The D*List Delivered

The disability history you didn’t know about

The D*List — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 23:53:50 GMT

Kia ora e hoa mā,

As we continue to battle māuiuitanga (illness) across our team, we’ve been keeping a bit of a low profile this week, hard at work on some exciting kaupapa we’re looking forward to sharing with you soon. It’s not all grindstone though - Talia and I had a great time last Friday at the launch of this year’s Y25 cohort, hosted by the amazing team at YWCA. The future will be bright with these young people in charge!

📻 We also loved jumping on bFM Breakfast with Rosetta and Milly this week to talk about all things disability culture. It’s part of a new monthly segment called Doing it Disabled that we’re excited to get underway. Check out the interview here.

🙋 Are you thinking of running as a candidate in the 2026 General Election?

As disabled people, we have unique points of view that can make an impact in spaces like Parliament. Running in an election can come with additional barriers though, particularly when it comes to the costs associated with disability.

That’s where the Election Access Fund comes in. It helps cover disability-related costs while preparing to stand as a candidate, such as assistive technology, New Zealand Sign Language interpreters and other accessibility support.

If you want to bring your POV to more places, this could be your first step.

Find out about the Election Access Fund by visiting: elections.nz/getting-involved/election-access-fund

Brought to you in partnership with The Electoral Commission

🌏 ‘How far have we come since the ratification of the UNCRPD?’ wonders Robyn Hunt. Read her reflections on this important milestone over at the Arts Access Aotearoa blog.

🗂️ A disabled person who trains and manages their own support workers funded by Disability Support Services (DSS) is not considered a Crown employee, the ERA has ruled. Stuff reports, the person, who has received Individualised Funding (IF) since 1998, wanted to be declared a employee or “homeworker” of MSD. However, MSD argued the tasks stemmed from the person choosing IF over other options, and the ERA ruled the overall relationship did not count as employment.

🏥 More shocking findings continue to emerge from the Chief Ombudsman’s investigation into Ward 10A at Wakari Hospital in Dunedin, including that a person with an intellectual disability was almost constantly locked in their bedroom for at least 18 months. Tough, but important reporting from Stuff - please take care.

📍 This week we are launching a new mini-series called Disability Heritage Guides where we tour historical sites with a D*List twist.

In the first episode we meet Tewai Skipwith-Halatau (Te Arawa), who as as a five-year-old went to live at The Jubilee Institute for the Blind in Parnell in Tāmaki Makaurau. Now a thriving community building complex, Tewai learns what’s changed over the years and rediscovers some old spots. Discover more on our website, or watch it on Instagram below.

🚙 What makes some places great to live and move around in, while others struggle to change? Join the upcoming Street Smarts workshops across Tāmaki Makaurau to join other community leaders to learn:

What shapes our streets
Where the levers for change are
How to get the best results

They’ve made these workshops free for The D*List community, just use the code DLIST for complimentary tickets. Thanks team!

🚢 Audio Described Aotearoa is organising an exclusive tour of the new TITANIC exhibition for blind and low vision patrons, with descriptions provided by audio describer Nicola Owen.

When: Wednesday 9 September, 10.30am (meet at 10.15am)
Where: building 253-261 Queen Street, Tāmaki Makaurau
Tickets are $45, and you’re welcome to bring a free companion - just let Nicola know for total numbers. Please email audiodescribedaotearoa@gmail.com

🎨 Toi Aro has opened applications for their d/Deaf and/or Disabled Artist Development Residency which runs this year from October 26 to December 20. This is an opportunity to develop new work for 8 weeks part time with the support of a studio and a stipend of $3750 before tax. Read more and apply here. Applications close 5pm on September 15.

There’s also a slew of funding rounds open via Creative New Zealand here. d/Deaf and disabled applicants can also claim an additional payment on top of the grant to help cover accessibility costs during the period of the grant.

📚 For all the literary fans in Ōtautahi, WORD Christchurch Festival is taking place 1 - 6 September across the city. All the events are at wheelchair accessible venues with mobility parking and accessible toilets; some of the sessions are also NZSL interpreted.

One of the events Risky Women is a panel featuring journalist Sally Wenley, who has written a memoir about her career and a life-changing accident which led her to become a wheelchair-user. The panel is happening at 8pm on Friday 4th September. Check out the full programme and accessibility offerings on the website.

Mā te wā 🧡

Red & The D*List team

Surviving public toilets as a disabled person 💩

The D*List — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:31:10 GMT

Kia ora!

Ko Red tēnei - it’s Red here. Te mea tuatahi, kei te tino ngenge mātou i tēnei wiki - our team are very tired this week! So in lieu of a proper newsletter, today we humbly arrive in your inbox to ask for your help with something 🫶

Have you heard of our brand new show, Crip Café? It’s a live podcast where we figure out how to be disabled in Aotearoa, together. We created the show because we know that laughing about disability disasters with our disabled friends makes it easier to push through the ableism. And we’d love you to join us there for a cuppa and a katakata!

We broadcast the show live every second Wednesday at 4pm from our community hub, and you can catch up on previous episodes right here on our YouTube channel.

Here’s where you come in:

🎧 If you love audio podcasts, please subscribe to Crip Café! It’s available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and RSS feeds. And while you’re there, please leave us a review so others can find the show too.
🧑🏽‍💻 If you prefer video podcasts, subscribe to our YouTube channel and get notified when we go live so you can join the live chat. It’s heaps of fun!
💝 If you’ve already seen/heard the show, we’d love you to share it with a friend who might enjoy it too. You can forward them this email, or share the show link directly.
💡 If you have ideas for future episodes, suggestions to make the show even better, or if you’re keen to jump on as a guest some time, reply to this email and let us know!

🚽 In this week’s episode, we finally got stuck into the nightmare that lives rent-free in many of our heads: public toilets.

Yes, we should have bigger things to worry about, but somehow we are still battling for toilets that meet our needs. In 2026! We share toilet horror stories, bathroom etiquette tips, and debate what makes a good accessible toilet. Check it out below ⬇️

We also wanted to screeeeam from the rooftops that Crip Café is proudly powered by Permobil! We have known Susie, Andrew and the Permobil team for many years, and love attending their annual community event Power in the Park. We’re really grateful they see the value in contributing to disabled storytelling and community, and couldn’t wish for a better marquee sponsor of the show.

Thanks for your support in everything we do, and for helping spread the word about Crip Café. And as always, we love hearing from you, so hit that reply button and kōrero mai!

Hei konā rā,

Red & The D*List team

Subscribe to our YouTube!

Are yard glasses ableist? 🧐

The D*List — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 02:56:57 GMT

Kia ora e hoa mā,

In this week’s delicious edition:

It’s Alcohol Week 🔎🍺
Let’s mobilise against the DSS Bill 🤺
Finally, there’s some good news on the Total Mobility Scheme 🚌

Daylen and Sarah, from the ‘Neurodivergent’ episode of our new series, Alcohol Week.

This week on The D*List, we’ve been exploring the topic of alcohol - what do disabled people think about alcohol? What ableist assumptions have we encountered? And is a yardie actually accessible?

We wanted to open up this kōrero because, although there’s plenty of academic conversation about disabled communities’ relationships with alcohol, our voices are rarely a part of that conversation.

You might’ve seen the World Down Syndrome Day campaign ‘Assume that I can’, a couple of years ago. It was a brilliant campaign, which featured a video of a woman with Down Syndrome ordering a drink in a bar - but the fact that as disabled people we’re still having to tell people that we’re allowed to drink alcohol is getting pretty tedious. We wanted to push that conversation a bit further.

As an autistic person, myself and autistic friends of mine have used alcohol to make social situations feel easier, or to dull the sensory noise at a party/bar/restaurant - which works okay, until it becomes something you rely on. That’s something Daylen and Sarah touched on in the ‘Neurodivergent community’ episode. We all have our own stories of where our disability and our relationship to drinking has intersected; this is an opportunity to talk about them.

All of the episodes are now live on YouTube and on our website. These episodes are not the end of the kōrero! We’d love for you to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments. What’s something you wish people understood about disabled people and alcohol?

Watch the series

‼️ Disability Minister Louise Upston announced a whole bunch of amendments to the DSS Bill, many of them resulting from disabled community feedback. Yay! Unfortunately, the Bill is still not offering a lot of solace to the community. We’ve been sharing some reflections on it over on our Facebook page. How are you feeling about the amendments? Scroll down to the ‘To-Do list’ section of this newsletter for more info about the upcoming Day of Action against the Bill.

Minister Louise Upston speaks to media about the DSS Bill amendments.

🚌 A major update to the ongoing Total Mobility Scheme review: three of the proposals were dropped, and four are now going ahead. Thanks to a strong disabled community response, the most controversial proposals were dropped! Minister Louise Upston said:

“After considering the feedback, the Government has decided not to proceed with mandatory documentary evidence requirements, mandatory periodic reassessments, or nationally mandated trip caps.”

It’s because of the hard work of all of those who contacted MPs, organised, and came together as a community to speak up about our needs, that this review has gone as well as it has. Newswire has published a good explainer of the results of the review.

🦮 Callum McMenamin, leader of OpenAccess, has published a strong response to the announcement that there will now be an official ID card to identify guide dogs, titled “No, a plastic card won’t give me human rights”. He says:

“Respecting me should not be contingent upon a chunk of plastic in my wallet… I also feel the same way about initiatives such as making disabled people wear sunflower lanyards to indicate invisible disability. I do not want accessible, dignified treatment to rely upon what trinket I choose to wear on a given day.”

It is interesting that the onus is on us to prove the validity of our needs, of our disability, and not on others to trust us. No doubt there’ll be more community kōrero on the topic - we’d love to hear your thoughts.

🍻 You can now watch all episodes of our Alcohol Week series on our website, or on YouTube. Each episode focuses on a different part of Deaf and disabled communities, diving into their experiences with alcohol, and the misconceptions people have about them.

❤️ Krystle Field, a much-loved member of our community, passed away earlier this month. D*List board member Erin wrote a beautiful tribute to her:

“I wish that instead of writing about Krystle now at 40, I could still be hanging out with her at 80, as more disabled, still politically nerdy, former public servant foodies, where over yet another meal before or after going to an event, we would reminisce about being on the D*List board together…Krystle, you will be so missed, and while we are heartbroken we won’t get to spend many more years with you, you will always be a part of the D*List whānau. Moe mai rā, e hoa.”

A photo from a recent DSS protest in Tāmaki Makaurau.

✊ If you’re feeling angry about all of the nonsense the Government has thrown our way this year, disabled people and allies are leading a National Day of Action against the DSS Bill tomorrow, Saturday 15 August. There will be events in Auckland, Tauranga, New Plymouth, Dunedin, Palmerston North and Hamilton. This bill is not good enough - let’s come together to reject it. For more information about the Day of Action, check out the protest website.

☕️ Our next episode of Crip Café is all about public toilets, a spectre that haunts many a disabled person. We’d love to hear from you if you have any public toilet horror stories or imaginative ideas for what would make the perfect accessible bathroom. Reply here, or email us at kiaora@thedlist.co.nz and then join us as we discuss your responses on the next episode. We’ll be live on YouTube at 4pm, Wednesday 19 August. See you there!

👾 We’ve got our second session of online games at 3pm today! We’ll be playing Codenames, Gartic Phone, and daily games like Colourfle. Reply to this newsletter with ‘ONLINE GAMES’ and we can send you the Zoom link! This is the second of four sessions, so you’ve got a couple more chances after today.

🎇 Our lovely friends at Quiet Chaos Club are convening in our Community Hub tomorrow. It’s a gentle, sensory‑friendly hangout for queer, neurodivergent and disabled folks, that you can join in-person or online. Grab your crafts or personal projects, and register for a free ticket now.

