Independent Monitoring Mechanism Online Forum, 29-30 March and 5-6 April 2022, Disability Convention: How is New Zealand Doing?

Independent Monitoring Mechanism Online Forum

March 29th-30th and April 5th-6th, 2022

Disability Convention: How is New Zealand Doing?

An online forum to find out about how the government is progressing on implementing the United Nations Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (the Disability Convention) will be held Tuesday 29 and Wednesday 30 March, and Tuesday 5 and Wednesday 6 April.

The Forum – ‘The Disability Convention: How is New Zealand doing?’ –  is being hosted by the Independent Monitoring Mechanism (IMM) made up of the Human Rights Commission, the Ombudsman and the Disabled People’s Organisations Coalition (Blind Citizens NZ is a member of the DPO Coalition).

The Forum is being held ahead of New Zealand’s second examination by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. A subsequent IMM Forum Report will inform the Committee on the status of disability rights here in Aotearoa.

Government ministers and officials are attending the forum and members of the public are invited to observe proceedings. 

The Forum will examine issues raised in monitoring reports published by the IMM over the past two years. Making Disability Rights Real in New Zealand and Making Disability Rights Real in a Pandemic. 

The review will centre on New Zealand’s commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, how poverty is addressed, the integrity of the person, equity and access during humanitarian crises, equality, non-discrimination, access to justice, accessibility, and independence.

Observers will be able to send questions for consideration by a moderation panel at the beginning of each session. Instructions for accessing the Forum are available here in Large Print, Audio and Braille. All alternate formats including Easy Read and New Zealand Sign Language, as well as updates can be located at the following link…
https://www.hrc.co.nz/our-work/people-disabilities/disability-convention-how-new-zealand-doing/

You can locate each of the IMM’s two reports as follows:

1. Making Disability Rights Real in a Pandemic 

2. Making Disability Rights Real
https://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/resources/making-disability-rights-real-2014-2019-0

Ngā mihi
Independent Monitoring Mechanism Team

International White Cane Day

Blind Citizens NZ urges, Central and Local Government to support International White Cane Day and to better meet the needs of everyone. Additionally, for everyone to acknowledge where there are obstacles and remove them, and support White Cane Day awareness activities happening around the country today.

Here now, is our media release…

“Extra Touch Award” presented to Darryl Wilson, Chief Executive, Abel Tasman National Park Ltd

During our 2015 70th anniversary celebratory event, October 2015, Blind Citizens NZ presented the Extra Touch Award to Darryl Wilson, Chief Executive of Wilsons Abel Tasman National Park Ltd, recognizing the outstanding contribution providing access to both travel and recreational opportunities for blind and vision impaired patrons.

Read on to find out more…

Blind Citizens NZ’s Position on Cyclists on Footpaths

The 2016 Annual General Meeting sought to have Blind Citizens NZ clarify its position regarding cyclists and other wheeled or motorised vehicles that are regularly encountered on our footpaths. Currently, it is legal for vehicles below a certain wheel size, even with low-powered motors, and also motorised mobility vehicles to be used on footpaths.

Concern had arisen due to a petition having been presented to Parliament on which a committee was about to hear submissions. The petition had recommended a change to the road rules to allow children under 14, seniors over the age of 65 and people with mental and physical disabilities to cycle on the footpath.

Blind Citizens NZ’s position is quite clear. It is that no one, even young children, should be able to cycle on footpaths except where there is a designated cycle lane. Apart from our right to feel safe on the footpath, we can also argue that the benefits of being able to cycle there can often be overrated and even misleading. Some points to note are:

1.​Footpaths should be a safe place for people who prefer to walk or have no alternative other than to do so. If footpaths were to become an unsafe environment, even simply through fear of an incident, this would affect not only the blind and vision-impaired, but also the elderly, pram-pushers, wheelchair users, the physically disabled, and those with hearing loss.

2.​Moving a group of cyclists from the road to the footpath would just replace one set of vulnerable road users while at the same time creating another set of vulnerable pedestrians. If it is unsafe to cycle on the roads, why should it be made less safe for those on the footpath?

3.​Mobility scooter users are warned against travelling faster than surrounding pedestrians, but cyclists can’t travel at walking speed. Furthermore, any age and speed limits that may be imposed would be impossible to enforce, or even to monitor.

4.​The very fact that some cyclists may currently be aware that cycling on footpaths is illegal, may cause them to refrain from the practice or at least to take more care than they might if their position was sanctioned under the law.

