apply please email your CV and cover letter to sarah.knowles005@msd.govt.nz. Applications close 24 November.

Ongoing disability supports during transition

While this establishment work is underway, and the system is in transition, it is important to know that the disability supports currently being provided will continue – and so will current contracts. The funding approach for disability support services won’t change in the short term while the new Ministry is being established. The immediate priority will be to ensure continuity of supports and easy access for new people coming into the system, while also ensuring ongoing transformation of the system. 

The Disability Directorate’s work continues in its existing role until the new Ministry for Disabled People is established in July 2022.

The bedding in of the new Ministry and the system transformation changes will be a multi-year process.  We will keep you updated on all significant decisions and milestones.

An implementation plan for how the EGL approach will be scaled nationally is due by the end of June 2022, and this will consider how the roles that NASC currently provide will change over time, and what development and investment is needed to make those changes.

We are developing a Fact Sheet for providers that provides advice on contracts and other information.

There are no immediate changes to NASCs and they will continue to undertake the important work they do for disabled people.

The Establishment Unit will work with the disability community to put in place mechanisms that will ensure the voice of disabled people is present at all levels of the system, including recruitment. These will be in place for when the Ministry is formally established on 1 July 2022.

There will be opportunities to be involved in the new Ministry as various governance groups are established to embed the voice of disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori, families and whānau in the structure of the new Ministry. 

Please keep an eye on the Ministry of Social Development website for more information, including when these opportunities occur. 

Cat Mackay joins Dunedin team as business support analyst 

Cat has joined the Disability Directorate from the Ministry of Health’s Sector Operations team, who are also based in Dunedin.

Born and bred in Dunedin, Cat has worked at the Ministry of Health for 11 years, is married with two sons, and involved in her community as a volunteer with Taieri Parents Centre.

Cat says: ‘I am Dunedin born and bred, though I have lived in Auckland, London and Corfu. Now that we have to stay closer to home, I love getting away to Central Otago as much as I can.

‘My career at the Ministry of Health started as a six-week temping contract, so I never imagined I’d still be here 11 years and various roles later (albeit with a stint as a stay-at-home mum in between).’

COVID-19 vaccination rates for people receiving funded disability supports

Latest data on vaccination rates for people receiving disability supports, compared to the general population on the same day.

My Covid Record

Everyone in Aotearoa New Zealand aged 12 and over can now view their COVID-19 vaccination records online via My Covid Record.

You can also download vaccination status certificates for use in New Zealand and overseas.

Whether or not you want a vaccination certificate right now, it’s a good idea to visit My Covid Record | Ministry of Health NZ to check that your vaccination record and details are correct.

To sign on you’ll need to provide proof of your identity.  At the moment there are six options available: a driver’s licence, a passport (New Zealand or Australian), birth certificate (New Zealand or Australian) or citizenship certificate.Other forms of ID are being considered and will be added over time.

If you don’t have internet access and want to get a vaccine pass or international travel certificate, the My Covid Record support team will be able to check your details. It can send you a certificate by email or post.  The help team is available on 0800 222 478 between 8am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.  You can also email them on help@mycovidrecord.min.health.nz.

For more information: My Covid Record: Proof of vaccination status | Ministry of Health NZ

Prime Minister announces accelerated vaccination focus on disabled people

The Prime Minister and Minister for Disability Issues launched an ‘accelerated effort’ to support disabled people to get safely vaccinated against Covid-19.

While visiting a ‘super accessible’ vaccination site in Lower Hutt late last month, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern made a major announcement emphasising the importance of making sure the Government and providers made every effort to lift vaccination rates of disabled people.

‘As has been rightly pointed out to me, despite the fact we have reasonably good levels of vaccination rates amongst our disabled community, the vast majority of those members of that community will have been part of the earliest rollout of the campaign.  We have work to do to make sure that we continue to lift those rates, given the time that vaccination has been available.

‘Not only do we have accessible sites to visit, we need to make sure we also have the ability for people to reach those sites – overcoming any transport issues that may exist, or any issues with being able to share the information that is required to reach those sites.