Mā te wā 🧡

Soph & The D*List team

Can AI generate an accessible world?

The D*List — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:23:21 GMT

Kia ora e hoa mā,

In this week’s delicious edition:

The advice about disabled people that the DIA minister ignored 🙅‍♀️
A new national service dog ID is about to roll out 🪪
Is the social model of disability perfect? 🌈

Theo Coles (centre) and attendees of Crip Poetic.

Last week, online and at The D*List Community Hub, we met some of you wonderful disabled poets at the open mic poetry event series, Crip Poetic. A cool thing about this is that it was initiated by Theo Coles, who had previously attended a D*List poetry workshop with Action Education:

“the space was so lovely, and one of the first creative spaces where i felt my disabled identity was held and made space for completely. it got me thinking about the desire for creative spaces that centre and lift up our disabled communities specifically, and how i could think about creating that kind of space... poetry is one of my favourite forms of expression and i felt like it was a door into something, so i reached out to the d*list and that is how the bones of crip poetic was born”

Theo was stoked to see a mixture of seasoned and brand new poets who had never shared their poetry before. At the D*List we love it when we can support your dream disabled events to come true. If you have an event idea that you’d like to host, email us at kiaora@thedlist.co.nz!

On Wednesday, Olivia Shivas interviewed author Sally Wenley at Takapuna Library. They spoke about Sally’s newly-released book, The Crash, which is a memoir about the accident that left her disabled, and navigating life as a wheelchair user.

🚨 This week, through internal communications revealed in an OIA, Olivia tells how the DIA minister, Brooke van Velden, rejected official advice to retain the Lottery Individuals with Disabilities Committee, the specialist group that determines how Lottery grant funding is distributed among disabled applicants.

Before Minister van Velden declared the disestablishment of the Lottery Individuals with Disabilities Committee, among other committees, she was advised by DIA staff that communities, particularly disabled people, could be detrimentally affected by the change:

“The sectors that are serviced by the specialist committees may see the changes as detrimental. Some stakeholders in these sectors rely on the stream of funding that comes through those specialist committees, which may not be guaranteed to the same extent through the new committee structure.”

🏫 Over the weekend, ACT party candidate, Paul Henry announced a new policy that would allow teachers to remove "seriously or persistently disruptive" students from a classroom with “reasonable force”, RNZ reports. Autism NZ have condemned this approach, saying that removing a child from the classroom or using restrictive approaches should always be the last resort.

For autistic and other neurodivergent children, behaviour is a form of communication. Children who are struggling need understanding, appropriate support and environments that meet their needs.

🐕‍🦺 Service dogs denied from transport services have been in the limelight this week following the recent apology from Auckland Transport to a customer for an incident in 2023, where they were travelling with a service dog and incorrectly told the dog needed a muzzle to use the service.

On Wednesday, Minister Louise Upston announced that a new service dog ID card would be rolled out in coming months, NZ Herald reports. Until now, there has been no nationally recognised form of ID for legally certified service dogs, according to the Service Dog Advisory New Zealand. Sally Britnell, who is deafblind and handles a service dog, says this is a positive step forward and may make a difference if coupled with a strong education campaign.

🧠 Amidst the current neurologist shortage, the Neurological Alliance is calling on the Government to fund two additional public hospital neurology positions every year, RNZ reports. Dr James Cleland, chair of the Neurological Association, said that neurologic diseases have surpassed cancer and cardiovascular disease in terms of disability-adjusted life years, but "we have tended to focus on health outcomes in terms of death rates perhaps at the expense of looking at the chronic diseases."

🗣️ Dianne Pelvin tells The Spinoff how Winston Peters’ use of the ‘R’ word feels as a person with intellectual disability, who was bullied growing up.

I’ve been an advocate for over 20 years now. I’ve seen some things improve. High school students are pretty good – I haven’t heard them using “dumb” or “retard”. That word makes me feel like I can’t do anything, even though I know I can.

🍽️ Glen McMillan, head of Children with Disability New Zealand, is concerned about the effect that the DSS Bill would have on children living in poverty. He tells RNZ the true number of disabled children living in poverty was likely much higher and that many poorer families feared asking for help because of potential discrimination.

☕️ This week on Crip Café (now powered by Permobil!), we test out our Organic Intelligence ie. humans, when faced with prompts that otherwise would be written for AI. Disabled people are often brought into the conversation as reason to use AI, but isn’t that just paternalistic? Here, real disabled people discuss the ethics of using AI from a social perspective.

🛌 The social model of disability is popular, but is it perfect? Julia de Bres interviews disabled folks on what utopia would look like if all of their social accommodations were met.

In a world tailored to fit ME sufferers there would be no bright lights or music in shops (think candles and plush carpet!). Everyone would speak in a whisper and they would offer sugar-free snacks and electrolyte drinks instead of coffee and biscuits. A law would prevent the wearing of perfume or aftershave and the using of smelly cleaning products. School and work hours would be 9pm-midnight when we come alive (sort of) and most activities would happen online.

Some of the D*List crew went to visit three CRL stations last week and were blown away by the mahi toi incorporated into the stations.

🚇 Aucklanders, it’s time to get ready for the City Rail Link opening on September 13. Across the next three weekends, you can walk through some of the stations and learn about their designs. Bookings are essential. You can also check out guide dog Priya and her handler Sally’s videos on what it was like navigating the station for them.

📍 Check out Go Able, an Aotearoa-based community-powered accessibility map. You can add your own reviews on places you’ve been to help others know what to expect when they go there. Learn more about its design with RNZ’s interview with disabled entrepreneur, Daisy Hoe.

Kia whakangenengenea 🧣

Eda

Read Jared's column (NZSL available)

We're not letting the R-slur happen again ✋

The D*List — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 23:12:23 GMT

Kia ora e hoa mā,

In this week’s delicious edition:

Winston Peters is doing ableism again 🫩
Local writers and filmmakers making waves ✴️
Play online games with us 🧑🏽‍💻

🚫 This week, Winston Peters has been slinging around the R-word again. Not only did he use the word, but when corrected and challenged by a reporter, he doubled-down and responded: “Of course I just used it” and proceeded to say the R-word several more times.

It’s not good enough that people like Winston Peters—who are supposed to represent us—use a word that is hateful and dehumanising for disabled people. The more that ableist language like the R-word is used and normalised, the more ableism is normalised. We have to push back. We cannot allow our culture to backslide into ableist language and ideas that we’ve fought so hard to change.

We’ve been having a kōrero about all this over on our Instagram. 📲 Head over and add your whakaaro in the comments.

🫶 This week we said goodbye to The D*List’s Kaiāwhina, Geo Cocks. In her time here she has offered so much care, thoughtfulness and joyful energy to our tari. Geo is off on a new adventure—going full-time as an intuitive medium! She’s available for readings, so head to Laugh Lessons on Instagram to support her mahi! We love you Geo. Rock on 🤘

♿️ The Museum of Southland is about to open in 2027 in Invercargill and is currently being built with accessibility at the fore. The museum has been developed in consultation with Arts Access Aotearoa, Well Child Network, BarrierFree, Disabled United NZ and Blind Low Vision NZ.

All exhibition galleries sit on a single level with one surface type. Accessibility parking — including space for longer vehicles such as vans — is positioned close to the entrance. A wheelchair-friendly reception desk, Braille wayfinding signage, tactile objects in bronze and fibreglass, audio tours, and closed-captioning on audio-visual content are all built in. An internal lift will connect to the education and office spaces upstairs, and the outdoor mezzanine. Low-sensory hours are planned once the museum opens.

🗳️ The Accessibility Standards Bill has progressed with a Notice of Proposal lodged in the name of NZ First MP Jenny Marcroft, for the Members’ Bills Ballot. Access Matters Aotearoa says the bill provides a starting framework for reform, intended to ignite a conversation about how the country can better address accessibility barriers.

🏊‍♀️ In a recent podcast interview, Dame Sophie Pascoe discusses the pressures of being at the top of your career and what happens when your identity is tied to being a high-performance athlete but international sports events are put on hold.

🤖 CCS Disability Action published an article, “A machine should never decide if a disabled person survives”, deep-diving into The Social Security (Modernisation) Amendment Act 2026. It explores the incoming impacts on disabled people and our whānau, but also highlights what the Government could do to reduce potential harm to our community. In their words,

“Disabled people with permanent conditions and whānau should not have to keep proving they exist to a machine that was designed to pay out less.”

👔 Expectations fell short for some at the Prime Minister’s ninth public meeting of the year. When a woman named Kate shared that she and her disabled daughter who needs 24/7 care were struggling to get by on $600 a week, Luxon responded that he would provide something to look forward to by managing the economy 😒. Kate tells The Post that she doesn’t think the PM heard her. When the Government made changes to standardise needs assessments, Kate’s daughter lost access to speech tuition, a communication support device and respite care.

Community reporter Havilah interviewed Trish Harris about her new book!

📔 A few weeks ago, D*List Community Reporter Havilah Arendse attended the book launch of Out of the Box by Trish Harris. She shares that it was a beautiful gathering of disabled communities at Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui Central Library in Wellington. Havilah also got the chance to chat to Trish Harris and illustrator Peter Woodfield about the story of this incredible book. Trish says:

When I was growing up, I didn’t always like it when people cried about my life or felt sad about it. Sometimes that’s the main way people react to people with disabilities. They get sad, or else they talk about how inspiring we are, like we’re all scaling mountains all the time.
Whereas in reality, many of us have ordinary lives. Besides which, many of the mountains are created by our disabling world; they don’t need to be there. This book celebrates achievement, but it also highlights unnecessary mountains.

Read/listen here!

🎥 In this edition of Taha Hotu’s Carving Space column, filmmaker Jared Flitcroft shares his aspiration for NZSL to move beyond a mode of accessibility and into the language of authorship, where Deaf people aren't simply included in cinema, but help redefine what cinema can be.

❄️ Don’t miss the last few D*List winter events! We have one more online zine workshop on Tuesday 4th August, and a short series of online games nights starting Friday 7th August. For more information, and to RSVP, visit our events page.

✂️ This Sunday August 2, The D*List will have a table at Auckland Zinefest held at the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki! Come along and say hi. 🤗 We’ll have a range of zines from disabled creatives and our own zine published with writing and poetry from our 2026 writing workshops.

☕️ The fourth episode of Crip Café will be going live at 4pm, Wednesday 5th August. We’ll be tackling the recent hot topic within our community: the use of AI. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to make sure you never miss an episode!

📚 Our editor, Olivia, is interviewing local disabled author Sally Wenley about her new book, The Crash. Join them at Takapuna library on Wednesday 5th August for the kōrero.

📝 Are you a neurodivergent writer? Taha Hotu member, Frances Duncan, is doing some market research to refine a coaching and mentoring offer. She would like to speak with neurodivergent women and non-binary writers who feel stuck in their writing process. Frances would like to ask a few simple questions on a 30 min video call. In exchange they are offering a free 30-minute coaching session. If you’re interested, get in touch with Frances on her website.

Mā te wā 🧡

The D*List team

@thedlistnz @netflix we’re ready (and so is the entire whānau) #fyp #documentary

Writing the world a better place 🌏

The D*List — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 02:14:00 GMT

Kia ora e hoa mā,

In this week’s delicious edition:

The D*List ventures to Oamaru ❄️
Come along to our creative events next week 📖
The disabled NZ TV show you never knew existed 😎

This week’s newsletter celebrates writing in the broadest sense. The writing we mean goes beyond what is learnt at school with pen and paper. It’s creating worlds, imagining characters and ideating possibilities and conveying those to others through any medium. For some of our community, it’s the most powerful and accessible way to leave an influence on Earth.