5.​Most road accidents involving cyclists do not involve motor vehicles. Cyclists injure themselves most often by falling off and hitting things, and there are far more things to hit on footpaths, both moving and stationary.

6.​The very developmental factors that make child cyclists unsafe on roads such as immature motor skills, immature vision and balance, difficulty judging speed and distance; also make them unsafe on footpaths. These factors may not only make them a danger to themselves, but even more so to those they collide with.

7.​Because there is less time to react, vehicles exiting driveways are even more of a hazard to cyclists than they are to pedestrians. Then there is the reality that, whether they’re on the road or on the footpath, cyclists still have to cross intersections, and that’s where most collisions between cyclists and motor vehicles occur.

8.​Many footpaths in suburban areas in New Zealand are narrow and often not well maintained. Even if cyclists acknowledge that pedestrians do have the right of way, such avoidance manoeuvers may not always be successful, placing both parties at risk of injury.

Adopted April 2017

Support our right to have equitable access to books

Support our right to have equitable access to books

“Blind people have the same right to read published works as everyone else” says Clive Lansink, National President of Blind Citizens NZ. “But right now, we often have no way to read what everyone else takes for granted, because it is not published in formats we can use”.

You will find more information about the Marrakesh Treaty, and the importance of New Zealand ratifying this, in our media release…

Taking charge of our money – Banknote gauges facilitate independence and confidence for blind and vision impaired people

The Association of Blind Citizens of New Zealand (Blind Citizens NZ), congratulates the Reserve Bank of New Zealand for providing banknote gauges that will support people who are blind and vision impaired, to independently identify with confidence, the denomination of their bank notes.

Clive Lansink, National President of Blind Citizens NZ says “I regularly use the banknote gauge to sort out my money. I am totally blind, and when I purchase something over the counter, I want to know that the money I am handing over is correct – I don’t want to have to ask sighted people what I have in my hand…”

Read more about the Reserve Bank’s work with the blind community, and the new banknote gauges…

Focus December 2015

2014 AGM and Conference Outcome Summary

2013 AGM and Conference Outcome Summary

Employment, Participation and Inclusion Services: Draft Proposals for Change

Read on for Blind Citizens NZ’s response to the Ministry of Social Development’s Draft Proposals for Change with respect to Employment, Participation and Inclusion Services…

Board Meeting Summary-May 2015

For an overview of some of the more significant outcomes of the Board’s May 2015 meeting, and news of the Blind Foundation’s support for our 2015 AGM and Conference, check out the attached meeting summary…

Human Rights Amendment Bill

Our submission responds to proposed changes to the role and structure of the Commission arising from the Bill and with respect to specific changes this would have on the Human Rights Act 1993.

Review of the Health and Disability Commissioner Act 1994 and Code of Health and Disability Consumers’ Rights

Blind Citizens NZ’s submission comments on the:
1. Review of the Act and Code (first bullet-point from 2009 Review): timelines identified with sections 18 Review of operation of the Act and Review of Code should remain unaltered;
2. Increase maximum fine for an offence under the Act (second bullet-point from 2009 Review): we support this being increased to $10,000 from $3,000;
3. Director of Proceedings (last bullet-point from 2009 Review): we support this proposed amendment.

Submission – Inquiry into the Accessibility of Services to Parliament

Submission – Proposed Changes to the Universal Service Obligation for Postal Services

Conference 2012 Summary

As we see it – accessing New Zealand via non-visual means

A detailed analysis of the issues faced by blind and vision impaired people living in New Zealand. Commentary and recommendations are offered in the areas of civil rights, education, employment, environmental access, information access, public transport and other areas including telecommunications,banking, EFTPOS, home appliances and audio description. This report will guide the advocacy work of the ABC NZ over the next few years.

Blind New Zealanders salute achievers

Media release announcing the award of the Association’s Beamish Memorial Medal separately to Clive Lansink and John McDonald.

Fact sheet on ministry of disability issues

Calls on the Government to establish a Ministry of Disability Issues, which should have a strong policy development and monitoring function with powers and resources to work closely with all Government entities to better meet the action plans as promoted by the Disability Strategy Reference Group.

Submission to “Making a World of Difference” – the New Zealand Disability Strategy Discussion Document

Quest for Equity: a history of blindness advocacy in New Zealand

Written by Greg Newbold, this book details the first fifty years of the history of the Association of Blind Citizens of New Zealand, charting its development through a period of considerable social change.