As the NZ general election draws near, issues are being raised in Tauranga about the challenges faced by people with disabilities and those who care for them.

Western Bay of Plenty Disability Support Trust welcomed local election candidates for Tauranga and Bay of Plenty to a ‘Meet the Candidates’ Forum’ on Wednesday morning, at the Tauranga Citizen’s Club, directly following their WBoP DST AGM.

After a karakia given by Milton Tawa, WBoP DST chairperson John Skelton facilitated the forum, providing an opportunity for each candidate to speak. This was followed by a session where the audience of around 40 people could pitch questions.

“We’re really pleased with the turnout today,” says John. “We had a lot of our members come along, and there were some really good questions.

“And more importantly, I think our candidates learned almost more from us than we learned from them.

“Whoever gets elected, we’re going to be knocking on their door and keeping them honest.”

Candidates at the meeting were Tauranga candidates Christine Young – ACT, Sam Uffindell – National and MP for Tauranga, Erika Harvey – NZ First, and Bay of Plenty candidates Pare Taikato – Labour, Tom Rutherford – National and Kirsten Murfitt – NZ First.

Dennis Young from Sailability Tauranga with Sam Scott, at the 'Meet the Candidates Forum'. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

John says all the Tauranga and Bay of Plenty candidates were invited.

“We did invite all of the candidates, but these were the only ones who replied and actually came. Jan Tinetti had something else on and sent her apologies.”

Leon Samuels, who is contesting the Tauranga electorate for Vision New Zealand, was at a prior engagement.

John says the forum "was a bit of an eye opener”, due to two of the candidates present also being carers of children with disabilities.

“It certainly brought it really home to everybody.”

Both Kirsten Murfitt and Erika Harvey have children with disabilities.

“I loved seeing two mums of disabilities up there,” says one of the audience, who herself is wheelchair-bound.

“It was amazing to see people up there who have lived the journey and lived the experience. And you actually know that they’re backing what they’re saying with lived experience. I find that lived experience is one of the best sources of information.

“They live the battle. It’s sad to say that it is a battle, but it is. It shouldn’t be. People with disabilities are some of the most vulnerable people in society.”

Peter Gibson, Gill Gardener, Dianne Beveridge, Paula Young and Milton Tawa (seated), attending the 'Meet the Candidates Forum'. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

Each candidate had a few minutes to address the audience, with a video by BWBOPDST of their talks to be made available within approximately 24 hours on their Facebook page.

Following their individual presentations, the candidates were asked questions on the $5 prescription charge, remuneration of carers, accessible housing, social housing outside of Kianga Ora, the Maori Health authority, support and training for people working in the disability sector, employment support, ACC legislation, raising the living benefit, funding and pay equity.

“There were a lot of important questions,” says John. “I think the funding models and Enabling Good Lives were key issues.”

John says Enabling Good Lives is a philosophy about how people with disabilities should be included in all parts of society.

Over one million people in New Zealand, or 24 per cent of the population - arguably a good chunk of voters - have some form of long-lasting impairment.

Stats NZ says that four regions – Taranaki, Northland, Manawatu-Whanganui, and Bay of Plenty have a higher-than-average disability rate than the one-in-four kiwis identified around the rest of the country. For Bay of Plenty, about 28 per cent of the population has a disability.

“Disability is not always obvious, we don’t all have wheelchairs,” says one of the wheelchair-bound members of the audience.

“Support workers should be encouraged to spend a day in a wheelchair, and be hoisted so they know what it’s like and can emphasise. The candidates should all be hoisted too.”

Christine Young, Tauranga candidate for ACT, addressing the audience. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

During the question time, individuals with disabilities and their advocates pressed the political candidates on the important issues they face.

From accessibility challenges to healthcare disparities and employment opportunities, the forum became a mini-platform for the local disability community to assert their concerns and expectations from those seeking public office.

The candid comments and passionate expressions of concern reflect a sector that is already acutely challenged.

“I was slightly disheartened at the comments around not being able to commit,” says one of the audience afterwards. “Just being very aware of loopholes and them being able to get out of statements made.”

“If they get in, they’re likely to be backbenchers and may not have much sway,” says another. “They need to get back to their parties to discuss what has been talked about here today.”

“I know it’s political but for me it flushes down the drain all of the good work that happened. On a whole though, the mana wahine energy from the mothers with disabilities was very heartening, it was fantastic.”

“It was a good day, a good turnout and we’ll see what happens from here,” says John.

“As much as we all ask for change, and change is promised, change is very slow.”

Tom Rutherford, National candidate for Bay of Plenty, addressing the audience. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

Peter Gibson is the general manager of the Arohanui Art & Education Trust, as well as being a trustee on the WBoP DST.

“We’re asked to provide services, and there’s more than enough people willing to do so, and there’s enough expertise in the community to do so, but it has to be fully funded,” says Peter.

“The principles of Enabling Good Lives, and the ideology behind that is fantastic, but it needs to be fully funded. We’re in the shortfall at the moment, through pay equity agreements and everything else that we’re paying our carers and support workers, and they deserve everything they get, but it needs to be fully funded through our contracts.

“If the contracts aren’t fully funded then every provider start making cutbacks, and that detrimentally comes back to the person they’re supporting who has less hours of support because we have less money.”

Peter says Enabling Good Lives has been around for about seven years.

“National brought it in originally. There are nine underpinning principles of Enabling Good Lives.

“Providers want to do a good job, they all want to do the right thing. We just need to have the correct amount of funding to be able to pay our people the right amount of money to do the right hours with the right people.

“It’s the Government in conjunction with the providers’ job to provide those hands-on services. . If they say ‘you go out and do it’ then they need to provide the funding to do it.”

Bay of Plenty candidates Pare Taikato - Labour, and Kirsten Murfitt – NZ First. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.