All rugged up in chilly Oamaru with Lavi (centre) and Chloe (right).

🧣 D*List editorial producers Joegen and Eda travelled to Oamaru over the weekend to film a project at the childhood home of an iconic New Zealand author, Janet Frame. A highlight was flipping through one of Janet’s notebooks she kept as a child and was later found under the house! It was obvious from a very young age, she observed her world through lots of colour and character.

Watch this space to find more about this mystery project! Ka nui te mihi to Chloe from Janet Frame House and Lavi who featured in the video.

💜 For all our poets or poetry lovers out there, we're hosting two poetry nights next week. Crip Poetic is a space to share your own poetry, or listen to others read. There's a session in our Community Hub in Tāmaki Makaurau on Wednesday 29th, and an online session on Thursday 30th. To RSVP, go to the events page on our website.

🖊️ If you’re also a little haututū with a pen and paper, then consider coming to our last online zine workshop hosted by Lourdes Vano. Our previous attendees have had a grand ol’ time, as attested by their big cheesy grins. 😁 Register for the final online zine workshop, on Tuesday 4 August at 7.30-8.30pm.

🖼️ Zines (pronounced zeeens) have been forging quiet revolutions for decades and the beauty is that they can be about anything you want, from your favourite pair of socks to a moving political manifesto. Find out how they’ve been used in court cases and campaigns in the reel below.

📔 This week, author Trish Harris released a new book celebrating 25 Deaf and disabled artists, activists and adventurers from Aotearoa. Scroll down to watch our interview with her in this week’s episode of Crip Café! The new book, Out of the Box, features disabled people who have “broken open the box and claimed their space”. The Spinoff has published excerpts from the book.

🚴 The upcoming Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games will feature a record 47 Para sport medal events, making it the largest integrated Para sport programme in Commonwealth Games.

🏡 A housing project called Project Paeroa by Assisting Different Abilities Peoples Trust (ADAPT) and the Supported Lifestyle Hauraki Trust (SLHT) is underway to provide a housing option for people with learning disabilities. The co-living housing development would allow flexibility between an independent lifestyle and a flatting environment. SLHT chief executive Samantha Lee tells the Waikato Times the major goal was to create housing that looks like “anyone would want to live in” rather than something resembling an institutional facility.

🫠 Following a workshop on Tuesday as part of the DSS consultation, members of Palmerston North’s disabled community tell The Post they are feeling fatigued by partaking in consultations and wondering why the Government still hasn’t implemented a model already proven to work. Pip Brunn and fellow members of EGL’s leadership group felt the consultation process was redundant, given the work and research had already been done on how to best care for disabled people.

🎬 If you’re a filmmaker wanting to make work more accessible, Felicity Hamill’s got you. Read about how access coordination can help productions remove barriers early, support cast and crew, and reach wider audiences.

🫖 In this week’s episode of Crip Café, we have our first guest, author and writer extraordinaire, Trish Harris who talks about her new book Out of the Box and her disabled literary icon. You can buy a copy of Out of the Box here.

🌻 D*List Community Reporter Kitty Wasasala explores part of New Zealand’s screen history with disabled characters, starting with the two lead characters from The Kids From O.W.L. with their laser beam-firing crutches and computerised wheelchairs. Who knew that that was produced by CCS Disability Action?

The show stated in a newspaper at the time that ‘by showing the two heroes equipped with the latest technology to combat the villains… but at the same time having difficulties negotiating kerbs or reaching light switches, the series hopes to bring home, without comment, the problems that handicapped people have in coping with everyday situations. However, the emphasis is always on entertainment, and the fast-moving script… ensures the heroes get involved in plenty of action.’

Read/listen here!

🤳 Do you follow The D*List on TikTok? If not, this is your sign!

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📚 If you’re in Tāmaki, come along to an evening hosted by D*List editor Olivia and writer and journalist Sally Wenley at Takapuna Library on Wednesday 5 August at 6:30pm. They’ll delve into Sally’s powerful memoir, The Crash, which explores what happened when her life took a sudden and traumatic turn, and the world as she knew it changed forever. This is a free event, but reserve your spot here.

🎨 Māpura Studios is running Queer and Trans art groups in term four of this year. The classes provide a safe and affirming creative community for disabled people in the rainbow community to explore visual art and connect with others.

Location: Morningside, Tāmaki Makaurau
Dates: October 12 to December 18
Time: 6-7:30pm
Cost: $10 per term
Contact for more info: info@mapurastudios.org.nz

Hei tērā wiki! 🧡

Eda, Olivia and The D*List team

Fending off ableist comments 🙅

The D*List — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 22:01:35 GMT

Kia ora e hoa mā,

In this week’s delicious edition:

Snaps from our Matariki Market 🤩
How to reply when someone asks: ‘Can I pray for you?’ 🙏
Accessibility Standards Bill announced in Parliament 🏢

Some of the gorgeous D*List kaimahi at the Matariki Market!

🍃 We hope you all had a replenishing and fulfilling Matariki break! Did you do anything special to celebrate? Please let us know! Within the D*List team, some of us watched the sunrise at Maungawhau, while others spent time with whānau and enjoyed being in nature.

A few weeks ago, we held our first Matariki Market in Tāmaki Makaurau. It was really wonderful to see lots of familiar faces and make new friends too. A huge shout out to our stallholders Joseph, Adam, Solomon, Riley, Von and the team at Phab Pasifika.

🪜 Last week, NZ First MP Jenny Marcroft introduced the Accessibility Standards Bill. The Bill would establish a legal framework for accessibility standards in Aotearoa. “The Accessibility Standards Bill will identify, prevent, and remove barriers in a practical and sustainable way,” Marcroft said. She also acknowledged Access Matters Aotearoa for its advocacy in this space.

🏡 67-year-old Trevor Potter has finally been offered an accessible home after spending five years on the housing waitlist. The Auckland man was mistakenly dropped off the housing register due to an error. His case has renewed calls to improve access to disability-friendly homes, with advocates saying no one should have to wait years for a home that meets their needs.

🌿 Auckland Council has awarded $200,000 to six disability-led projects across Tāmaki Makaurau to help disabled communities shape climate solutions and strengthen resilience. The projects include NZ Sign Language climate workshops, an accessible emergency preparedness app, Māori-led education and food resilience initiatives.

📢 The Government is investing $3.5 million in a two-year research project that will provide 100 high-performance power wheelchairs to people aged 14 and over with progressive conditions. The Post reports the project will examine whether earlier access to advanced wheelchairs can improve independence, quality of life and participation in education, work, and community life. The findings will help inform future disability support funding, equipment provision and policy decisions.

🫖 Last week on Crip Café, we delved into the topic of unsolicited ableist comments and how to respond to them in public. We discuss the classics — like ”I’ll pray for you” — and our weirdest experiences. Plus, guest host Ella joins the show to play a game.

If you have a funny ‘unsolicited comments’ story, please respond to this email and we might share it in the next episode of Crip Café!

🍃 For this tau hou Māori (Māori new year), we’re celebrating the way disabled people connect with the stars of Matariki that are associated with the natural environment. Everyone accesses te taiao in different ways, and for some, it may involve some creativity and innovation. Eda Tang spoke to three disabled people about how they connect with te taiao.

🌟 A few weeks ago, turi leadership - organised through CCS Disability Action - launched some beautiful and powerful signs for two waiata: Tōku Reo Tōku Ohooho and Tūtira Mai Ngā Iwi, and a karakia for Rūaumoko. Follow this link to watch the videos and learn the signs.

🌻 D*List Community Reporter Maioha Tawa has written a list of all the things she and her friends are tired of hearing as autistic women. From ‘You don’t look autistic’ to ‘You must love trains’, the list complies relatable anecdotes.

So many misconceptions exist about autistic women, partly because research in this space is still emerging, but also because women are held to a higher expectation of social performance. There is a lack of information and awareness about what autism in women looks like, and some people just don’t know how to respond respectfully when we’re open about who we are.

📒 Have you come along to any of our D*List winter events yet? This is your friendly reminder to register — we have something for everyone. Our next online zine workshop will be held next week on Wednesday July 21 at 7pm. You can register here.

🌈 Rainbow Action Tāmaki is releasing a digital magazine and looking for pieces of work to fill its pages! The team at RAT are keen for any form of submission — from poetry to art and political essays and more. The magazine aims to be a place for political discussion, community and aroha. The first issue will be released on July 27. Follow them on social media for more info or send them an email.

▶️ Subscribe to our YouTube channel so you don’t miss an episode of Crip Café. This week’s non-disabled nonsense moment was about wedding wheelchairs!

Mā te wā 🧡

Olivia + The D*List team

See more photos from the protest

Hey ho, hey ho! The DSS Bill has got to go!

The D*List — Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:33:27 GMT

Kia ora e hoa mā,

In this week’s delicious edition:

Snaps from Tāmaki’s DSS Bill protest rally ✊
Matariki Market access guide 🧭
Join our online Zine Workshop next week 📒

Yesterday some of The D*List kaimahi attended a rally outside Waitematā Station in Tāmaki Makaurau protesting the DSS Bill which drew a big crowd on a busy Thursday afternoon during lunch hour. It was great to hear the powerful speeches from those in our community most impacted by this dangerous legislation. One of our favourite chants was: “Hey ho, hey ho! The DSS Bill has got to go!”

Scroll down this newsletter to see more photos and what people have to say about the bill!

Folks in or visiting Tāmaki: we are so excited to see you at tomorrow’s Matariki Market at Melville Cricket Pavilion in Epsom from 10am-2pm. It’s gonna be a wholesome day of arts and crafts, waiata Māori, disabled pride and hāngī with fry bread. 😋 Check out the access guide below to get an idea of the space.

🍠 PS: If you pre-order your hāngī you’ll get it for cheaper than buying one on the day.

🗑️ Labour's disability issues spokesperson Priyanca Radhakrishnan says the party will bin the Disability Support Services Bill if it gets into power at the next election. Speaking to protesters outside Parliament in Wellington, Radhakrishnan said:

"Disability communities have long fought for self-determination through the principle of 'nothing about us without us', and it is hugely disappointing to see the government do the exact opposite again.”

💔 Sixteen-year-old Paula Navunisaulaki continues to be at risk of being separated from his family in Aotearoa due to Immigration New Zealand’s Acceptable Standard of Health policy. The teenager, who has a kidney disease, is on a student visa that expires in November but the rest of his family are New Zealand residents.

Meanwhile in another family, a father has not seen his son in person in nearly 10 years due to the same immigration policy. Telling Stuff, Frans Maritz said: “We came over to New Zealand for a better future for the kids… We just decided we’re not going to give up for the sake of the other two to go back to South Africa. It wouldn’t have been fair towards them.”

Disability Rights Commissioner Prudence Walker told Stuff:

“The Human Rights Commission believes that any policy affecting disabled people must start from a foundation of dignity, not cost… Disabled people must be treated with dignity and respect as contributors to their communities, and not simply as liabilities.”

💲 A new ACT party policy, which seeks to tighten up the medical certification for health-related benefits and making it mandatory for them to be issued by MSD-approved designated doctors, is being slammed by beneficiary advocates. Kay Brereton told Checkpoint:

“If people are on a health related benefit, actually what they are trying to do is get better, and that’s what I see with the people that I’m assisting who are on health related benefits… They are spending that money on treatment, they don’t want to be sick forever, no one wants to be sick forever.”

💁 Ricky Andrews has been behind a petition seeking individually assessed disability support that does not include a partner’s income. RNZ reports that to qualify for a Community Services Card, a couple without dependent children must not earn over $55,501, and for a disability allowance, the same couple must not earn over $1295 a week.

