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March 29, 2026
#national: Barriers everywhere: report exposes daily struggle for disabled New Zealanders
Matthew Tukaki
Posted On March 29, 2026
A major new report is laying bare the scale of accessibility challenges in Aotearoa, calling for urgent, system-wide reform to ensure disabled people can fully participate in everyday life.
Access Matters Aotearoa has released Kōrero for Change, drawing on nationwide forums held over the past two years and capturing the experiences of disabled people alongside insights from government, business and community leaders.
The findings show that around 17 percent of New Zealanders living with a disability continue to face widespread barriers across key areas including healthcare, education, employment and housing.
Accessibility is described as inconsistent and often dependent on circumstance, rather than being built into systems and services from the outset.
The report highlights significant disparities, with employment rates for disabled people sitting at roughly 38 percent, compared with 78 percent for those without disabilities, alongside higher unmet health needs and ongoing shortages of accessible housing.
These gaps are linked to long-standing structural issues, including policy settings, funding decisions and design choices that have failed to prioritise inclusion.
The report argues that when accessibility is treated as an afterthought, exclusion becomes embedded across society.
A series of recommendations has been put forward across ten sectors, including introducing enforceable accessibility standards, embedding inclusive design in all policies and projects, and strengthening accountability across both government and industry.
There is also an economic case for change, with modelling suggesting closing the employment gap could add hundreds of millions of dollars to the economy.
Advocates say improving accessibility should be seen as essential infrastructure, benefiting not only disabled people but all New Zealanders.
The report is intended to drive long-term action, with calls for leadership and coordination across all sectors to create a more inclusive Aotearoa.
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