Your Way l Kia Roha

18/10/2026

Have your say on Behavioural Support Services.
Disability Support Services (DSS) is seeking feedback to help plan the future of Behavioural Support Services.
DSS wants to hear from disabled people, whānau, families, carers and service providers about what works well, what could be improved, and what support may be needed in the future.

They are particularly interested in practical and innovative supports that have worked well, and ideas to improve access to services and achieve positive long-term outcomes.

📅 Feedback closes 10 November 2026.

How to provide feedback
Disabled people, whānau, families, carers and organisations can share their feedback by emailing [email protected] or sending a written submission to PO Box 1556, Wellington 6140.

Please do not include personal information that could identify you in your response.

Find out more about the consultation and how to provide feedback:
https://www.disabilitysupport.govt.nz/assets/Providers/RFI-Behavioural-Support-Services.docx

17/10/2026

Fakaalofa lahi atu and welcome to Niue Language Week! 🌺

This week marks Faahi Tapu he Vagahau Niue – Niue Language Week, part of the 2026 Pacific Language Weeks.

📅 18–24 October 2026

The 2026 theme is:
"Gahua auloa ke fakaako fakamalolō e Vagahau Niue"
"Working together to diligently teach and strengthen Vagahau Niue."

This year's theme highlights the importance of working together to keep Vagahau Niue strong and passing the language on to future generations.

Niue Language Week is an opportunity to celebrate Vagahau Niue, and the language, culture and heritage of Niue communities across Aotearoa.

🔗 To learn more and explore resources, visit the Ministry for Pacific Peoples: https://www.mpp.govt.nz/programmes-and-funding/pacific-languages/pacific-language-weeks/niue-language-week/

16/10/2026

Updates from Disability Support Services.

Disability Support Services (DSS) has shared the findings from its 2026 consultation with the disability community.

More than 860 people took part through workshops, surveys and submissions, sharing what a good disability support system could look like.

Key priorities included:
- Support that reflects individual needs.
- Services that respond to changing circumstances.
- Information that is easier to find and understand.
- Fair and consistent decision-making.
- Greater choice and flexibility.
- Better recognition and support for carers and whānau.

Read the consultation findings and learn more about the next steps on the DSS website:
🔗

Thank you everyone who shared their experiences and suggestions for what good support looks like, or who supported others to have their say.

15/10/2026

We’re at the Aspire Community Showcase today and tomorrow! 🌿

Come along and say kia ora. We’d love to see you there!

15/10/2026

🌿 For Mental Health Awareness Week, we had a great day at an amazing event in Garden Place, Hamilton!

It was lovely to connect with our community and be part of such a positive day.

Ngā mihi nui to the organisers for bringing everyone together! 💚

11/10/2026

Mental Health Awareness Week - 12 to 18 October 2026

Each year, the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand runs Mental Health Awareness Week to help people across Aotearoa focus on their mental health and wellbeing. It has done this since 1993.

This year's theme, Belonging Matters, is grounded in the whakataukī Ko au ko koe, ko koe ko au – I am you, and you are me.

It responds to rising loneliness in Aotearoa, where only 53% of New Zealanders feel their neighbourhood has a strong sense of community. The campaign encourages small, everyday moments of connection, such as checking in on a mate, making time for a kōrero or reaching out to someone new.

💛 For disabled people and their whānau, feeling included can make a real difference to wellbeing.

👉 Find free resources and ideas for the week: https://mhaw.nz/
📞 Need to talk? Free call or text 1737, any time.

Being able to spend time with one another, connect and feel that we belong, is vital for our mental and emotional health. It is a two-way street, we need to reach out and we need to invite people in.

07/10/2026

New footpath rule raises safety concerns for disabled pedestrians

A new rule that came into effect on 1 October allows children up to 12 years old, and adults riding with them, to ride bikes on the footpath.

Living Streets Aotearoa and Blind Citizens NZ have raised serious concerns about the change. They say it will make footpaths harder and more dangerous to use, especially for blind, deafblind, low vision and Deaf and disabled people, older people, and very young children.

🚶 Footpaths should be safe places for everyone on foot or using a wheelchair, whatever their age or ability.

🦯 Blind Citizens NZ President Dr Jonathan Godfrey says many disabled pedestrians may not be able to quickly notice and move out of the way of someone cycling on the footpath. He also says the change breaches the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

⚖️ The consultation for this change said adults riding with children on the footpath was not being proposed. That part was added after consultation closed. Living Streets Aotearoa and Blind Citizens NZ are now seeking a judicial review of the decision.

👉 Read more:

Living Streets Aotearoa, the national walking advocacy organisation, is concerned about the recent announcement from the Government that new lane use rules that will allow some children and adults to ride bikes on the footpath will come into effect on 1 October.  As Living Streets Aotearoa has sta...

07/10/2026

World Sight Day - 8 October 2026

World Sight Day is held on the second Thursday of October each year. It is led globally by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and puts a spotlight on eye health and access to eye care. In Aotearoa, nearly 183,000 people live with sight loss that affects their daily activities, and that number is growing.

This year's campaign, Love Your Eyes, focuses on people: their stories, their lived experience and action in their communities. It encourages everyone to look after their eyes with regular eye checks and to help make the world easier to see.

👁️ Small actions help, like adding descriptions to photos you share online so people using screen readers can join in.

👉 Find support and information about sight loss in New Zealand: https://blindlowvision.org.nz/

👉 Learn more about World Sight Day: https://www.iapb.world/world_sight_day

On World Sight Day, we cast a spotlight on the importance of eye care and encourage everyone to . Join us on Thursday, 8 October 2026, and be part of focusing the worlds’ attention on eye care that is accessible, available and affordable to all.

05/10/2026

World Cerebral Palsy Day - 6 October 2026

Each year on 6 October, people around the world come together to celebrate and support those living with cerebral palsy (CP), or Hōkai Nukurangi. In Aotearoa, CP is the most common physical disability in childhood. A baby is born with CP every three days, and up to 10,000 New Zealanders live with it.

The Cerebral Palsy Society of New Zealand is asking Kiwis to Be Green & Be Seen by wearing green on the day. The message is simple: CP looks different for everyone. For some people it stays unseen, and for others it's all that gets seen.

💚 Every experience of Cerebral Palsy is different, and every person deserves to be seen for who they are.

👉 Find out more about CP in Aotearoa and how to get involved:

Cerebral Palsy – Hōkai Nukurangi is a physical disability that affects movement and posture. It is an umbrella term that…

04/10/2026

🌿 Free Care Matters workshops for whānau and carers
Our friends at Care Matters are hosting free in-person workshops for whānau and carers of disabled people.

These welcoming workshops are a space to connect, share and learn, with the day shaped around what matters most to you.

The workshops will cover:
• Understanding the system
• Supports in your community
• Enabling Good Lives
• Taking care of yourself – wellbeing
• Planning for the future

📍 Dunedin
10 November 2026, 9.30am–2.30pm
Register: https://carematters.org.nz/events/dunedin-care-matters-workshop-2/

📍 Cromwell
11 November 2026, 9.30am–2.30pm
Register: https://carematters.org.nz/events/cromwell-care-matters-workshop/

📍 Queenstown
12 November 2026, 9.30am–2.30pm
Register: https://carematters.org.nz/events/queenstown-care-matters-workshop-2/

Venue details will be provided after you register.

Questions? Contact Lianne:
📞 021 158 2082
📧 [email protected]