"I've been in a relationship for 20 years and I got sick about six years ago with Parkinson's and discovered then the issues with MSD … if you've got a partner, they've got very low set joint income household limits so you're basically not eligible for any assistance,"

⛵️ Sailability Tauranga recently celebrated 10 years of providing sailing opportunities for people with disabilities. With the help of over 30 volunteers, Sailability Tauranga has delivered over 1000 sailing experiences each year with about 36 sailors taking to the water each sailing day.

📣 Yesterday, disabled communities rallied to protest the DSS Bill while a petition opposing the bill with over 16,000 signatures was being presented to Parliament in Te Whanganui-a-Tara. Here are some moments we captured at the Tāmaki rally:

🎤 We asked people to describe the bill in three words, and this is what they had to say:

💫 As part of the Auckland Art Gallery’s Matariki Ahunga Nui programme, join a free NZSL-interpreted tour of Ngā Taonga Tūturu: Treasured Māori Portraits at the gallery next Friday July 10 from 10.30am-12pm. Registrations are essential. Book here.

🗓️ Don’t forget to register for our cosy winter events! Our online Zine Workshop starts next week, and you can RSVP here.

😌 The D*List Delivered will be taking a break next week while we spend an extra day or two to relax and refresh over Matariki. We hope you too can find a moment to replenish 🍃

Mā te wā 🧡

Olivia + The D*List team

'Home by nine' winter events 🧦

The D*List — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 23:26:36 GMT

Kia ora e hoa mā,

In this week’s delicious edition:

The D*List launches Winter Events calendar 🏔️
Eight national disability orgs make a joint statement on DSS Bill 🤝
Navigating online dating while queer and disabled 💑

BRRRR! 🌬️ Need something to warm up your winter nights — but like in a chill way that doesn’t drain all the energy you had for the next day? We’re excited to announce a full schedule of winter events including:

The D*List’s Matariki market
Zine workshops with Lourdes Vano
Our weekly live, interactive podcast: Crip Café
Fortnightly film nights
Poetry workshops with Theo Coles, and Julia De Bres and Etta Bollinger
Online games
Quiet Chaos Club.

All of our events are low-stakes and we do our very best to cater to everyone’s access needs. All we need now is you! Find all the event times and RSVP through this form.

This week we held our Community Reporters workshop at the D*List Community Hub and enjoyed a long kōrero with Disability Rights Commissioner Prudence Walker as the guest speaker.

Olivia, Maioha, Havilah and Matty in front of the beautiful ‘Nothing About Us Without Us’ artowrk by Huriana Kopeke-Te Aho

We also want to acknowledge all of the kaikōrero who spoke in front of the Select Committee this week on the DSS Bill. These kōrero were creative, affective, sobering and alarming, but all were a reminder of how strong we are individually and collectively. If your wairua is needing a lift, or your fire needs some gas, I would recommend listening to these powerful kōrero. A memorable quote from one kaikōrero: “don’t urinate on my leg and call it rain.”

✴️ Eight national disability organisations have made a joint statement calling on Parliament to halt the rushed progress of the Disability Support Services Bill and ensure meaningful engagement with the communities it affects. CE of CCS Disability Action Mel Smith says the Select Committee Process is limiting and inaccessible for some.

“To make things worse, organisations representing thousands of New Zealanders have been allocated as little as five minutes to present, including time for questions from Committee members. Five minutes is simply not enough time to convey the concerns, experiences, expertise and aspirations of the communities we represent…”

💰Whaikaha has allocated $1.7 million in community grants to 19 disability organisations. $250,000 has been allocated to support NZSL and Deaf and Turi Māori community development.

🌏 Ōtautahi-based disability theatre company, Different Light Theatre, will be touring their show Welcome to the Different Worlds of Different Light internationally, after their final shows tonight and tomorrow night. The show interweaves myths of ability and disability within Greek mythology and explores the purpose, beauty, challenges and joys of disability theatre.

🏷️ Did you know your NHI number doesn’t have any disability field or tag attached? Jonny Wilkinson writes in the Northern Advocate about how the lack of data collection on disability, is making us invisible.

”[A] report from the Health Quality & Safety Commission found that although disabled people experience significantly poorer health outcomes, our health system often lacks the data needed to identify, measure, and respond to those inequities.”

Design: Elise Cautley

💞 Community reporter Havilah Arendse and friends explore dating while queer and disabled, particularly in the age of online dating.

My understanding of queer identity in Aotearoa was that being queer means existing unapologetically, being loud, and, my favorite, being colourful. But as someone who can barely dress herself most days, the struggle to express myself and be my authentically queer self dwindles fast.

Waiata Māori signs by Ngāti Turi 🎶

The D*List — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 22:49:38 GMT

Kia ora e hoa mā,

In this week’s delicious edition:

Bridging the gap between Turi Māori and te ao Māori 🌉
Know your disabled tīpuna Māori 🐚
The return of which ableist slur? 🧼

The D*List was thrilled to be invited along to a very special kaupapa on Wednesday: the launch of some brand new NZSL waiata! Turi leadership, organised through CCS Disability Action, created some beautiful and powerful signs for two waiata: Tōku Reo Tōku Ohooho and Tūtira Mai Ngā Iwi, and a karakia for Rūaumoko.

One of the kaihautū, Starr Phillips, told Te Karere that it’s an important way to bridge the gap between turi Māori and te ao Māori:

“there are some barriers [like] going to a marae and there’s whaikōrero going on and there’s no communication for our turi whānau… I believe we’re here to remove those barriers and to uplift our turi whānau to be more [included] in pōwhiri and […] anything about te ao Māori.”

These waiata are also a koha to all who wish to learn and support NZSL. These rauemi (resources) will be available online soon and we can’t wait to learn them!

❄️ We are excited to be announcing our winter events calendar shortly! This will be compiled of lots of cosy and creative events for you to join after a cold winters day, in person or online. All the dates and times will be advertised soon but you can also email events@thedlist.co.nz to express your interest and you’ll be the first to know! There’ll be opportunities to perform poetry, watch films together, create zines and more! Get your gloves and wheat bags ready. 🧦🔥

🧩 Engineer Louwrens Burger is making 3D printed wheelchairs for children ages 1-8 and providing them for free. Burger has been 3D printing in his spare time for the past five years and when he came across a website that links vetted volunteer makers with families needing children’s mobility trainers, he began to create. Burger told the Hawkes Bay Today that each chair costs $600-700 to make, and is running a Givealittle page to fund the creation of more chairs.

📉 Based on the Wellbeing Commission’s latest report, our mental health services are improving, unless you’re young, Māori, Pasifika or disabled, reports The Spinoff.

According to the report, nearly a quarter of young people reported high or very high levels of psychological distress in the month before the survey, with distress rates significantly elevated among Māori (22.5%), Pasifika (24%), and disabled people (35.5%).

🪶 Tune in to this neat uiui (interview) between Kiringāua Cassidy and Stacey Morrison about disability in te ao Māori. They discuss tīpuna hauā (disabled ancestors), ableism, and leadership.

🛝 A new inclusive playground has been built at Rotorua Specialist School – Te Kura Pūkenga, reports the NZ Herald. It includes a wheelchair carousel, a climbing hut with integrated sensory elements, a flying fox, a large slide and a bright orange strip around the outside to assist low vision students.

🏉 The first ever NZRL wheelchair rugby league nationals is set to take place at YMCA Auckland City on September 19-20. NZRL says this follows the establishment of New Zealand’s international wheelchair rugby league representative team, the Wheel Kiwis.

🔍 A new study on deafblindness in Aotearoa show that current measurement tools and policies may not fully capture the lived realities of deafblind people (approximately 7.4% of the population), limiting access to services and perpetuating disadvantage.

🗃️ In 2025, an 11-year-old autistic girl was mistaken by police for a 20-year-old woman and twice restrained and injected with a psychotropic drug. The Health and Disability Commission released their report today, which found the child’s rights severely compromised. As reported by the NZ Herald, numerous recommendations have been made, both by the Health and Disability Commissioner and by Health NZ.

Design: Elise Cautley

🫢 Ellie Marsden writes about the popularisation of ableist slurs, and a certain ‘Derpy’ that has come back into use, thanks to KPop Demon Hunters.

It appears there’s a metaphorical ‘sliding scale’ of offensiveness, where the R-word probably sits right near the top as most offensive, and words like ‘stupid’ or ‘lame’ sit closer to the bottom – still upsetting to some, but wouldn’t garner the same reaction if you whipped it out in conversation. Derpy? It may not even sit on that scale anymore.

🩷⚪️🩵 Rainbow Action Tāmaki is hosting submissions and letter writing drop-in sessions for the Definitions of Man and Woman Bill at The D*List Community Hub tomorrow June 20 at 12-3pm.

📲 MBIE is seeking feedback on the NZ Relay Service as they prepare for a new contract tender which will shape service delivery from 2027 and beyond. They want to know whether all current elements of the service are still providing value, and to get feedback on the introduction of a formal registration process to reduce misuse of the service. You can provide feedback in various formats until 5pm on July 6.

🎨 Māpura Studios is launching two new creative groups in Term 3 — one for Trans artists and one for Queer artists. The course includes sculpture and painting. These groups are being created to foster community, creativity and connection. They are designed as safe, affirming spaces where people can show up as themselves and feel supported.

Dates: Starting from the week of Monday July 20
Address: Mapura Studios, Fowlds Park, Rocky Nook Avenue, St Lukes, Auckland
Cost: $100 per term

Please phone 09 845 5361 or email info@mapurastudios.org.nz to register and/or express your interest.

💌 If you love The D*List Delivered, you might also enjoy Disability Debrief: a weekly curation of world news from 170+ countries through a disability lens. Check them out here. They are currently calling out to writers for a disability diary entry of up to 500 words. They’ll publish five of their favourite entries and koha each £100. Deadline is July 20.

Mauri ora!

Eda

Crip Café is OPEN 👯

The D*List — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 23:14:25 GMT

Kia ora e hoa mā,

In this week’s delicious edition:

Crowning the best disabled character 👑
The Wellington band tackling social issues with music 🎵
Health and Disability Commissioner release damning report 🚨

This week we launched our new live fortnightly podcast, Crip Café! In this episode we discussed fictional disabled characters - what our first memories were, and the best and worst disabled character tropes. We also answer your questions, like how to manage relationships with non-disabled people.

Watch the full episode below ⬇️

We’ll be livestreaming a new episode every second Wednesday at 4pm. Subscribe to our YouTube channel here.

🗣️ If you have a question or disability dilemma you want us to help you solve on the next episode of Crip Café, send us a voice memo or message to kiaora@thedlist.co.nz with ‘Crip Café’ in the subject line.

🌌 Plus, earlier this week we announced our Matariki market! If you’re in Tāmaki Makaurau, join us Saturday 4 July for market stalls, crafts, waiata, hāngī and more.

🚨 Last week the Health and Disability Commissioner released a report titled Disabled People’s | Tāngata Whaikaha Experiences of Health Services, which was a report on complaints to HDC. The report found:

Many complaints made about care provided to disabled people involve multiple providers and agencies across both health and disability sectors as well as other public sectors. A multi-agency, cross-sector approach is crucial to improving health outcomes for disabled people and ultimately to ensuring disabled people’s rights are upheld and protected.

Some of the recommendations include: Health NZ to support people with communication barriers, and for both Health NZ and DSS as lead agencies work together on cross-agency issues, such as making sure disabled people know about accessing disability support funding in hospital.

Otago University associate professor Bernadette Huatau Jones (Ngā Wairiki, Ngāti Apa) told RNZ the report was unsurprising.

“It’s what we in the community, as disabled people, have known for decades… I myself and many other disabled people, disabled experts, have been trying to change the system and highlight these issues within the system - work with the health system, work with health providers to bring these issues to the fore - but very little has been listened to.”

