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4 | InTouch WINTER 2023 NEWS ROUNDUP Supporting Tāngata Whaikaha Māori and Disabled People – Cost Pressures Government has allocated $863.6 million to ensure Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People can continue to deliver existing disability support services and develop and deliver future services for disabled people and tāngata whaikaha Māori. This ensures funding is available to cover the increased costs and additional demand for disability support services in New Zealand. Read more here: https://tinyurl.com/55ujr6fr Continuing to establish a Ministry of Disabled People This funding will support the continued establishment of Whaikaha as a Ministry of Disabled People. Government has allocated $21.1 million to support Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People to establish roles that extend our capability and capacity in the areas of voice, partnership, communication, and culture. Visit their website for more info: https://tinyurl.com/yufhf9te Disability related initiatives Other Budget 2023 initiatives may be of interest to the disability community. Please note this is not a definitive list, and Whaikaha is not the lead agency for most of these initiatives. They have been identified in the full Summary of Initiatives for Budget 2023 – visit https://tinyurl.com/4329jmp8 Focus Group Invite – ‘My Experiences, My Rights’ The Donald Beasley Institute (DBI) is conducting a research project called “My Experiences, My Rights: Supports and Services”. Currently, the disability sector in Aotearoa New Zealand is undergoing big changes. It is important to capture disabled people’s voices throughout these transitions and transformations. This research project aims to FSHMD Group Meetings If you or a family member have Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHMD), there is an online support group who meet every secondWednesday of the month on Zoom, from 7pm – 8pm. Email info@mda.org.nz for more information! document disabled people’s experiences of the disability supports and services they have received or want to receive, and identify areas where improvements are needed. Go to www.donaldbeasley.org.nz Time Out! Time Out NZ provides holiday home experiences to terminally ill patients and their families. They have 150 holiday homes around the country donated by some very generous supporters. Their criteria per the website is – ‘Time Out defines a terminal diagnosis as a life limiting illness. This is an illness that cannot be cured and may at some time result in the person dying (whether that is years, months, weeks or days away). The illness needs to be progressive, and the prognosis should be 5 years or less to qualify for a stay. www.timeoutnz.org