Toitū te Waiora are excited to announce the development of new Disability Support qualifications and supporting skill standards at Levels 3 and 4, set to begin in early 2025. This initiative comes as a direct result of our extensive consultation with the Disability Support sector during the Health and Wellbeing Qualifications Review, as well as the outcomes of the New Zealand Disability Support Network (NZDSN). NZDSN Voices From the Community Report highlighted the critical need for qualifications that prioritise disability support services.
In collaboration with the sector, disabled individuals, and their whānau, Toitū te Waiora is committed to creating qualifications and skill standards that accurately reflect and support the unique needs of the disability support workforce and disabled people.
We are eager to connect and engage with disabled people, their whānau and supporters, disabled people’s associations, subject matter experts, service providers, and disability organisations. We are particularly interested in hearing from people working within, or from, the Māori, Pacific, intellectual disability, and neurodiversity spaces to ensure that disabled people remain central to our mahi.
Toitū te Waiora are committed to providing everyone with the opportunity to contribute. Our consultation will be inclusive of both regional and national perspectives and take a co-design approach. To achieve this, we will be hosting a series of online surveys, webinars, one-on-one kōrero and workshops in collaboration with local disability support networks. Additionally, we will be forming a Disability Reference Group and engaging with our established Disability National Industry Advisory Group (NIAG) to guide this mahi.
We are hosting a series of in-person workshops and online webinars to gather early input on the development of these qualifications and their supporting skill standards, which will be used for assessment.
We want to hear from:
✔ Those working in the disability support space ✔ People with lived experience of disability ✔ Disabled people and their whānau ✔ The wider disability community
Join us at a workshop or webinar to:
Need support to participate?
We want to ensure everyone who wants to be involved can contribute. If you require an accessible format, flexible timing, or another form of support, please get in touch by replying to this email.
In-Person Workshops
📍 Auckland – Ramada by Wyndham Newmarket 📌 41 Gillies Avenue, Newmarket, Auckland 1023 🗓️ Monday 31 March – 10:00 AM – 12.00 PM
🔗 Register for Auckland
📍 Christchurch – Harvard Community Lounge 📌 Wigram Village Green Corsair Drive, Wigram, Christchurch 8042 🗓️ Wednesday 2 April – 9:30 AM – 11.30 AM
🔗 Register for Christchurch
Webinars
We are hosting four online webinars:
These sessions are designed to recognise the different experiences of those receiving and providing support in the disability sector. We acknowledge that some people may identify with both groups.
Disability sector and organisations
🖥️ Monday 7 April – 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
🖥️ Thursday 10 April – 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Disabled people, lived experience and whānau
🖥️ Tuesday 8 April – 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
🖥️ Friday 11 April – 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
🔗 Register for a webinar
January–March 2025: Strategic regional and national consultation
March–May 2025: Qualification and skill standard development, alongside ongoing consultation
May 2025: Public consultation of draft qualifications and skill standards
June 2025: Submission of qualifications and skill standards to NZQA
For further information or questions please contact us at [email protected].
New developments in disability support – Large Print DOCX
You can request any information from us in your preferred format at: [email protected]
Alternate formats available:
We will do our best to provide it as quickly as possible, but there may be some delay with accessibility services.
Disability Capability Resources
Toitū te Waiora Website – health and wellbeing qualifications review
NZDSN voices from the community report