🌏 A disabled delegation from Aotearoa are heading to Geneva to participate in the 19th Session of the Conference of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. DPA President and Head of Delegation, Kera Sherwood-O'Regan, says the Government is currently failing to meet its commitments under the Convention.

"We cannot allow international human rights law to become a public relations exercise. The UNCRPD is a binding agreement that the New Zealand government has an obligation to uphold. When the government weakens disability rights, reduces participation, and makes major policy decisions without disabled people, we have a responsibility to call that out."

💩 Ever been caught short while out and about in Hamilton because the loo wasn’t accessible? D*List Community Reporter Matty Bauernfeind has come to the rescue and reviewed the best accessible bathrooms in the Waikato region.

🎤 Te Whanganui-a-Tara band Shivers’ lead singer Timmy Porter says a traumatic brain injury is helping him grow deeper connections with their audience. The band has big plans ahead, with their new EP coming out later in the year. They intend to make music that will tackle more social issues and give a voice for the community.

“I thought I was changed forever after my brain injury. And that’s such a big part of me, and it helps me process things. It helps me deal with things that bring joy.”

💻 Do you use live captions and know of any good providers of that service? We had a plan in place for our first episode of Crip Café but that unfortunately fell through at the last minute! Please let us know of some alternatives by emailing us.

📝 DSS Bill submissions close today (Friday!) 1pm. Make your submissions here.

🗺️ The Far North Council is seeking community input for re-establishing the Accessibility Action Group. If you live in the area and wanna share your ideas, you can email the governance team to express your interest.

🤩 There are two more sessions of Laughter Yoga hosted at The D*List Community Hub. Join Geo on Wednesday nights to get your giggle on!

Mā te wā 🧡
Olivia + The D*List team

Let's figure out how to be disabled, together!

The D*List — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 23:02:31 GMT

Talofa lava ❤️

In this week’s delicious edition:

Celebrating our newly honoured friends over Kings Birthday weekend 👑
Introducing your fortnightly antidote to ableism 🎙️
How the DSS Bill puts disabled people at risk of abuse 🏚️

Next week The D*List is launching Crip Café, a fortnightly live podcast where we figure out how to be disabled in Aotearoa. Watch our wee teaser trailer below…

☕️ Crip Café is a space for our community to chat, scheme, and share access hacks. Somewhere to get together and giggle over non-disabled people’s nonsense. A reprieve from the ableist world 😮‍💨

Our first episode is going live at 4pm on Wednesday 10th June, and you can come hang out with us on our YouTube channel. Every fortnight we’ll be exploring a new disability dilemma that we can debate, laugh about, and maybe even solve, together. You can also send in messages or voice notes in between episodes that we’ll discuss at the end of each episode.

Grab a cuppa and join us next Wednesday! Subscribe to our YouTube channel now, to make sure you don’t miss out.

A few weeks ago, D*List Community Hub Manager Ella attended Karanga Maha (a kaupapa Māori initiative within CCS Disability Action) in Upper Hutt. The two-day wānanga brought together disabled people and whānau hauā from across the motu to connect. Here’s what Ella had to say about the wānanga:

I was privileged to attend the recent National Hui for Karanga Maha at Ōrongomai Marae in Upper Hutt. I had the best time with tāngata whaikaha and their whānau. It felt so special to be amongst others and learn parts of my culture in a way that was fun, accessible and personal. The connections made, kai eaten and knowledge learnt was endless, and a highlight for me was learning waiata through turi Māori leaders and creating our own haka!
In this pic (above) we are doing a massive round of whakawhanaungatanga after being welcomed on to the Marae. I am the person in black and brown with short curly hair facing away from the camera and chatting to someone from Palmerston North.

👑 Last weekend some incredible New Zealanders were named in the King’s Birthday Honours, including some leaders from our disability communities. Ronelle Baker was honoured for services to children and people living with disabilities.

She told The D*List:

I’m truly humbled by this acknowledgment and grateful for the amazing awhi tautoko I have received from my whānau throughout my career. This really is for them and for our Whaikaha community.

Photo credit: Whaikaha - Ministry of Disabled People/Facebook

Robyn Hunt was acknowledged for services to people with disabilities and the arts, Dan Buckingham for services to people with disabilities and wheelchair rugby, and
Hamish Taverner for services to to people with learning disabilities.

🪧 On Saturday, a dozen disabled folks protested outside Meridian Mall in Dunedin against the planned changes to disability support services. Dr Amy Taylor told the Otago Daily Times (paywalled), that the measures of the new DSS Bill were cruel, ignoring the ‘round the clock’ work family carers do without pay. She also protested the changes to state housing subsidies and the Total Mobility Scheme.

‘‘We need to change our priorities so that disabled people are on the top of the priority list and not at the bottom.’’

💲 Disability Minister Louise Upston said the Government will not means-test disability support under proposed Disability Support Services Bill, Stuff reports. “Income and asset testing is not used for personal care or carer support and there are no plans to expand its use,” Upston said. However, Dr Rebekah Graham says the bill is “unsafe” and causes uncertainty.

“This bill allows any minister to, with the stroke of a pen, implement any programme so that someone could be means tested or asset tested,” Graham said. “It may not be [Upston’s] intention to means test now, but will mean a minister down the line could decide residential programmes are costing too much money and they will asset test them from now on.”

Design: Mili Ghosh

🏡 The Disability Support Services Bill assumes that all families are able to provide safe and appropriate care. However, the reality is that not everyone has a safe home environment, especially disabled people. June (name changed) shares her story of how she escaped an abusive household.

Read the article here

🤭 Every Wednesday for the rest of the month, Geo is hosting Laughter Yoga at The D*List Community Hub. Come along from 7pm to bring out your inner child and help you let go of daily life stresses. Find out more on our website’s ‘Events’ page. Below is a photo of the class mid-laughter from this week!

🚕 Blind Low Vision NZ is running a Day of Action next week on Wednesday 10 June to protest the Total Mobility Scheme changes. We’ll be supporting the kaupapa by calling Disability Minister Louise Upston’s office to revert the Ministry of Transport’s decision to reduce the subsidy. Here are the details on when and how to contact the Minister:

When: Wednesday 10 June, 9am – 11am
Where: Call and/or email from anywhere
Phone: 07 376 5563
Email: louise.upston@parliament.govt.nz

🗣️ Disability Support Services is opening up consultation on how to improve its services. Registrations are now open for their consultations, many of which will be held online.

💸 Applications for the The Colin Cockburn Award 2026 are available to support people living with a chronic long-term disability or illness. This fund is open for those seeking funding for essential equipment that improves daily living, independence, education, or employment opportunities. Find out more here.

✊ Rainbow Action Tāmaki is running a protest against the Definitions of Woman and Man Bill. The protest will take place at Myers Park on Saturday 13 June at 12pm. Follow Rainbow Action Tāmaki on Instagram to stay up to date.

🎤 Aaaand don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel!

Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa! 🇼🇸

Olivia + The D*List team

The power of collective rage 🔥

The D*List — Fri, 29 May 2026 00:13:10 GMT

Kia ora e hoa mā,

In this week’s delicious edition:

Join a letter writing session — or host your own!
Highlights and lowlights of Budget 2026 💸
Tāngata whaikaha belong in te ao haka 🌿

The D*List’s online letter writing session

In the last week, collective rage and allyship has felt omnipresent. We hosted a couple of letter writing sessions to together channel our focus into letters and submissions to decision makers. Goooo body doubling! 👯

The interest in these events have been huge which tells us there is a hunger for being together to get the work done. More sessions have been added and some D*List friends will host a session tonight in Te Whanganui-a-Tara at two/fiftyseven Willis Street 6-7pm, and another in Tauranga next Wednesday at 5.30-7pm (you will receive the address upon RSVP).

If you’re writing in your own time or hosting your own submissions party, check out:

There are writing guides for lots of proposals, including bills for disability support, changes to access to diabetes medication, definitions of man and woman and move on orders. If we all do even just a little bit, it adds up.

Some fruits of our labour 📩

💳 Now let’s talk about this “Responsible Budget” that came out yesterday. Leading up to the announcement, community members told RNZ they hoped for transport and housing support, especially given the reduction to Total Mobility subsidies.

Neither of those areas were given support. There are boosts broadly to health infrastructure, increasing medicines access, and a capital investment to redevelop schools, deliver more classrooms and buy land for new schools. These changes might benefit us as patients in the medical system, or as learners in schools.

The only budget shift specific to disabled people is a $1.49m reduction over four years from Whaikaha, which comes from “optimising aspects of the operating model” and “realising benefits from the investment in artificial intelligence.” 🫠

The “fiscally neutral package” for social housing and welfare is where disabled people might take a hit. While the Accommodation Supplement is increasing for people living in private rentals, people in social housing will be paying a higher rate of income-related rent. There’s $69 million to fund up to 2250 additional social houses, but remember, Kāinga Ora is no longer committed to making at least 15% of these adhere to Universal Design standards.

There will also be a reduction in the maximum Temporary Additional Support (TAS) rate from 30% to 25%. TAS is a payment that low-income New Zealanders can apply for to help cover the cost of daily essentials. Poverty Free Aotearoa advocate Pat Hanley described these upcoming changes as “nasty stuff”, saying they would impact disabled New Zealanders most acutely.

Disabled Persons Assembly described the Budget as “deeply disappointing”, and said: “Disabled people were largely invisible”. While CCS Disability Action released a statement saying it would make our lives “more restricted”. CCS also published some initial analysis of the Budget, which you can read here.

🌀 Last weekend, the Waitaha haka regionals saw some spectacular kapa, including proud disabled kaihaka from Te Rōpū Tūhono (a kapa for disabled adults) and Te Kapa o Rukutia, featuring the Manukura Tāne (lead male) Kiringāua Cassidy. A particular attempt was made on social media to question Cassidy’s ability as a wheelchair user, sparking outrage across the haka community. Cassidy told Tahu News that while it’s not a unique experience, this incident of ableism serves as an invitation for people to think about how people’s dignity is upheld in te ao Māori.

“Kua roa mātou o te hunga hauā, o te iwi hauā, e rongo ana, e kite ana, e wheako ana i tēnei āhuatanga. Ehara i te mea kotahi noa iho te tangata e kūare ana i te ao o te tangata hauā… Nō reira, kāore ahau ake nei i te mauāhara ki ngā kupu e aro mai nei ki te tangata, engari ko tāku, he whakatuwhera pea i te tatau, e noho tahi ai tātou, e ako tahi ai tātou me pēhea te manaaki i te wairua o te tangata...”

For a long time, we, disabled people, have experienced situations like these. It’s not just this one person who is ignorant to the world and lived experiences of disabled people, there are so many others who are yet to learn. Therefore, I’m not holding animosity towards these words or the person who said them, instead I see this as an opportunity for us to educate ourselves and learn together how we as a society can best honour and uphold the dignity of all people in the context of our cultural practices like kapa haka.

🚀 Six projects have been chosen for the Access Activator pilot programme, a programme that address access issues for disabled people in street navigation, reading, housing and sports education through technology run through Whaikaha and Creative HQ. Some of the successful projects include an app that helps plan accessible journeys, a digital platform making sport more inclusive for disabled children, and a toolkit to make homes more autism-friendly.

📝 Victoria Coleman, who cares for her disabled son, has collected nearly 3000 signatures in her petition to scrap the Disability Support Services Bill. She told The Post that the speed the bill was being progressed through Parliament ahead of this year’s election was “completely unacceptable”.

😖 A new study led by University of Otago – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka found links between chronic fatigue and substantial health challenges, limited access to support, and long-term economic hardship.

