Disability

Te Pou believes in social justice, inclusion and building healthy communities.

We collaborate with disabled people, whānau and the workforce to invest in skill and leadership development and to create resources that build the values, knowledge and skills we all need to uphold the rights of disabled people in accordance with:

• the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD)
• the Enabling Good Lives principles and the associated Transformation of the Disability Support System.

Te Pou also manages grant funding for disabled people, whānau and the workforce, to build skills, networks and knowledge that support self-determination, partnership, and citizenship.

Our work at Te Pou recognises and is underpinned by our obligations to Māori as identified in Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It is informed and shaped by Māori and reflects Māori worldviews and perspectives. It promotes actions to achieve equitable health outcomes for Māori.

Also central to our work is our active commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion across the whole population. The commitment is formalised within Te Pou through our Kanorau Charter, which provides guiding principles for our work.

Importantly, our work is informed and co-designed by people with lived experience of accessing disability services. People who have experienced disability develop many skills, knowledge, talents and attributes through those experiences.