New Zealand First response to election questions

We wrote to each of the registered political parties ahead of the 2011 General Election to ask about their policies on issues affecting blind and partially sighted people. We received the following response from New Zealand First.

Election questions for blind and partially sighted New Zealanders

In regards to your questionnaire supplied to us, we wish to respond with the following:

Question 1

New Zealand has committed to ensuring that blind and partially sighted people experience the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms. What measures would your party put in place to ensure that New Zealand's commitments under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities are implemented?

Response: New Zealand First believes very strongly that the rights of all New Zealanders must be addressed adequately and equally, and we know how important the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is in moving forward to achieving this.  We believe that one way to implement the Convention is to develop leadership within the disability community because we know disabled people are in the best position to identify and articulate their own needs.  We need to ensure that all agencies delivering services understand the importance of the Convention in ensuring the rights are upheld of people with disabilities.  Government agencies must be advised on the articles contained within the document and educated on how to implement the commitments made. 

Question 2

The rebuild of Christchurch provides an opportunity to create an inclusive city that is fully accessible to everyone. What policy would you implement to ensure that blind and partially sighted people are fully consulted and included in the Christchurch recovery?

Response: We would use a range of incentives to ensure that a ‘universally accessible’ New Zealand applies to infrastructure, transportation and other services.  Disabled people must be part of the consultation process at both a national and local level.  Both national and local bodies must be made aware of our commitment to the ‘Convention on the Rights of Person’s with disabilities’ and in particular article 9 which deals with accessibility.  For those with impaired sight article 9 2(d) states ‘provide in buildings and other facilities open to the public signage in Braille and in easy to read and understand forms’.  Just one of the many considerations councils and governments need to consider when looking at buildings and infrastructure to ensure it is accessible to all. 

Question 3

The Welfare Working Group suggested increasing work expectations for blind and partially sighted New Zealanders, as well as increasing supports for them to find work. How will you ensure that disabled New Zealanders are not disadvantaged by any changes to the welfare system?

Response: We fully understand the frustration of disabled people to be given the opportunity to become taxpaying citizens and involved in productive work.  We believe it is imperative that we not only listen to disabled people, but service providers and government departments such as WINZ and Workbridge.  We would support working with service providers to carry out a campaign to promote the employment of disabled people, and ensure businesses are aware of the value a disabled person can give to their organisation.   We would fully support providing adequate resources to disabled people so they are able to effectively carry out the work, and receive a fair rate of pay.  Our vision for independence includes both physical and economic independence, thus recognising the importance of ensuring improved  access to work for those with disabilities.  We fully support Article 27 of the ‘United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities’ which states that we must ensure disabled people are provided with the same opportunities to obtain and keep full employment.

Question 4

Blind and partially sighted New Zealanders cannot drive, and often face barriers to using the public transport that they rely on. How would you ensure adequate access to public transport for blind and partially sighted people?

Response: New Zealand First realises how important transportation is to people with disabilities, particularly public transport.  The current transport system is completely inadequate for people with disabilities to access and therefore leaves them restricted in their being able to access their own community.  All New Zealanders deserve to be able to access all trains, planes and buses without hesitation.  We fully support the availability of ramps on all trains, the ability for all buses to cater to those with mobility issues and discounted fares for those who utilise taxi’s.  Transportation must be accessible, affordable and cover sufficient areas to enable full participation by people with disabilities in their communities.

Question 5

Success for All, the Government's response to the 2009 Review of Special Education, identified a need to improve our schools' ability to include disabled students. How would you ensure blind and partially sighted students are fully included in education?

Response: To ensure blind and partially sighted students are fully included in education New Zealand First will review the student/teacher ratio for Blind and Vision impaired students from 1:35 towards 1:15 and ensure resources are available to all students with disabilities on an equitable basis.

Question 6

Less than 5% of printed information is available in formats that blind people can read. In New Zealand, the main barriers include limited Government funding for accessible format producers like the RNZFB, low uptake of web accessibility standards, and international copyright barriers that prevent importing of braille and other accessible books from overseas. How would your party increase access to information for blind and partially sighted New Zealanders?

Response: In order to increase access to information for blind and partially sighted New Zealanders we would work with, and listen to, organisations such as the ‘Royal Foundation for the Blind’ and sight impaired people themselves to see how we can best remove the barriers so information is more accessible. We would look into the funding streams to ensure it is best serving the sight impaired community  and adequate resourcing is put towards making printed information is appropriately formatted  We would work towards the implementation of Article 9 2 (f), (g) and (h) which are principles that would ensure better access to information for persons with a disability.

Question 7

New Zealand has committed to the World Health Organization's VISION 2020 goal to eliminate avoidable blindness in New Zealand by 2020, but has not implemented a specific plan or budget to ensure this goal is met. What measures and policies will you put in place to work with the eye health and disability sector to eliminate avoidable blindness in New Zealand by 2020?

Response: New Zealand First understands that vision loss cost New Zealand $2.8 billion in 2009 and some of this could have been prevented with the right programmes and initiatives.  We would fully support a comprehensive National eye health strategy to eliminate avoidable blindness in the next ten years.  We would support and encourage research projects that endeavour to establish ways in which avoidable blindness can be eliminated.  In combination with this we would adequately resource those projects and programmes that have shown to have a positive effect on reducing the occurrence of blindness in New Zealanders.

I hope I have sufficiently addressed your questions around those issues important to New Zealanders with sight impairments.    

We look forward to November 26th when New Zealanders frequent the voting booths in and around our beautiful country and we look to them to give us their party vote, so all New Zealanders get a fair go.