Appendix 8: People Organisations Involved in the Project

15 anonymous disabled volunteers for the mock interviews.

• Association of Blind Citizens of New Zealand Inc

ABCNZ is a national organisation of, and for, blind citizens of New Zealand. Founded in 1945, ABC NZ has branches throughout New Zealand and advocates on blindness-related issues as well as assists government and health agencies, utilities and other organisations in improving services to blind people. One of the country's largest organisations of disabled consumers, the Association's aim is to heighten awareness of the rights of blind and vision impaired people and to remove the barriers that impact upon our ability to live in an accessible, equitable and inclusive society.

• Deaf Aotearoa NZ New Zealand

DANZ work with Deaf New Zealanders to make sure they can access the information and services they need to live independently, take part in our vibrant Deaf communities and to follow their dreams. Deaf Aotearoa NZ New Zealand (DANZ) is a not-for-profit organisation which promotes Deaf culture, New Zealand Sign Language and the interests of the Deaf community. We have Deaf and hearing staff who care deeply about Deaf culture, Deaf values and who always go the extra mile for our Deaf members.

• Disabled Persons Assembly (New Zealand) Incorporated

DPA is the collective voice of people with disability in New Zealand based on principles of human rights and equal value of life. DPA is an umbrella organisation representing: People with all types of impairments — physical, sensory, intellectual, psychiatric and neurological, acquired at any stage of life People with all types of impairments — physical, sensory, intellectual, psychiatric and neurological, acquired at any stage of life The families of disabled people Disability advocacy organisations Disability service providers

• Nga Hau e Wha

Influential Leadership –“ To Champion Many Voices” Nga Hau e Wha is a quarterly meeting for mental health consumers, funded by Ministry of Health. There are currently eight members, two members from each of the four regions of New Zealand – Southern, Central, Midland and Northern. All members are mandated by their region and it allows regional issues to be tabled at a national level. Nga Hau e Wha meets with the Mental Health Commission and the Ministry of Health and any other organisation who wish to consult with them.

• Ngāti Kāpo O Aotearoa Inc

Ngāti Kāpo O Aotearoa Inc is a non-profit national consumer-governed provider of kaupapa Māori health, disability, education and social support services to M?ori disabled and their whānau, and Māori kāpō (blind, vision impaired and deaf blind persons) and their whānau in Aotearoa. Founded in 1983 by Māori kāpō and their whānau, the purpose of Ngāti Kāpō is “to advocate and provide services that enable Ngāti Kāpō members’ well-being and self sustainability.”

Ngāti Kāpo provides self-advocacy, information and advice, advocacy, peer support, policy advice, research and development, training and workforce

development services. All Ngāti Kāpo initiatives reaffirm the importance of serving the needs and aspirations of not only Ngāti Kāpo members, but also disabled Māori and Māoridom..

• People First New Zealand Incorporated Nga Tangata Tuatahi

People First is part of an international self advocacy movement. It is led by and for people with a learning/ intellectual disability. People First members meet regularly in groups throughout New Zealand to learn to speak up for themselves and for their friends and:

• gives people the chance to talk about things that are important to them
• helps people learn about their rights and responsibilities
• helps people learn to make choices and get more confidence
• helps people to learn that making mistakes is OK and part of life
• tells people about laws and what they mean
• tells people about laws and what they mean
• is where people make new friends and have fun

People First also provides disability information and advice, provides translation of documents into Easyread undertakes a range of projects including creating resources, delivering Speaking up courses and also runs an employment advocacy service.

The Convention Coalition

While the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) was being written, there was a growing agreement among disabled people that their representative organizations, (which became known as Disabled Peoples’ Organisations or DPOs) were the natural organizations to take leadership around disability rights. When the CRPD was finalized, article 33 explicitly recognised that disabled people and their representative organizations would participate fully in the monitoring process. They agreed that a DPO has 3 main features: they are national organizations, they are led and governed by disabled people, and they are there to promote and protect the interests and issues that their members decide.

In December 2008 Marcia Rioux of Disability Rights Promotion International led a NZ workshop about CRPD. Just under a year ago, DPOs in New Zealand began to discuss how they might work together on monitoring the CRPD. With initial assistance from the Office for Disability Issues, six DPOs worked intensively together to:

• appoint organizational representatives-agree one of the organizations (Disabled Persons Assembly NZ-DPA) to act as -administrative fundholder
• craft a memorandum of understanding (early February 2010);see below
• agree a plan and budget for a monitoring project -we agreed a project of 100 interviews and a report originally planned for completion in October (February-April)
• interview for then appoint a Project Co-ordinator (March-April)
• locate a data analyst (April)-begin arrangements for monitor training (March to May). In the monitor training coalition members were trained to act as interviewers should this be needed, with one representative doing so.
• urge funding arrangements (recurrently).

