News and Events

People First New Zealand is proud to share a resource to celebrate te ao Māori.  This new Easy Read is part of our commitment to making sure everyone can take part in important times like Matariki.

Greetings of Matariki, the Māori New Year.

The Make it Easy service is excited to share an 

Mānawatia a Matariki - What is Matariki and why it is important in Aotearoa New Zealand

•   what the Matariki and Puanga stars are

•   when and how people celebrate Matariki

•   the 9 stars of Matariki and what they mean

•   ways to remember the past and look to the future

•   how to say Mānawatia a Matariki to wish someone well.

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We hope this Easy Read helps more people understand the meaning of Matariki.

Mānawatia a Matariki!

People First New Zealand is proud to share a new resource to celebrate te ao Māori.

This Easy Read is part of our commitment to making sure everyone can take part in important times like Matariki.

Easy Read: Mānawatia a Matariki

People First NZ has joined with seven other national disability organisations to issue a joint media statement expressing serious concerns..

Eight national disability organisations - Disabled Persons Assembly (DPA), People First New Zealand, Carers NZ, Parents of Vision Impaired NZ, the Complex Care Group, CCS Disability Action, Home and Community Health Association (HCHA) and the New Zealand Disability Support Network (NZDSN) are calling on Parliament to halt the rushed progress of the Disability Support Services Bill and ensure meaningful engagement with the communities it affects.

Collectively, our organisations represent hundreds of thousands of disabled people, family carers, disabled people's organisations, advocacy groups, and support providers across Aotearoa.

Disabled people, families and the wider disability support sector are being denied a meaningful opportunity to have their say on decisions that directly affect them.

“While we support legislation that protects and strengthens the rights of disabled people and family carers, we are united in our concern that the process being used for this Bill fails to meaningfully involve disabled people, families, and the disability sector in its development,” says Debbie Hughes, Chief Executive of the NZDSN.

The group disputes Ministerial assurances that the Bill responds to consultation with disabled people and families.

“This Bill has been extremely reactive and has not been developed with the knowledge, involvement, or seriously needed expertise of disabled people and their representative organisations," says Kera Sherwood-O'Regan, National President of DPA.

"Only a handful of our organisations were briefed by the Minister about the Bill's existence – with our call finishing just 15 minutes before the public announcement. We directly raised serious concerns about the need for robust, accessible engagement and an extended consultation period. Instead, this process has been rushed, sloppy and inaccessible.

“We consider this a breach of the government's obligations under the United Nations Conventional on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).”

The parliamentary process has compounded these failures. The Select Committee has scheduled only three and a half days of hearings, all in Wellington, with just a few hours available each day for public participation – and no hearings anywhere else in the country.

“To make things worse, organisations representing thousands of New Zealanders have been allocated as little as five minutes to present, including time for questions from Committee members. Five minutes is simply not enough time to convey the concerns, experiences, expertise and aspirations of the communities we represent,” says Mel Smith, Chief Executive of CCS Disability Action.

The Disability Support Services Bill may not technically be proceeding under urgency, but from the perspective of disabled people and their families it has that effect.

“New Zealand has obligations under the UNCRPD to closely consult with and actively involve disabled people, through their representative organisations, in decisions that affect them,” explains Desrae Turvey, National Chairperson of People First New Zealand Ngā Tāngata Tuatahi.

“Meaningful participation cannot occur when people are given almost no time to understand proposals, engage with their communities, organise accessible responses, prepare submissions, and present their views.”

“For disabled people and their families, participation requires accessible formats, time to understand and discuss proposals, support to formulate responses, and opportunities to engage in ways that accommodate different communication needs."

Disabled people and their families deserve better.

“Parliament should not be making decisions about disabled people and families without disabled people and families having the opportunity to have input,” says Laurie Hilsgen, CEO of Carers NZ.

“A Bill that potentially has such major impacts for New Zealanders in caring situations should not be progressed without fair input from disabled people and family carers” says Lisa Martin, Director Complex Care Group.

