What can I do to support the apology campaign?
One year on - it's time to acknowledge the pain and harm to our community.
On the first anniversary of brutal cuts to support for disabled people - advocacy groups, family associations, and disability organisations are supporting disabled adults, disabled children, and their families and carers in calling on the Coalition Government to issue a formal apology to the disabled community.
Here’s what you can do to support this kaupapa.
March 18, 2025, marks one year since the government's drastic disruption, removal, and restriction of vital disability supports. This date also marks a year since former Minister Penny Simmonds falsely claimed in Parliament that parents and carers of disabled children were misusing disability support funding—an accusation that has caused immense harm to the community.
Here’s what you can do to demand an official apology for the unfounded accusations, which have caused unnecessary shame, distress, and trauma to parents and carers of disabled children.
Share the open letter with friends and family - even if you just tag one person and ask them to sign it helps so much.
Contact any journalists you know and ask them to please write about the letter.
Send the letter to your local MP or tag them into posts on Facebook and Instagram. Make sure you tag - Christopher Luxon, David Seymour, Winston Peters, Louise Upston and Penny Simmonds.
Share the stories of disabled adults, tamariki, and their adults and carers - find their words below.
One year ago our lives were different
Tomorrow marks one year since the coalition government cut support to disabled adults, children and their families. There is no timeline for any support to come to the community - we have been given no time-frame for this awfulness to end. We are now facing a mental health crisis in the community with increased rates of suicidality, self-harm, and distr…
The real impact of funding changes to respite care
Parents of disabled and neurodivergent tamariki in Aotearoa have made their voices clear. In less than 24 hours, Awhi Ngā Mātua - a community for parents of disabled, neurodivergent and medically fragile tamariki - collected more than 300 responses from parents about the sudden changes to respite support for families across the motu.
Awhi Ngā Mātua director
says the letter was made by, and with, the disabled community including hundreds of families who have said they’ve been deeply traumatised by the actions of the government over the past year.“The stories we have been hearing from parents and carers every week for the past year have been harrowing. They feel humiliated by the accusations made by the government and alarmed that despite those accusations being proved to be false - there has been no redress.
“They’re hurting and have no support. Parents have told us that they have lost hope and they are afraid for the futures of their children. Aging parents who cannot get their child into residential care fear that their disabled child will be left alone, with no support.
“Disabled adults have told us they feel hopeless as they try to grapple with cuts in support and the micro-management of their individualised funding. They don’t have faith in consultation because they feel this coalition government sees them only as a burden”.
“We have used the more than 600 stories sent to us from disabled adults and parents and carers of disabled children as the basis of this action. The feedback has been clear - we are in crisis and we need the government to recognise that now”.