26/06/2026
Post by Glen McMillan:
The Disability Support Services Bill – What it really means
Imagine a 3-year-old gets meningitis, loses a limb, and needs a wheelchair.
Under this new Bill, the state is unlikely to provide either the wheelchair or the home help they need.
Why? Because the Bill now states that responsibility for care rests first with family and whānau. The government describes its support as only a "contribution" to care.
So where does that leave this child? Their care would fall to extended family. It assumes grandparents, aunts, uncles – whoever is available – will step in, without state support, to provide care and cover the costs of equipment.
This isn't a hypothetical. This Bill:
Closes the door on family carers being recognised as employees with rights, overturning a recent Supreme Court decision.
Shifts responsibility from the state onto families who are already struggling.
Creates the legal framework to introduce means-testing in the future, meaning support could depend on what you or your family can pay.
The Minister says there are "no immediate changes," but the foundation is being laid for a future where disabled people and their families are left to fend for themselves.
This Bill will leave many disabled people in despair – not just because of what it does now, but because of what it allows to happen next.
Here is the link
This website is the official home for New Zealand Acts, Bills, and secondary legislation.
