Speech for protest march – 29 March 2024, Otepoti Dunedin

Below is a speech delivered on behalf of DPA by Chris Ford, Policy Advisor at a protest march against cuts to disability support funding on 29 March 2024 in Otepoti Dunedin.

Kia ora, and a warm welcome to you all here in Otepoti Dunedin. Thank you for taking the time to join us today.

My name is Chris Ford. I am a Policy Advisor for the Disabled Persons Assembly, or DPA.

Our organisation is dedicated to advocating for systemic change on behalf of disabled individuals across Aotearoa New Zealand.

I would like to acknowledge the organisers – DPA members, Amy Taylor and Jasmin Taylor.

Today, I am here to share a message with you from DPA.

Today we, DPA, stand with you, disabled people, families, whānau, carers and supporters, as we call for the changes to disability funding to be rolled back.

We have heard from many disabled people who are deeply concerned about the effect these changes will have on them, as well as their families and whānau. And the alarm and the distress in the way this message was announced.

Last Saturday, we held a national members’ hui. At the hui, our members gave us the mandate to shift our current priorities to focus on ensuring the rights of disabled people are upheld in the wake of these changes.

We also reached out to the disability community, asking them to share how the changes will affect them. Thank you to everyone who responded to our survey.
We’re currently working through the 180 responses and will use these, along with the feedback from the hui to guide our next steps.

Our position at DPA is that sufficient income and access to support is essential for disabled people to live and participate in their community with dignity and self-respect.

With the individual needs of disabled people as diverse as disabled people themselves, flexibility in funding is key to achieving wellbeing in our lives.
Something a prescriptive ‘one size fits all’ rule-based approach does not allow.

We urge Government to reprioritise their budget and take a cross-government approach to support flexible funding – one that does not rely solely on the Whaikaha budget, and one that allows for disabled people and their families to participate in society with dignity.

Thank you for coming along today.