‘But it’s more than that.  As with every other part of our vaccination campaign we have to make sure we are providing the information that every community needs when making a decision to be vaccinated.  That may range from whether or not the vaccination interacts in any way with medications, or other questions that may relate to very specific and personalised health needs.  We need to ensure that we are providing the time and the space to answer those questions.’

The Prime Minister pledged to ‘commit ourselves again to serving and meeting the needs of every member of our community as part of our community response to Covid 19 – and in particular, making sure we meet the needs of our disabled people’.

The Manaakitanga Journey

On the same day, Minister for Disability issues Carmel Sepuloni launched the Government’s new online graphic tool The Manaakitanga Journey to getting vaccinated for disabled people.  The tool captures in six steps how and where disabled people can get information and support: about the vaccine itself, and the ways vaccination sites can support people with a particular disability, condition or impairment to make the experience as easy as possible.  This includes accommodations like booking an NZSL interpreter, longer appointment times, a quiet or low sensory environment, arranging free transport to get to a clinic or a home vaccination.

‘DHBs and local providers are really committed to getting it right for disabled people to ensure they can access the vaccine in a way that meetings their needs in their local area,’ Minister Sepuloni said.

The announcements coincided with the launch of a refreshed disability-specific page on the Unite Against Covid website, which includes the list of the most accessible sites, video stories of people’s vaccination journeys, and guidance on how to support someone with a disability to get vaccinated.

• For the regularly updated list of the most accessible vaccination sites around the motu: Support and information for disabled people | Unite against COVID-19 (covid19.govt.nz)
• The Manaakitanga journey to getting vaccinated for disabled people:
  • COVID-19 Vaccine – HP7873 Disability Journey A3 Poster (covid19.govt.nz)
  • Media story on the launch of the Manaakitanga Journey

Making vaccination centres accessible

As part of making vaccination centres accessible for all New Zealanders the Book My Vaccine | Ministry of Health NZ (covid19.health.nz) website is now highlighting all the types of accessible accommodations a centre offers – in a way that is clearly visible when someone is searching for a vaccination centre to meet their needs.

Before the update, while people wanting to book their vaccine could check a box indicating their preference for certain services, there was no certainty what clinics offered could actually be delivered

Dedicated MIQ places for critical health & disability workers based abroad

Starting on 22 November, 300 places per month in Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ) are now allocated for critical health and disability workers entering New Zealand for employment in a critical health and disability role. This will help reduce pressure on our health and disability workforce by filling some of our workforce shortages.

Applications are now open to anybody who meets the following criteria:

• Be currently located outside of New Zealand.
• Meet the definition of a critical health and disability worker as defined on the Immigration New Zealand website.
• Have proof of vaccination in order to enter the country as a non-citizen of New Zealand.
• Meet the vaccination requirements set out by the COVID-19 Public Health Response (Vaccinations) Amendment Order 2021 in order to commence work in the health and disability sector.
• Have a job offer from a New Zealand employer.
• Have proof of legally being able to work in New Zealand for the proposed employment date(s).
• Have proof of registration with the relevant regulatory authority if required for their profession.

Please note that the list of approved vaccines to enter New Zealand as a non-citizen differs from the list of approved vaccines required to conduct work as a high-risk health and disability worker.

If you are an employer of high-risk health and disability workers, you will need to ensure that any applicants through this scheme meet the COVID-19 Public Health Response (Vaccinations) Amendment Order 2021 before they start work as you would with any New Zealand-based worker.

If you are looking to hire a worker that you believe meets the criteria for one of these 300 places, please send them an official offer letter (or a letter confirming employment) that they can use for their application, and get them to visit the Ministry of Health’s MIQ application website for more information about how to apply for a place.

And if you have any questions on this, you can contact MIQWorkforce@health.govt.nz

Third primary vaccination dose

The COVID-19 Technical Advisory Group has recommended that individuals aged 12 and older who are severely immunocompromised receive a third primary dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to get the best possible protection. There are specific criteria for who can qualify for a third primary dose. Information about eligibility requirements and how to access a third primary dose is now on the Ministry's website.

A primary third dose is different to a booster dose for the general population.

Meanwhile, the Government has announced that booster doses will be available from the end of November.