News

IHC’s pre-election online forum line-up on 6 October 2023 saw a high level of agreement that the current education system does not work for disabled and neurodiverse students.

Minister Jan Tinetti (Labour), Erica Stanford (National), Teanau Tuiono (Green), Toni Severin (Act) and Erika Harvey (NZ First) all committed to work across party lines to build an education system that works for ALL.

Politicians present agreed that:

• the public education system does not work and causes harm to disabled and neurodiverse students and requires transformation
• the current resourcing system is rigid, inflexible and deficit focused and the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme is used to ration resources rather than meet student needs.

Labour, National, Green, ACT and New Zealand First committed to:

• work across political divides to build a public education system that works for ALL disabled and neurodiverse students
• a total overhaul of how schools are funded to meet the requirements of disabled and neurodiverse students and their schools
• make the required changes to initial teacher education, professional development and the support available to teach the diversity of students in NZ’s education system
• collect robust data on disabled and neurodiverse students, in respect of their access to education, achievement and wellbeing and their outcomes from Education.

In addition Labour, Green and New Zealand First parties agreed to implement the UN Disability Rights recommendations on Inclusive Education. The National and Act parties said they didn’t know enough about those recommendations to make a commitment for implementation.

IHC’s Online Forum was recorded and shared widely and can be seen here

IHC and allies across the disability and education sectors expect the commitments made by political parties to be honoured and implemented.

Please join with us in holding political parties to account by:

• circulating this document
• including reference to these commitments in briefing papers to the incoming government
• engaging with Education and Science Select Committee meetings
• lobbying political parties to set up additional mechanisms to progress the commitments made at the 6 October 2023 Forum.

Trish Grant

Inclusive Education Lead
IHC