In the May 2010 Government budget, funding for 3 years for DPOs to monitor disability rights was announced by Minister of Disability Issues Tariana Turia. Since appointed contractors have taken over a lot of the day-to-day running of the monitoring project, the members of the Convention Coalition have been involved at various feedback and draft report sessions.

In October 2010, the Convention Coalition was officially named by the government as one of the three independent monitoring entities for the CRPD. Three members, the Chair, deputy chair and one other have acted as a “rapid response team” to deal with day-to-day operational and financial matters throughout the project.

The Convention Coalition monitoring project represents a significant new model of funding and contracting. Conventionally funds for such projects are managed directly from government departments, but here DPOs are, for the first time, collectively responsible for management and fundholding of such a project. This may well be a world first. While such an approach is likely to encounter, indeed has encountered problems of capacity and timing it has been a very good tangible demonstration of a governmental commitment to walk the talk of disability rights.

DPOs Memorandum of Understanding

1. Background: The United Nations formed an Ad Hoc Committee to oversee the development of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). This significant treaty was signed by New Zealand at the United Nations on 30 March 2007 and ratified on 26 September 2008.

   A significant part of the UNCRPD is the monitoring process. Thus New Zealand Disabled Peoples’ Organisations (DPOs) have come together to form a governance level steering group called the Convention Coalition. Membership is principally for organisations that are governed by disabled people (as outlined in Article 33 of the UNCRPD). The Convention Coalition will lead disabled peoples’ work on monitoring and implementing the rights of disabled people as spelled out in the UNCRPD, and other UN Conventions affecting disabled people.

2. Vision: DPOs unite to act at a high level to ensure there is leadership by disabled people to oversee the implementation of the UNCRPD (and other disability rights treaties) within New Zealand. The Convention Coalition recognises the importance of sharing its work with the regional and global disability communities.
3. Values: The Convention Coalition (members) will ensure the articles and principles of the Treaty of Waitangi (Te Tiriti o Waitangi) are upheld and reflected throughout everything we do. We will be guided by the following: Unity: a commitment to developing shared outcomes while respecting the unique diversity of our communities and the autonomy of our organisations. Leadership: the leadership of disabled people is paramount at all times. Participation: members participate at a high level in good faith and will be well connected with their communities Rights: members will work in ways that uphold the rights of disabled people.
4. Objective: The key objective is to coordinate an ethical mechanism for disabled peoples’ input to monitoring of disability rights as spelled out in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and other Conventions. This will enable the production of a ‘shadow’ monitoring report and New Zealand government report from disabled peoples’ organisations. This will be achieved through:
   • adaptation of the Disabled Rights Promotion International (DRPI) framework for implementation in New Zealand;
   • facilitation and implementation of the adapted framework;
   • ensuring the process is sustainable into the future.

5. Participation: Each organisation’s Board will appoint a disabled representative to participate in meetings and planning on its behalf. It may also arrange to appoint a replacement representative to attend when the appointed representative is unavailable.

   The Convention Coalition will do whatever it takes to facilitate members’ full participation.

   Additional eligible DPOs may be invited to become a member of this Convention Coalition.

6. Making Decisions: Decisions will be made by consensus. Where there is not initial consensus, summaries of points of agreement and difference will be circulated and further discussed until agreement is reached, or until a member feels able to have a decision go forward even though they do not entirely support it.

   The Convention Coalition accepts its members may need to discuss matters with their organisation in order to reach a consensus.

7. Media: Any statement released by the Convention Coalition reflects a consensus view in which all members have had an opportunity to have input into the process. Statements will be consistent with “Values” set out in this memorandum of understanding. All members of the Convention Coalition may be contacts for the media.
8. Finance: The Convention Coalition appoints DPA (NZ) Inc as the administrative fund-holder on its behalf. Expenditure of funds will be consistent with the agreed budget and the Management Committee’s oversight. Provision of reports by the fund-holder will be as directed by the Convention Coalition.
9. Project Management Committee: Association of Blind Citizens of New Zealand Inc; Deaf Aotearoa NZ; Disabled Persons Assembly (NZ) Inc; Nga Hau E Wha; Ngāti Kāpo O Aotearoa Inc; People First New Zealand Incorporated Nga Tangata Tuatahi
10. Dissolution/Winding Up: The Convention Coalition can end at any time, provided all members of the Convention Coalition meet and reach a consensus decision to do so. In the event the Convention Coalition ceases to exist, all its assets will be disposed of in accordance with a consensus decision reached by members of the Convention Coalition at the same meeting.

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