Strong Voices

Young Porirua people charged with offences no longer have to stand in the dock while lawyers and judges use language they can’t understand and make rules they are unable to follow.

Ask Carlos Biggemann what needs to change in the world, and he starts with global issues – war, poverty and the destruction of the rainforests – before coming to his disability.

The Law Commission is reviewing the legal powers people are given to make decisions for others, something disability advocates say is well overdue.

A trial Companion Card programme is enabling people with disabilities to take part more easily in activities in Palmerston North.

The Ministry of Health has announced changes to disability-funded carer support. Carer support claims are going online in early 2022.

Banks have put even more distance between them and their more vulnerable customers by ending cheques.

Bus fares will be free for disabled people in the Bay of Plenty by July.

The New Zealand Disability Support Network (NZDSN) says money laundering legislation and the phasing out of cheques by banks require new approaches and practices from everyone involved.

KiwiSaver rules now guarantee that people with four life-shortening congenital conditions can withdraw their savings early.

As New Zealand’s major banks phase out the use of cheques, IHC and other disability service providers are asking banks how they will maintain access to banking services by disabled people.