Foundation for Equity and Research New Zealand

24/09/2026

💚 From a barrier to a better crossing: The Karori CAG in action
Members of our Karori Community Action Group (CAG) saw firsthand how difficult it was to cross Messines Road. They brought the issue to a CAG hui, then, led by CAG member Valerie, raised the issue with Wellington City Council.
Council staff visited the area with members and residents, listened to their experiences, and worked with them on practical improvements.

In August, CAG members, residents, Council staff and neighbours came together outside St John of God Karori to celebrate the improved crossing.

This is Disabled leadership and advocacy in action: members identified a barrier, the CAG took it forward, and their lived experience helped shape a practical solution.

At the celebration, Mike Gourley from No Labels on Wellington Access Radio interviewed Annelize and FERNZ Lead Community Coordinator Pip McLean about the project and FERNZ. The interview aired on 22 September.

🎧 Please have a listen: https://accessradio.org.nz/shows-podcasts/no-labels/

Thomas Bryan and Mike Gourley in the Wellington Access Radio studio Tune in to Thomas Bryan as he explores the diversity of disability issues, with co-host Mike Gourley. No Labels is a programme about your community with a focus on accessibility for all. The show looks at services which might assist...

09/09/2026

🚢 CAN YOU GET ON BOARD? ♿ What is it really like getting on board a ferry or passenger vessel as a Disabled person?

Maritime New Zealand is asking for feedback on proposed changes to rules for domestic commercial vessels — and accessibility is part of the consultation.

If you have lived experience, this is an opportunity to speak up about what works, what doesn’t, and what needs to change.

♿ Can you get on and off safely?
♿ Can you move around the vessel?
♿ Are the facilities accessible?
♿ What barriers have you experienced?

📅 Submissions close 5pm, Friday 25 September 2026.

👉 Find out more and have your say:
https://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/about-us/consultations/dce-40-series-package-3/

At FERNZ, we know the people who experience barriers are often the people who best understand what needs to change.

This is a chance for Disabled people to bring their lived experience to the table — because accessible transport should work for everyone.

21/08/2026

As Tongan Language Week comes to an end today, Saturday 22 August, we celebrate lea faka-Tonga, Tongan culture, and the people and communities who keep both strong and thriving across Aotearoa.

Uike Kātoanga’i ‘o e lea faka-Tonga – Tonga Language Week has been celebrated from Sunday 16 to Saturday 22 August 2026. This years theme is Ko 'etau hiva, ko e fe'unu mahu'inga ia ki he mo'ui 'a e Tonga – Our music is a vital strand of our Tongan culture. 🎶

Language, music and culture carry identity, stories, knowledge and connection across generations. This week has been an opportunity to celebrate the importance of protecting and strengthening Pacific languages, so they continue to be spoken, shared and valued across generations.

While Tonga Language Week comes to an end today, the celebration and use of lea faka-Tonga continue s.

Mālō ‘aupito to everyone who has shared, spoken, sung, taught, learned and celebrated this week. ❤️

14/08/2026

On 13 August, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston announced changes to the DSS Bill following the Select Committee process.
Minister Upston said:

“As Minister, I acknowledge the intent of the Bill was not as clear as it should have been. The Select Committee has heard this, and I agree with their recommended changes.”

In the media release, the Minister outlined the following changes:

-Making the overall intent of the Bill in representing the current state of Disability Support Services clearer. This includes providing clarity about the role of families, and better recognising the importance of choice, safety and dignity.

-The Bill now explicitly makes it clear that the Government, through DSS, will continue to support families by contributing to care for disabled people. No additional expectations will be placed on families.

-The revised Bill makes it clear that disabled people will have a stronger voice in future decisions. The Bill explicitly requires formal consultation through disabled people’s representative organisations on future Support Programmes.

-Addressing concerns around the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Enabling Good Lives, changes to the Bill will now reflect the language of the UNCRPD and the EGL principles. This includes choice, safety, dignity and a requirement for consultation ahead of decision-making.

The Bill will now continue through the Parliamentary process.

💬 What are your thoughts on the changes?

⚠️ A reminder when commenting: We welcome respectful discussion and recognise that people may have different views, experiences and perspectives. Please keep comments respectful of others.

For further information, the Minister’s full announcement is available on the Beehive website.
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/.../disability-community...

11/08/2026

💚 Sometimes change starts with something as simple as saying: “This isn’t working for us.” That’s where this story began in Karori. 💚

Members of our Karori Community Action Group (CAG) raised concerns about the challenges they face navigating Messines Road, Karori and the surrounding streets. They shared their experiences, took photos, and walked and rolled through the area to identify the barriers and show what needed to changed.
When members of the Wellington City Council Transport Engineering team came out to Messines Road, CAG members and residents from St John of God Karori showed them firsthand what navigating the area was really like where the barriers were, how they affected people, and why change was needed. These conversations helped to turn lived experience into practical change.

A special thank you to Valerie from our Karori CAG, who led the engagement with Wellington City Council, and a huge thank you to the Wellington City Council Transport Engineering team for coming out, listening and working alongside the community to find a practical solution.

Today, outside St John of God Karori, we celebrated the result, an improved crossing on Messines Road. But it was about much more than a crossing.

It was about what can happen when lived experience is valued, communities have a voice, and people work together to turn that voice into action.

This is grassroots advocacy. This is community-led change.

05/08/2026

❄️Rethinking community engagement starts with listening.
While snow fell across the Remutaka Range on Tuesday, something special was happening in Featherston.

FERNZ and Build a Tribe came together to launch the South Wairarapa CAG Creative Connection & Belonging Pilot—an exciting new collaboration exploring a different way for Disabled people to connect, communicate, and be heard.

