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THE NEWS Paula Tesoriero People in our disability community, have been calling for change for a long time. A change in the way government supports disabled people, giving them more choice and control over the lives they lead. The time for this change is now. We now have Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People, the first ministry in the world dedicated to serving disabled people and whānau. Our primary objectives are twofold. We will transform disability support services. And, in our disability policy stewardship role, we will drive systemic changes across government – including in areas like education, housing and transport – for the more than one million New Zealanders who identify as disabled. Time for change BY PAULATESORIERO MNZM, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, WHAIKAHA – MINISTRY OF DISABLED PEOPLE These are two significant pieces of work, that we are doing together with the community. Our work to transform the disability support system in line with the Enabling Good Lives (EGL) approach will give people who receive disability support more choice and control over their lives. This will take time, but there are encouraging results from our demonstration sites throughout the motu. The team has shared with me positive outcomes for a young man with Cerebral Palsy in Christchurch who, with an EGL Personal Budget and the support of a Kaitūhono (Connector), has been able to learn new life skills, live independently and get paid employment. Many disabled people already work at Whaikaha, including a number with Cerebral Palsy, who make an invaluable contribution to our mahi. I encourage anyone reading this to consider applying for roles with us, as they become available.  As we search for a permanent national headquarters, it has rammed home the fact that there is a dearth of accessible buildings in Wellington – and we know this is an issue in workplaces around the country. This is just one example from an overabundance of issues we will seek to influence other government agencies about in our stewardship role. I am committed to keeping you updated and listening to your views. I encourage you to attend one of my ‘Coffee with Paula’ community catchups we are doing around the motu. We are also running regular online Zoom hui. Please check out our website www.whaikaha.govt.nz and Facebook page - www.facebook.com/whaikaha. govt for more information and sign up to our newsletter. As I write this, many of my team are focused on assisting in the response to an unprecedented flooding emergency in the upper North Island, including advising and supporting other agencies. Throughout the response I have been constantly reminded of the resilience and resourcefulness of the community pulling together to ensure disabled people and their whānau have the support. Having a new ministry committed to working with disabled people and whānau to drive long- awaited change only happens once. It is so critical we do this properly. It will take time and a lot of hard mahi, but we will get there together. This whakatauki about persistence and overcoming obstacles resonates with me: “Whāia te iti kahurangi ki te tūohu koe me he maunga teitei - Seek the treasure you value most dearly: if you bow your head, let it be to a lofty mountain.” We are a ministry in its infancy with much growing to do but I promise you, while our goals are ambitious, we couldn’t be more motivated to achieve them. JAN–APR 2023 THE REVIEW | 7