People First New Zealand

People First New Zealand We are a Disabled People's Organisation that is run by and for people with learning disability.

People First New Zealand - Ngā Tāngata Tuatahi:

- advocates to the Government and media about the rights of people with learning (intellectual) disability
- supports grassroots self advocacy in communities across NZ
- provides courses taught by people with learning disability on self advocacy, the UN Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities and Employment Rights.
- has an Easy Read

translation service creating documents that are accessible for people with learning disability. We want the People First New Zealand page to be a:
- positive place for people
- a place to get factual information
- a place where people’s stories can be shared in a safe space. We reserve the right to remove comments that:
- are rude, obscene, indecent, or uses profane language
- are threating or have defamatory or false statements
- are personal attacks or insulting statements directed towards an individual or group of people
- have hate speech directed at race, colour, sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity, age, religion, body shape, or disability
- have false claims or misinformation; we are guided by information provided by government and public health services
- are repetitive or “spamming” (the same comment posted multiple times). The views expressed in comments reflect those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official views of People First New Zealand.

11/09/2026

The Electoral Commission NZ have now launched Access 2026: Accessibility Action Plan for the 2026 General Election to help you get ready for the upcoming election.

In Access 2026 you will find information about the accessible services available to support Deaf and disabled people, tāngata Turi, tāngata whaikaha Māori and their whānau, carers and communities with taking part in the 2026 General Election.

There are 20 actions within Access 2026 which include:
- working at the election
- getting election information
- enrolling
- voting
- standing as a candidate.

You can read the Access 2026 Easy Read document and other accessible formats at:
https://elections.nz/about/about-the-electoral-commission/corporate-publications/access-2026-action-plan

People for Us was at the Transition Expo in Auckland yesterday!Ronnie, Roz and Kaysey from the People for Us team were p...
10/09/2026

People for Us was at the Transition Expo in Auckland yesterday!

Ronnie, Roz and Kaysey from the People for Us team were promoting the People for Us visiting service and talking with young people, families and whānau about the support available in the community.

The Transition Expo brought together more than 150 organisations and services, with information about tertiary education, employment, transport, sport, arts, social activities and more.

It was a great opportunity to connect with people and share how People for Us can help disabled people have their voices heard and know about their rights.

Thanks to Disability Connect for such a great day.

Getting prepared for an emergency.Dunedin Disabled Persons Assembly NZ - DPA , People First and National Emergency Manag...
10/09/2026

Getting prepared for an emergency.

Dunedin Disabled Persons Assembly NZ - DPA , People First and National Emergency Management Agency Dunedin came together for a workshop to assist disabled people prepare for an emergency.

Participants talked about things to consider, including where they live, support, transport and medication, and started putting together their own emergency plan.

Everyone who completed the workshop received a certificate and an emergency radio/torch.

04/09/2026

Great to see some of the Vaka Tautua team come together at their Auckland head office to celebrate this important milestone.

It was also great to have Saini and Ray come to Wellington to share their experiences and the voices of tagata sa’ilimalo.

On Tuesday, the Dunedin group held a fire safety workshop. 🧑‍🚒Kalem Blackley from the Roslyn Fire Station came along to...
03/09/2026

On Tuesday, the Dunedin group held a fire safety workshop. 🧑‍🚒

Kalem Blackley from the Roslyn Fire Station came along to talk to the group about fire safety. They learned about checking smoke alarms, what a fire alarm sounds like, and even had the chance to try on a firefighter's uniform!

There was also an exciting surprise when Kalem’s colleagues arrived at the meeting in a fire truck!

A big thank you to Kalem and his colleagues from Roslyn Fire Station, Tegan Howard for organising the workshop, and Mitch and Lisa for assisting.

Thank you to Peter Wilson-Winterburn for taking the photos!

The 2026 General Election is coming! To help you get ready, the Electoral Commission NZ has released an Easy Read guide ...
02/09/2026

The 2026 General Election is coming!

To help you get ready, the Electoral Commission NZ has released an Easy Read guide to enrolling and voting in the 2026 General Election called:
Get ready to enrol and vote in the 2026 General Election.

This Easy Read will tell you things like:
- Important dates for the 2026 General Election
- What you need to know about general elections
- How to enrol to vote in the 2026 General Election
- How to vote in the 2026 General Election
- Support available to you for enrolling and voting.

You can find this Easy Read guide and other alternate formats at:
https://vote.nz/enrolling/get-help-to-enrol/enrolment-information-in-accessible-formats

Join us in person or online for the 2026 Disability Election Forum on Wednesday 7 October in Wellington.You will hear fr...
25/08/2026

Join us in person or online for the 2026 Disability Election Forum on Wednesday 7 October in Wellington.

You will hear from people representing different political parties. You can ask questions and find out what they would do to make Aotearoa New Zealand more inclusive and accessible for disabled people.

This is a chance to hear what the political parties have to say and ask about the things that matter to you.

Event details:
Date: Wednesday 7 October 2026
Time: 4pm to 6pm
Location: Te Wharewaka o Pōneke, Wellington
Online: You can attend in person or join online
Cost: Free to attend

NZSL interpreters and live captions will be provided.

Register here: https://ihcnewzealand.eventsair.com/ihc-election-event-2026/electionevent2026/Site/Register

The forum is being supported by Access Matters Aotearoa, Blind Low Vision NZ, Blind Citizens NZ, Deaf Aotearoa, New Zealand Down Syndrome Association, Disabled Persons Assembly NZ - DPA, The Personal Advocacy and Safeguarding Trust, and Spectrum Care.

We were pleased to welcome a team from Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) to our ...
24/08/2026

We were pleased to welcome a team from Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) to our National Office in Wellington.

NBTC is exploring how Easy Read could be developed and used in Thailand.

They wanted to learn from our Make it Easy team about how we create Easy Read information, how the process works, how we work with government and other organisations.

It was a great opportunity to share what we have learned in Aotearoa and talk about why accessible information is important for disabled people.

There was also a connection between our two countries. People First life member Sir Robert Martin KNZM worked alongside Monthian Buntan from Thailand on the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Mr. Torpong Selanon spoke fondly of his memories of Montain Buntan and we talked about his phrase "I've given up on giving up".

We were very happy to welcome the NBTC team and share our experience with them.

We hope the kōrero will help support accessible information for disabled people in Thailand.

Address

Level 5, 175 Victoria Street
Wellington
6011

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 3pm
Tuesday 10am - 3pm
Wednesday 10am - 3pm
Thursday 10am - 3pm
Friday 10am - 3pm

Telephone

+6443813242

Website

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