How well do Aotearoa's political parties do on disability issues?
Election 2023 disability scorecard
Wondering who to vote for this election? The Aotearoa general election will be held on Saturday, 14 October 2023, but special voting starts TODAY Monday 2 October.
Here’s special Awhi advice on voting accessibility - like how to vote from hospital or a care home.
One of the best ways to work out how to vote for your tamariki and community is by checking out the Policy NZ tool.
There is a ‘disability’ tag under ‘Community and inclusion’. That tag covers each political parties policies around disability.
As shown here - you can put a heart next to each policy you like.
CCS Disability Action is the largest pan-disability support and advocacy organisation in Aotearoa. Along with the Disabled Persons Assembly (DPA) a not-for-profit pan-impairment Disabled People’s Organisation run by and for disabled people, they have created a disability scorecard.
CCS Disability Action and DPA asked the seven main political parties where they stand on key disability policies in the lead up to the 2023 General Election.
They sent each party nine questions about policies that have been top of mind for disabled people recently. They also asked each party if they would like to share a short statement with the disabled community. You can see the results here.
This scorecard shows party responses: ✔️ yes, ❌ no, ❓ undecided, or ➖ did not respond. A plain text and Word version of the scorecard, plus each party's short statement, are available here.
Image description: Set of ten images, each with a light purple background. The first image is the scorecard, a table with icons representing the topic and each party's response, shaded in either green, red, orange, or grey. The other images are the scorecard separated by topic. Each image has a header and question, with the responses inside a white box with rounded corners and a purple icon indicating the topic at the top.
You can also try Vote Compass, though this will not help you vote with a lens on disability. It’s a tool developed by political scientists to help you explore how your views align with those of the parties.
Access Matters Aotearoa lead campaigner Juliana Carvalho told Stuff disabled people and their whānau should inform themselves before they cast their vote.
"I strongly recommend people with disabilities, their whānau and people who care about justice and fairness and equity to have a look and see where the parties stand because that will make a great difference,” she said.
“Voting is our biggest weapon for justice and for fairness. We are lucky to live in a democracy, so make the most out of it.
"Get informed, see where the parties stand, and talk to your family, talk to your friends, that also care about the quality of life that you have, and make sure you vote."