November 20, 2019
Maori rationed out of disabilty care
Disability advocates says there is an annual funding shortfall of $500 million in the sector.
New Zealand Disability Support Network chief executive Garth Bennie says the crisis caused by a decade of neglect and underfunding means the system has become focused on rationing demand to keep costs down.
That means an estimated 15,000 disabled people are missing out on services.
They are likely to be are disproportionately Māori, Pacific, poor and rural.
Dr Bennie says the 2019 Budget failed to tackle the core funding problems.
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