🙅‍♂️ Disabled advocates are concerned that the Disability Support Services Bill reinforces the idea that disability support is a family effort, rather than something disabled people are entitled to. CCS Disability Action’s Debbie Ward tells The Post the bill “risks deepening hardship for whānau who are already stretched.” She said this bill brought back feelings similar to those that arose around the 2024 changes to flexible funding.

“The feeling that we are seen as a burden. The feeling that we do not deserve the same everyday opportunities as non-disabled New Zealanders.”

🫂 Donald Beasley Institute’s latest research explores the meaning of ‘family’ in a multicultural context. It provides insight into how disabled people are impacted by culture, disability, health and well-being in family and home contexts.

Design: Mili Ghosh

✴️ We’ve received a lot of bad news lately. Reflecting on the Government’s recent decisions around the Total Mobility Scheme, Lotteries grants and its Individuals with Disabilities Committee, dropping Kāinga Ora’s goal of 15% accessible new builds, the new NZCE qualification, and the new Disability Support Services Bill, The D*List is demanding better. We deserve clear information, consultation and choices.

As a bare minimum, the Government should:
Come up with alternative options to fund mobility vans, assistance dogs and other accessibility tools so we don’t rely on gambling money.
Not just offer us a Total Mobility subsidy, make public transport free for disabled people (like it is in London)
Make all public housing accessible and affordable, and ensure it meets Universal Design Standards
Ensure all whānau and carers have the resources and support they need to support disabled people, without putting their own wellbeing at risk
Create pathways for disabled learners to reach their potential in the education system.

👀 Something new is coming to The D*List! Subscribe to our YouTube and watch this space to find out more! ☕️

Go to our channel

🚨 You’re invited to be part of Blind Low Vision New Zealand’s National Day of Action, calling on Minister Louise Upston to intervene and withdraw changes to the Total Mobility Scheme subsidies.

Between 9-11am on Wednesday 10 June, email or call the Minister’s office and let the Minister know how you feel about the subsidy reduction and proposed changes, and how this will affect you or someone you know’s life. Call the Minister’s office on 07 376 5563, or email louise.upston@parliament.govt.nz. More details on the kaupapa here.

🏥 Shannon Morris, the NZSL lead of Te Whatu Ora is seeking feedback from Deaf communities to improve hospital services for Deaf people. In the month of June there will be community hui in Palmerston North, Auckland and Christchurch and these will be held in NZSL. If you prefer to provide feedback directly online, you can email shannon.morris@tewhatuora.govt.nz.

🧑‍🎨 Rāhera Turner is running an online Q&A session on June 17 at 1-2pm about being a Deaf artist and is happy to answer any questions about working with and welcoming Deaf artists and audiences. Register and submit your questions anonymously here by 4pm on June 10. The session will be NZSL interpreted.

Okea ururoatia 🧡👊

Eda

It's time to be loud

The D*List — Fri, 22 May 2026 00:58:31 GMT

Kia ora e hoa mā,

In this week’s delicious edition:

We WILL make a fuss about the Govt’s new Disability Support Services Bill 🔊
Does AI deserve the bad wrap it gets in the arts? 🤖
Department of Internal Affairs backtracks on Lottery Grant criteria 🚨

On Monday, the Government introduced the Disability Support Services Bill, which claims to “provide clarity and stability to the system which supports thousands of disabled New Zealanders.” CCS Disability Action’s piece on the Bill explains its potential impacts and why many disabled people, whānau hauā, and advocates are outraged.

This bill is attempting to sidestep a 2025 landmark Supreme Court decision which ruled that the family members caring for disabled people are considered government employees and should therefore receive the same benefits and protections.

Worryingly, this bill was introduced with no consultation and could also mean disability support funding becomes income tested. Disability Rights Commissioner Prudence Walker is very concerned about the Bill and says legislating to overrule Supreme Court decisions is not a just way for government to work. She added:

”The bill’s aim to define disability support as a ‘contribution’ from the Government is likely to worsen the lives of families already struggling with financial hardship… There is clear evidence showing disabled families are more likely to face poverty."

In its first reading yesterday, the Bill passed with 67 ayes to 55 noes and it’s now before the Select Committee. Notably, several parliamentarians in defence of the Bill labelled the anger and concern around it as “scaremongering”.

Emily Writes said in her fantastic blog the risk of a bill like this is that it stays silent:

This impacts those of us who care for disabled children because we don’t have time to read legislation late into the night when we are preparing for a night of wake-ups for medication or meltdowns… The lack of response then signals to the media that this issue doesn’t matter. And they don’t cover it either. Then the government succeeds in pushing through harmful legislation that destroys lives.

She says while “the Coalition is deliberately making laws in ways that avoid feedback and pushback”, we can still tell anyone and everyone about why this legislation is harmful, and more importantly, encourage them to vote.

✊ With this bill, the tightening of the Total Mobility Scheme, and the mainstreaming of Lotteries Grants, it’s fair to say we’re at greater risk of harm while the Government reorganises its coffers. That’s why we’re hosting two letter-writing sessions to bring us together in sharing our concerns to MPs and anyone who will listen.

📫 We’ll provide letter templates and D*List kaimahi will be available for anyone who needs help writing or filming their response. And of course, we’ll provide hot drinks to keep you going! You can join in-person on Thursday 28 May at 11am-1pm at The D*List Community Hub (322 New North Road, Kingsland), or online on Wednesday 27 May at 6-7pm. RSVP with this form, so that we know what we need to support you.

🧠 With no aged-care or dementia facilities in Wairoa, kaumātua with mate wareware are slipping through the cracks without support. In 2023, Cyclone Gabrielle forced the town’s only rest home to close, and it remains closed today. The Hui interviews carers and community leaders about local programmes, such as Pūteketeke, and other grassroots kaupapa to support kaumātua living in remote areas.

🔎 Lawyer Keegan Jones has designed a rental home listing website called Find My Nest that seeks to make accessible housing easier to find. Te Ao Māori News reports that the platform will prompt landlords to enter information about the property’s accessibility features and give people the option to search by accessibility features. Jones has big dreams for the platform and hopes that it can compete with the likes of Trade Me one day:

“We are also looking at things like proximity to public transport and support services, because accessibility is not just about the four walls, it’s about whether someone can actually live their life from that address.”

🪧 RNZ reports a petition with 13,000 signatures was presented to Parliament on Wednesday, calling for a 5-year-old to be allowed to stay in New Zealand with his family after an autism diagnosis.

🎧 The final episode of season 3 of the podcast, No Such Thing as Normal, hosted by Sonia Gray has been released. The series explores the intersections of neurodivergence and topics such as work, education, gender, perimenopause, and mental health.

🎰 Last week, we published a piece on the removal of the Lottery Grant: Individuals with Disabilities fund. Yesterday, the DIA issued a statement:

“We provided a statement to The D*List last week. As we have continued to work on the new fund purpose, we can confirm that the statement we provided that: ‘individuals will no longer be eligible for funding for items such as mobility vans’ was incorrect. Under the new structure, the intention is that individuals with disabilities will be able to apply for funding from the Lottery Grants Board.

We are working through how this will operate under the new committee structure and will be able to provide more information in July. We apologise for providing incorrect information and for the concern this has caused.”

🩰 What role does AI play in art? In our latest Carving Space column in partnership with Taha Hotu, Suzanne Cowan writes about Abilitopia, a crip-led performance work that reframes interdependence as a creative force. She challenges us to think about AI’s reliance on human coordination, rather than thinking of it as a replacement of human labour.

Abilitopia suggests that when disabled ways of working lead, different values and aesthetics surface: relationship over control, access over perfection, care over speed. Technology and audio description become tools within this ecology of collaboration rather than systems that stand above it. In this sense, the work offers not just a performance, but a small model of how technological futures might be shaped differently.

👋 Introducing our community reporters programme! Olivia Shivas writes about the mentors that brought her from a fresh-faced university student to her role now as Editor at The D*List, stressing the importance of programmes that nurture disabled storytellers.

📚 We’ve curated a collection of 17 books by disabled New Zealand authors to add to your reading list. From memoirs to vampire romances, we hope there’ll be something for everyone here.

See the list

🗃️ Taha Hotu is creating an accessible, online database of Deaf and disabled writers from Aotearoa and their published work. If you are someone or know someone who would like to be included in the project, make a nomination here. You can nominate writers who have passed, too. This is will a living kaupapa that gets updated as and when new writing is published.

🏀 Festival of Disability Sport is being held in Tauranga this weekend! From wheelchair basketball, to boccia and sailing, this two-day event in the Bay of Plenty is now the biggest disability sporting events in Aotearoa.

✍️ Migrants Against The Acceptable Standard of Health Aotearoa is seeking signatures for their petition to let 16-year-old Paula access the lifesaving medical care he needs while living together with his family in Aotearoa. Soon the family are going to need to seek ministerial intervention to stop him from being at risk of deportation when his visa runs out.

🤝 Finding Common Ground is a collective steering group combining representatives from DPA, EGL, and Te Ao Mārama Aotearoa (TAMA) to make a shared declaration of disabled people’s rights in Aotearoa. You’re invited to contribute by answering their survey before 18th June. The responses will play a part in informing the drafting of a declaration.

On that note, TAMA are looking for tāngata whaikaha Māori and Pasifika to join their Tāmaki Makaurau Pou. If you’re interested, email marama.parore@tama.nz your name, address and phone number.

✊ Mā pango, mā whero, ka oti te mahi ✊

Eda

Let's embrace doing things the wrong way

The D*List — Fri, 15 May 2026 04:04:04 GMT

Kia ora e hoa mā,

In this week’s delicious edition:

Celebrating our Deaf excellence 🤘
Lottery Grants may become harder for us to access 🫠
How to read wrong 📚

Last Friday, The D*List hosted the Wrong Readers Club as part of Auckland Writers Festival. We invited disabled and non-disabled people alike to try ‘reading’ in different formats. We also had stories read aloud by Allyson Hamblett and Kitty Wasasala (on behalf of Em Berry, who was unwell), two very talented and brilliant disabled creatives. It was a night of disabled joy, and creating space for disabled literature on a prestigious local stage.

Allyson Hamblett, Kitty Wasasala and D*List kaimahi at the Wrong Readers Club event.

Congratulations to all the winners at the New Zealand Sign Language Awards last weekend 🏆 A special congrats to D*List friend Monica Leach who won Teacher of the Year Award. Earlier this year, Monica ran NZSL classes for disabled communities at our Community Hub. With regards to her award, she told The D*List Delivered:

I feel very honoured and humbled to receive this award. It means a lot to me as I’m passionate about teaching NZSL and supporting the growth of the Deaf and NZSL community.

This award is also for my students, families, fellow tutors, and the wider NZSL community who continue to support and value NZSL. I hope this helps raise more awareness about the importance of accessibility, Deaf leadership, and opportunities for more people to learn NZSL across Aotearoa.

Our friend Jon Tai‑Rakena also won the NZSL Champion Award. He shared this message with us below:

🚌 Jon has also been busy with Kara Technologies recording thousands of signs in a motion capture suit so that animators can transform them into AI avatars. Soon Auckland Transport is to implement this new technology which means that these avatars can deliver real-time updates about public transport, instead of relying on prerecorded messages.

🏚️ Kāinga Ora has scrapped their target of having 15% of new homes built to meet universal design standards. Minister Chris Bishop said that Kāinga Ora had shifted to prioritising financial sustainability and value for money. The Post (paywalled) reports that this financial year, Kāinga Ora has planned for 97 homes to meet the standard, compared with 562 the previous year.

Green MP Tamatha Paul told The Post she was having no luck — in both public and private housing — with finding a suitable home for someone in her electorate.

“It is degrading and humiliating for people to have to live in these conditions. Disabled people deserve freedom and independence to move around their own homes.”