At FERNZ, we know that not everyone feels comfortable speaking in meetings or participating in traditional consultation. Everyone communicates differently, and everyone deserves the opportunity to have their voice heard.

Together with Build a Tribe, we're using LEGO as a creative engagement tool to spark conversations, build relationships, and create a welcoming space where people can participate in ways that work for them. This approach has been shaped by local Disabled community members, who told us that creative activities provide a more natural and accessible way to connect.

This pilot isn't just about building with LEGO—it's about building confidence, connection, belonging, and a stronger voice for Disabled people in South Wairarapa. It demonstrates what's possible when organisations collaborate, communities lead the way, and we're willing to innovate to create spaces where Disabled people can participate, contribute, and have their voices heard in ways that work for them.

A huge thank you to the Featherston Community Board for supporting this pilot and investing in an innovative, community-led initiative that is helping create more inclusive and accessible opportunities for Disabled people in South Wairarapa.

A special thank you to BUILD a Tribe for collaborating with FERNZ to bring this pilot to life. We believe the best ideas come from working together, and we're excited to see how this partnership creates new opportunities for Disabled people to connect, belong, and have their voices heard.

💙🧱 This is just the beginning, and we can't wait to share the journey with you.



Please note: To respect the privacy of our participants, some group members' faces have been blurred.

31/07/2026

As Disability Pride Month comes to an end, one question is worth asking: Why "Disability Pride"?

Because for generations, disabled people were expected to feel the opposite.
- To hide.
- To stay quiet.
- To lower their expectations.
- Too often, they were defined by what they couldn't do, rather than recognised for who they were.

Disability Pride challenges that story.
- It recognises disability as part of human diversity.
- It reminds us that disabled people shouldn't have to earn dignity, justify their existence, or prove their worth. | Human dignity isn't conditional.

The Disability Pride Flag, originally created in 2016 by American disability rights activist Ann Magill and redesigned in 2021 following community feedback to improve its accessibility, has become an internationally recognised symbol of disability identity, diversity and pride.

Its colours reflect the diversity of the community:
❤️ Red – Physical disabilities
💛 Gold – Neurodiversity, intellectual and cognitive disabilities
🤍 White – Invisible and undiagnosed disabilities
💙 Blue – Psychiatric disabilities and mental health conditions
💚 Green – Sensory disabilities, including Deaf, blind and low vision communities.

The charcoal background acknowledges the history of ableism, discrimination, exclusion and violence experienced by disabled people.

As July draws to a close, Disability Pride reminds us that every person deserves to be valued, respected and included—not because they've overcome disability, but because their humanity was never in question.

29/07/2026

💙 Friendship is more than the people we spend time with. It's how we choose to treat one another.
🗣️ The words we use matter.
👂 The way we listen matters.
💬 The conversations we have matter.
🌱 The respect we show matters.

Too often we underestimate the power of our everyday interactions.
😊 A smile.
👋 A warm welcome.
🫶 Using the language someone prefers.
⏳ Taking the time to listen.
❤️ Seeing the person before the disability.

These moments may seem small, but they can be the difference between someone feeling included or invisible, valued or overlooked, like they truly belong or like they're standing on the outside looking in.

Friendship isn't measured by how many people we know | It's measured by how we make people feel.
Today is International Day of Friendship, let's choose words that include, conversations that uplift, and actions that remind people they matter.
https://www.un.org/en/observances/friendship-day

Together, we can build communities where everyone feels welcomed, respected and valued. Friendship doesn't just change lives. It changes communities.

28/07/2026

26 July – 1 August, we celebrate Vanuatu Bislama Language Week, recognising the Bislama language and celebrating the rich culture, identity and contributions of the Ni-Vanuatu community in Aotearoa New Zealand.

This year's theme, "Tokbaot klaemet jenis – Hemi tru samting mo yumi mas lukaotem gud laef" ("Talk about climate change – it is real, and we must look after life."), reminds us that language is more than words.
It carries culture, knowledge and identity, connecting generations while helping us share ideas, values and the issues that matter most to our communities.

At FERNZ, we celebrate the diversity of Aotearoa and the important role language plays in creating connection, understanding and communities where everyone feels they belong.

Why not learn a couple of Bislama greetings this week?
* Gud dei! – Good day!
*Tank yu tumas. – Thank you very much.

Happy Vanuatu Bislama Language Week!

23/07/2026

I've been thinking about accessibility. Two recent events have stayed with me. One was a farewell. The other was a pilot event.

Completely different occasions.
The same lesson.

Disabled people were at the centre of the design from the start. Accessibility wasn't added at the end. It was built in.

The result?

People simply arrived.
No explaining.
No negotiating.
No wondering if they could get in, follow what was happening, or take part.
Just participation.

So why are disabled people expected to be grateful when an event gets accessibility right?

Why are people surprised when we celebrate good practice—or when we call out poor practice?

Too often we find ourselves quoting the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) or talking about human rights. Then we're labelled as stroppy, pushy or angry.

We're not.
We're simply asking for the rights that already exist to be realised.

True accessibility is taking the time to learn what accessibility looks like. Asking questions. Listening. Building that knowledge into the way you work so accessibility becomes part of your everyday practice—not a one-off, not an afterthought, and not something you only think about when a disabled person is attending.

It's creating environments where everyone can participate with dignity, confidence and a genuine sense of belonging.

Accessibility isn't exceptional. The goal isn't to impress disabled people. It's to build a world where they can simply turn up, participate, and belong.

That should never be remarkable.
- Pip -