“New Zealand deserves legislation that has been developed with the community it affects.”

About the Disability Support Services (DSS) Bill



The Disability Support Services Bill was introduced to Parliament by Minister for Disability Issues Hon. Louise Upston on 17 May 2026. It passed its first reading on 21 May 2026 and was immediately referred to the Social Services and Community Select Committee.

The Bill proposes to create the first foundational legislative framework for disability support services in Aotearoa New Zealand, covering eligibility, funding principles, the role of family and whānau, and the legal relationship between the Crown and family carers. It directly affects the approximately 55,000 disabled people currently receiving community and residential care, and around 26,000 disabled children accessing Child Development Services annually.



Legislation in New Zealand typically takes around six months to pass, but the Disability Support Services (DSS) Bill is being processed on an accelerated timeline.

From introduction to submission close was just 25 days:

Bill introduced to Parliament | 17 May 2026

Referred to Social Services and Community Select Committee | 21 May 2026

Alternative formats on DSS Bill published | 2 June 2026

Select Committee hearings | 23, 24, 25 and 30 June 2026

Select Committee report due back to Parliament | 12–13 August 2026



New Zealand is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). Article 4.3 requires governments to closely consult with and actively involve disabled people, through their representative organisations, in developing legislation that affects them. The Government's own disclosure documents on this Bill acknowledge that this obligation has not been fully met.

Disabled Persons Assembly (DPA) - Kera Sherwood-O'Regan, National President: president@dpa.org.nz

People First New Zealand - Jordan Jacques, Communications Lead: jordan@peoplefirst.org.nz

Carers NZ – Laurie Hilsgen CEO, 021 702922

Parents of Vision Impaired (NZ) Inc - Rebekah Graham, 022 6215740

CCS Disability Action – Lucy Green, 027 4349256

Complex Care Group - Lisa Martin, Director, 027 2667690

Disabled People, Families, Carers and Providers Unite; Parliament Denying Disabled People and Their Families a Fair Say on Laws That Shape Their Lives

Joint Media Statement - Disability Support Services Bill Process

Our new peer visiting service that visits disabled adults living in homes funded by DSS.

There has not been enough support or checks on disabled people in their homes. This has made it easier for abuse to happen.

People for Us is set up to listen to disabled people who might be most at risk.

: a disabled person who will lead the visit

The visitors talk with the disabled person to get to know them and make sure they are safe and their voices are heard.

We will work with the disabled person and others to assist them to feel safe and heard.



PFU2_About_Design.png

For more information you can visit our website. 

People for Us is a new peer visiting service who visits disabled adults and tāngata whaikaha Māori who live in homes funded by Disability Support Services to find out if they are:



People for Us

Our Easy Read translation service is available for organisations who are committed to providing accessible information.

At People First NZ we have a Make it Easy translation service that translates information for government agencies, health providers, disability organisations, researchers, and more. 

We believe everyone has the right to information they can understand.


You can check out some of our work in the 

 on the People First NZ website.

You can find out more about our Easy Read translation service on the 

If you are looking for Easy Read information from a government department, local council or a disability sector organisation, you can often find it under accessible information or “alternate formats” on their website.

An alternate format is information that is accessible for disabled people. The other alternate formats are Braille, audio, large print, and New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL).

You can also follow us on 

Easy Read is a way of communicating information using straightforward language, clear sentence structure, and supporting pictures. 

It assists people with learning (intellectual) disability to understand written information. Easy Read can also make information accessible for others who find standard written information hard, such as English language learners, those with low levels of literacy, and some deaf or older people.

Make it Easy Kia Māmā Mai

 which means we are run by and for people with learning (intellectual) disability. 

Our work makes sure people with learning disability have and know their rights and that our communities are inclusive across Aotearoa New Zealand.

Speaking up about our rights

News and Events

Easy Read: Mānawatia a Matariki

Joint Media Statement - Disability Support Services Bill Process

People for Us

Make it Easy Kia Māmā Mai