🚌 Last year, the Ministry of Education contracted new service providers under the Specialised School Transport Assistance (SETSA) scheme to begin this year. RNZ reports an Auckland mother has withdrawn her son, who uses a power chair, from the scheme due to health and safety concerns.

”I got him on, and the interaction with the driver and the wheelchair was enough to scare me that this was very unsafe,” she said. “We didn’t even get to tethering the chair into the van… I just said, ‘I’m sorry, I’m not confident with this. It bothers me a lot. I don’t think it’s a safe situation’.’‘

🥚 Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) has a new name: Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS). Australian endocrinologist Helena Teede said that for too long, the misleading nature of the term “polycystic” contributed to delayed diagnosis and inadequate medical care. The new name will be fully implemented in the 2028 update of international guidelines for managing the condition.

🪹 In June, Australia will have developed their first neuro-inclusive design standards for buildings, making them second in the world after the UK. Learn about this project and the variety of architectural and spatial design considerations for neurodivergent minds in ABC’s podcast By Design, hosted by Anthony Burke.

An image with Lotto balls, assistance dogs, coins and wheels with some objects crossed out. Design: Elise Cautley

💰 Applying for a Lottery Grant has been a rite of passage for many disabled people. But major changes are coming to the Lottery Grants Board. The Individuals with Disabilities fund is being cut for good, with funding being prioritised to organisations providing services to the broader disability sector instead. The importance of this funding avenue has been underscored for decades, with even a dedicated page on the Disability Support Services website instructing us to apply for a Lottery Grant to fund expensive things like modified vehicles. So we approached DIA to get clarification on what is happening and how it could impact disabled communities.

📚 Do you ever feel like a ‘wrong reader’ because you read stories in an unconventional format? Last week we collaborated with The Auckland Writer’s Festival and held the Wrong Readers Club, an event which challenged ideas about the ‘right’ way to read. Soph Jackson wrote up some of the reflections from the night.

📖 Check out The D*List’s Kōrero Corner at Auckland Writers Festival this weekend! Our Curated Bookshelf of disabled authors at Aotea Centre on level 5 is open from 15-17 May. Find out more info here.

💡 Emerging Pacific disabled leaders in Auckland are invited to apply now for the Faiva o Ta’ita’i – Pacific Disability Leadership Programme. Delivered by Le Va in partnership with Whaikaha, the programme is delivered over two full-day workshops on Thursday 23 and Friday 24 July. Apply here with written or video submission before Friday 29 May 5pm.

❤️‍🔥 Arts Access Aotearoa is hosting a free arts accessibility hui in Dunedin on Thursday 28 May 10am-12.30pm at Te Whare o te Rukutia. NZSL interpreters have been booked, the space is wheelchair accessible and the presentation will be audio described. Register online or by contacting Katie at afa@artsaccess.org.nz or 04 802 4349. Registrations close 20 May.

Mā te wā 🧡
- Olivia and The D*List team

Suzy Cato learns her sign name 👓

The D*List — Fri, 08 May 2026 03:37:56 GMT

Kia ora e hoa mā,

In this week’s delicious edition:

Suzy Cato comes back with You and Me Together, featuring NZSL 🙌
Disabled bodies take the stage at the Met Gala 🪡
Vandalism or vigilante disability activism? 👨🏽‍🎨

Suzy makes a return with a new show, You and Me Together

🎂 Hurooo! It’s been 20 years since NZSL became an official language. Whether you’re starting with the alphabet or gossiping in public, any use of NZSL is a contribution to this taonga and a recognition of all those who fought for the language before us.

Do you know Suzy Cato’s sign name? Join Naketa Phillips in her kōrero with our special childhood friend from TV to find out. Suzy’s new show, You and Me Together, will now be including NZSL and they discuss its importance in children’s programming. 👩‍🏫

Watch here!

If you follow the Met Gala (the one with lots of steps), you’ll have noticed this year, that disability and accessibility featured in some headlines. A lot of this was thanks to Sinéad Burke, the founder of strategic accessibility consultancy, Tilting the Lens, and this year’s advisor for The Met's Costume Institute. One of the major adjustments to the gala was that the tent to the entry of the Gala included the step-free entrance to the side of the building.

“The Met Gala has existed for almost 80 years, and in that time, accessibility has never been part of the production [and] the planning [with] regards to the steps in the entrance. Why? I guess it’s because disabled people have never been in the room.”

Alongside that, the exhibition which will be on at the Met for the next nine months features a whole section called The Disabled Body, including disabled fashion designers, and an array of mannequins based on real disabled bodies.

🤔 Watching parts of the event, I’ve been thinking about when an accessibility aid is talked about as fashion and when it becomes medicalised. Look no further to any headline about alpine ski racer, Lindsey Vonn, at the event, and you’ll see that the standards are different if you might actually be disabled.

(From left) Lauren Wasser, Aariana Rose Philip, Lindsey Vonn, and Sinéad Burke flaunting their dazzling outfits at the Met Gala.

I read many headlines on how she “ditched” her crutches for the first time when walking the red carpet — as if in celebration — even though she did use a custom designer cane for the event. Meanwhile, celebs like Bad Bunny and Patrick Schwarzenegger used canes without public commentary or speculation about their mobility.

Like how sunglasses can be worn for fashion, I do think that walking sticks and canes can be part of an ensemble. But the obsessive medicalisation of sticks tells me that we’re not quite ready for that yet. And until we can translate the standards of costume art into our everyday fashion, disability visibility at the Met is just the beginning. 💥

🎊 Ryley Yates spoke to the NZ Herald about the beauty of Deaf culture and how this 20-year milestone represents the preservation of Deaf community, celebrates Deaf culture and achievement and remembers the oppression the community has faced. However, outside the Deaf community, there are significant barriers.

“We’ve achieved all these amazing things in the 20 years, but it’s such a new thing. It’s still in its infancy. We’ve got a long way to go before we feel really included into society as Deaf people.”

✊ Illustrating that, Rāhera Turner, a Turi Māori advocate, was forced to fight for an interpreter when her son needed emergency surgery. Turner was initially denied an interpreter and told that her son, who was unwell at the time, could interpret for her. Turner told the NZ Herald frontline staff need to have an understanding of the rights of d/Deaf people and the importance of having interpreters straight away.

“It just exemplifies the barriers that exist around having an interpreter there in a timely manner. This was an emergency situation, and that readiness was not present in the system.”

🪧 Tauranga city councillor, Hautapu Baker, took matters into his own hands and spray painted two faded mobility parks at the Maungatapu Shopping Centre. He told the NZ Herald (paywalled) that even though it was “technically vandalism” he stood by his decision as “the property owner had let the markings fade to the point where people would knowingly/unknowingly use this to their advantage.” While he didn’t want to encourage people to break the law, he hoped that this would lead the property owner to contact him so they could work together on a permanent solution.

🌅 Tairāwhiti Voice and Action Group, a disabled and whānau hauā group, recently held their first hui, discussing Gisborne District Council’s proposed Urban Plan Change 6, streets, footpaths, seating and crossings. Future Tairāwhiti group hui will be promoted ahead of time through community networks and the CCS Disability Action Facebook page.

⛽️ Whaikaha has added a new page on their website bringing together Government fuel information in alternate formats. There’s currently information about in-work tax credit increases, fuel saving tips, and mileage rate increases for home and community support workers, and the page will be updated as new information becomes available.

📢 Publications alert! NZ Police have published their Disability Roadmap 2026 in various accessible formats, and Donald Beasley Institute and DPO Coalition have launched the report series, My Experiences, My Rights: Supports and Services.

⠿ The NZ Herald (paywalled) interviewed Phil Thorn among others about the evolution of Braille technology. Thorn, who is deafblind, describes Braille as a lifeline. Meanwhile, resources for tactile sign are still hard to access.

Thorn also communicates with individuals by touch, using deafblind tactile sign language through an interpreter. However, deafblind tactile sign language is not recognised as an official sign language, so deafblind people cannot access interpreters as freely as deaf people. There is government funding for NZ sign language for deaf people but not for deafblind people.

🔠 Tonight, join The D*List at the Wrong Readers Club as part of the Auckland Writers Festival at 6-7.45pm at the Hayman Building lobby, 13 Galway Street. There’ll be live readings from disabled writers and we’ll be exploring alternative reading, focusing on how we read.

🩺 Researchers from Massey University are seeking registered or enrolled nurses who identify as neurodivergent and have personally experienced workplace bullying within the past 5 years. You can participate in the research in the form of this 20-30 minute survey.

Ngā mihi o te wā 🍂

Eda

NZSL events near you next week!

The D*List — Fri, 01 May 2026 00:37:40 GMT

Mauri ora e te iwi!

In this week’s delicious edition:

A collection of free/low cost NZSL events across the motu 🤘
Autistic children become the scapegoats of Australian reforms 🎒
Become part of the Ombudsman’s Disability Advisory Panel 🧚

Our Friday morning immediately brightened by a visit from Suzy!

This morning we were graced by a special guest, the one and only Suzy Cato! Watch this space to see what we got up to! 🙊

It’s been quiet disability news week in New Zealand but you’ve probably heard a few things about the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) reforms in Australia. 🇦🇺 Let’s talk about it.

If you’re not totally across it, TLDR; the scheme (kind of like DSS in New Zealand) is becoming too expensive for the Australian federal government so it’s facing cuts, and the cost is being attributed to growth in the number of people who qualify for the scheme.

The NDIS is set to become the biggest item in Australia’s budget with a cost projected at $128 billion by the year 2032. It’s not for me to say whether or not this cost should be shrunk or how, but I do want to bring your attention to the way autistic kids are being talked about.

On Wednesday, political editor of Crikey, Bernard Keane, told RNZ: “people with lesser disabilities…have been kind of diagnosed into the scheme.” In particular, children diagnosed with autism have been referred to as examples of a significant portion of NDIS participants who may have lower support needs and are — gasp — getting the support they need.

While 40% of NDIS participants have autism, they represent 21.4% of spending, and autistic children eight years and under make up 2.5% of spending. When we read reporting on this, it’s important not to conflate the proportion of people in a scheme to the proportion of cost. 🧮

Autistic children make up a large portion of NDIS participants but don’t actually cost a lot.

For example, this reporting makes it sound like all the autistic children with lower support needs are going to be removed from the scheme, and ultimately save the government lots of money. But fact of the matter is, if you cut the kids off now (who by the way, are actually the cheapest cohort), they may develop more complex support needs later. Some data professionals and NDIS families have laid the data bare here.

Is there anything else you’re noticing about the rhetoric to justify these changes? We’re sending aroha to our whānau across the ditch during this time. 🧡

🎬 Being Turi Māori filmmaker, Jared Flitcroft (Ngāti Maniapoto), is the recipient of the Whakahoa Kaitoi Whanaketanga Creative New Zealand Deaf and Disabled Artists Fellowship 2026. Flitcroft will use the fellowship to research and explore NZSL as a cinematic language in film. He told The Post (paywalled) that receiving the fellowship gave him a sense that there is space for Deaf-led storytelling to grow in Aotearoa.

For me, the shift is about moving away from thinking of NZSL as something that needs to be translated for the screen, and instead treating it as the foundation of the storytelling itself. In practice, that means designing scenes where rhythm, tension and emotion come from the visual language of NZSL, through movement, timing, eye gaze, and spatial relationships, rather than relying on spoken dialogue or sound.

It also means making creative decisions from a Deaf perspective first, where meaning is carried visually and through interaction in space, rather than being adapted from a hearing-centred structure.

Design: Mili Ghosh

👏 It’s the 20th anniversary of NZSL week next week! We’ve collated a list of free/low cost public events in Auckland, Wellington and Canterbury where you can learn more about Deaf culture and NZSL, whether you’re an absolute beginner or have years of experience.

Get amongst it!

📣 The Office of the Ombudsman is calling for expressions of interest for panel member vacancies on Te Rōpū Kaiārahi Hauātanga Disability Advisory Panel. The panel meets around three times a year and are paid for meetings and ad hoc advice, and reimbursed travel costs. Panel members should have a lived experience of disability. Applications close Monday 11 May.

🗞️ Join the the Donald Beasley Institute’s online event to learn about their key findings from the latest Disabled Person-Led Monitoring of the UNCRPD project, next Wednesday 6 at 11am-12pm. There will be an NZSL interpreter and live captioning. Register here for the Zoom link.

Hei tērā wiki 🧡

Eda

Disabled joy, rage, and sadness ⚡️💜

The D*List — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 22:44:59 GMT

Kia ora e hoa mā,

In this week’s delicious edition:

Staying connected and taking notice while being a homebody 🍃
Reclaiming rugby league as a disabled adult 🏉
Justice for the invisible, fatal circumstances we experience 🫂

Welcome to our newest kaimahi, Talia (left) and Elise (right) ❤️‍🔥

🪺 This week, we’re again welcoming two new kaimahi to the D*List! Nau mai, tau mai rā, Elise Cautley (Design and Social Media Lead) and Talia Stanley (Community Development Lead). They are both wearers of many hats, and we are extremely blessed that they can share some of their spark with us.

Elise is a multi-disciplinary designer, weird-shoe-enjoyer and Snoopy enthusiast based in Tāmaki Makaurau. After relocating from Pōneke in 2025, Elise came to Tāmaki for a fun new adventure after working as an architect, and reaching the limits of her broken umbrella budget. Elise has approximately one thousand hobbies with three on current rotation: sewing, boxing, and playing Star Wars games on her Playstation.

"Talofa lava, my name is Talia Stanley and I am the Community Development Lead for The D*List! I am a New Zealand Poetry Champion (2024), The 09 Poetry Slam Board member and previously, Team Leader and Youth Development Worker for Action Education (2021 - 2026). I am proudly Samoan, a musical theatre nerd and WWE fan."

🌆 Spending more time indoors with the cold and dark outside, I’m trying to find seasonal enjoyment. I’m inspired by the Danish concept of hygge (pronounced hue-guh) which is about a sense of cosiness, comfort and togetherness. It’s amazing what a candle, a bossa nova playlist and a hot drink does for Hinengaro; suddenly, there’s no such thing as a damp, drafty home.

With winter chills and bugs keeping more of us at home, I’m trying to stay connected by calling my friends or scheduling rain-or-shine hangouts, often months in advance. But these gestures of connection can be small too. For me, I love sending my friends a tacky good morning GIF. I’m sure you’ve got your own way of saying the same thing!

For more of this kōrero, visit topupwellbeing.nz
Brought to you in partnership with Te Whatu Ora

🎧 Audio description has arrived on TVNZ+, marking “a significant step forward for accessibility in Aotearoa”, according to Able. There are now around 140-150 hours of AD available each week across local free-to-air channels. Thomas Bryan, who is blind and a board member of Able, is pleased with the investment of public money into AD and says that there is still much more to be done with TVNZ+, including adherence to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and screen reader functionality.

🦜 Bruce the disabled kea, who has only a lower beak, has been charming news outlets with his behavioural innovation. By using a particular jousting method with his beak to displace other kea, he’s ended up dominating the feeding platforms and making all the other birds “part like the red sea”, reports RNZ. He’s even got the lowest levels of stress chemicals in his poo.

🎊 The first Changing Places restroom in the South Island has just opened near the Dunedin Railway Station. It includes a height adjustable toilet and basin, privacy screen, a change table that doubles as a shower bed, a ceiling track hoist system and a time-restricted mobility park outside the toilets.

🤜 Winner of Best Electronic Artist at the 2024 Aotearoa Music Awards, Amamelia (aka Amelia Berry) talks to RNZ about her creative process and how chronic illness has influenced the way that she plays music.

"There's only a certain amount of time I can play before it starts to hurt, and it starts to get sloppy. I notice it in the sound before I can feel it in my hands, you know? You have to really plan it out and think it through."

🚕 Taxi app, YourRide, has become first in New Zealand to support Total Mobility Card payments, enabling cardholders to book and pay for subsidised rides directly through the app. The service is currently only available in Auckland, but the company says they intend to expand services across the country. Meanwhile fare caps have been reduced by 10% on the West Coast, where there is no public transport.

🏠 A Wellington father has been carrying his teenage daughter through the stairs to their house due to a funding shortfall on a project to get a lift installed in their house. He told RNZ they’d received the maximum funding of just over $15,000 through DSS to have a platform lift installed, but the quote was nearly $4000 over their budget. As the quote lapsed, it increased by another $2200.

After RNZ’s reporting this week, a Queenstown farmer has offered to to cover the shortfall. Disability advocate Blake Forbes said that while the support is generous, it “shouldn’t have come to this”.

"The initial funding is too low of course. In a perfect world it should be based on what every individual client or family needs, it shouldn't be up to the individual to pay the excess."

🐨 Across the ditch, Australia’s National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is undergoing major changes. Health minister, Mark Butler, says there will be changes to eligibility, reduction in the number of people on the scheme and a reduction of its yearly growth to keep up with the cost of hospitals, childcare subsidies, defence and medical benefits over the next decade.

Design: Mili Ghosh

🏉 William Sangster broke his sports career hiatus by playing his first official match of Physical Disability Rugby League last weekend. The experience is helping him reclaim his love for sport as an adult after being kept as a reserve on the bench as a kid. For many players, the sport boosts self confidence, smashes ableist preconceptions and provides a joyful, judgement-free zone to play sports together.

💧 Olivia Shivas challenges the way institutional failures of disabled people have been swept under the rug, like those which inevitably contributed to the death of 19-month-old Tūwharetoa Tahau. She identifies the factors such as transport barriers, systemic racism and poverty that likely had a part to play in Tūwharetoa’s death, but weren’t acknowledged.

“If every disabled person and their whānau had their hopes, dreams and aspirations listened to, cared for and followed through on, then these horrific news stories might never have been written.

None of us can control the circumstances we are born into, but if we invest in care and aroha – not just medical interventions – then all disabled people have a shot at a good life.”

Take care with this read

🎵 Get your tickets for tonight’s show of crip-led, rangatahi-led sound art at Basement Theatre. ORO:RESONANCE is showing their work in progress at 6.30-7.30pm tonight for choose-what-you-pay tickets.

💻 Access Advisors has free community digital accessibility workshops coming up in in Wellington, Taupō, Auckland and online. Get your tickets now.

🚕 CCS Disability Action wants to know if you’ve missed a doctor’s appointment due to transport issues. Comment on this Facebook post or DM them, describing your experience in a few sentences. You can request to stay anonymous.

🎤 The Ministry of Health is asking for feedback on the draft Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy. You can read the consultation summary in audio, Braille, NZSL, and large print, and there are various ways of submitting your feedback before the deadline on Monday 18 May.

Kia pai te wīkene roa! 🎈

Eda

A middle finger to ableist medical studies 🙂‍↔️

The D*List — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 02:44:11 GMT

Kia ora e kare mā,

In this week’s delicious edition:

Meet our two new kaimahi!
How to find joy when researchers want to eradicate you 🫠
What do councils actually do when you report illegally parked cars? 🛞

As the days get shorter and colder, I’m feeling more tired, stiff and sore. Perhaps many of you feel it too. To me, it’s important to seek things that make me feel warm and emotionally uplifted as we gear into the colder months. Anyone got any tips for the hibernation period? 👀

How about laughing? One of our kaimahi, Geo, is a certified Laughter Yoga leader and uses laughter as a healing tool to connect with your joy and release unjustified shame. She’s keen to share this with everyone willing to give it a go. Despite the name there are no poses and no stretching is involved. The exercises are based around deep breathing and hearty laughter. ❤️‍🔥

Sooooo, The D*List Community Hub is running weekly drop-in Laughter Yoga sessions from 7-8pm in May and June, helping you cultivate joy, bring out your inner child and help you let go of daily life stresses. If you’re keen to join, RSVP here.

We’d also like to give a warm welcome this week to two new kaimahi, Joanna Matheson and Naketa Phillips! Nau mai kōrua 💜

🍁 Joanna (who btw has the cosiest, most coveted autumnal wardrobe) is our new Memberships and Partnerships manager:

“I am stoked to be joining The D*List as the Memberships and Partnerships Manager! I have worked in the non-profit space for the last 15 years across project management, fundraising and community building roles. My role involves brewing some exciting new things so... watch this space 👀 “

🤘 And perhaps you recognise Naketa’s from Instagram or TikTok! She joins us as a Storyteller, working with the editorial team:

Kia ora, ko wai au? Ko Rongowhakaata me Whakatōhea aku iwi. He Turi ahau. Ko Naketa Phillips tōku ingoa. I am super excited to be joining the D*List as a storyteller to spread more awareness of our d/Deaf, Māori and hard-of-hearing communities.

✨ Journalist Sally Wenley tells her story in her new memoir, The Crash, which confronts the day she became injured in a bus crash and its subsequent effects throughout her life. She told RNZ no one spoke about the incident; some students weren’t allowed to attend funerals and crying girls were told that it was time for school.

“I think I was too scared to do it [until now] and I was too angry still. We were brought up with the stiff upper lip and you don't talk about these things.”

🦆 A new wheelchair-accessible mai mai (a shelter for duck hunting) has been unveiled at Inch Clutha reserve. Pip Martin, who has participated in the activity for 40 years, told the Otago Daily Times that he no longer needs to get into a mai mai via a ride in a bucket and an industrial loader lift.

Design: Mili Ghosh

🥳 Ella Sargison says no thanks to an ableist study about eradicating dwarfism by choosing to invest her energy in the people in her life and the positive connections she has that celebrate her community.

Am I still sad thinking about the words used in that article? Yes. Am I feeling happy that I exist in lots of spaces which are disability-led and joyful? Also yes. I can feel both these things and exist in worlds that are both ableist towards people with dwarfism and worlds that find comfort in being different and finding your community.

Disabled spaces that reject ableist views of disability are so vital in our society. In a world that constantly assumes things about us, speaks on behalf of us or completely ignores us, it is so important to have events, organisations and leaders that celebrate our disabled identity.

Read here!

🚘 Transport in New Zealand relies on private vehicles to an embarrassing degree. You’ve probably come across plenty of cars parked over footpaths or dashed lines which we know poses a particular risk to mobility aid users, guide dog handlers or people pushing prams. Do our enforcement agencies give a shit? I asked five city councils what their process was for reporting illegally parked vehicles and what actually happens to them.

See the results

📚 The D*List is collaborating with the Auckland Writers Festival this year across two activations.

Our event the Wrong Readers Club, as part of the festival’s STREETSIDE series, will be held on Friday 8 May at 6pm at the Hayman Building Lobby (13 Galway St). The event will challenge what counts as reading, and have live storytelling from disabled writers. Pictured below are Soph and Ella speaking at the STREETSIDE launch earlier this week!

We are also curating a bookshelf, at Kōrero Corner, which showcases disabled authors. The bookshelf will be hosted at a cosy space at Level 5 of Aotea Centre from 15-17 May. Both activations are free. Stay tuned for more details soon!

🙋‍♀️ The Ministry of Education is seeking expressions of interest for their Disability Voices Group 2026. EOIs close Friday 24 April and if you require accessibility support or would like to submit your application in another format you can contact tepoutahu.engagement@education.govt.nz.

Kia pai te wīkēne,

Eda