Green Party MP Kahurangi Carter is calling for stronger disability and accessibility support, warning that disabled people are being left behind by rising living costs, inaccessible housing, and barriers to essential services.
Carter says disabled people are among those least able to absorb higher costs, particularly when transport, housing, healthcare, and support services are already difficult to access.
Concerns have been raised about the impact of rising transport costs and changes to support schemes such as Total Mobility, which many disabled people rely on to attend medical appointments, get to work, study, visit whānau, and participate in community life.
Advocates say any reduction in transport affordability risks increasing isolation and making it harder for disabled people to live independently.
Carter is also highlighting the lack of accessible and universally designed housing, saying it is contributing to housing insecurity and homelessness for disabled people. Many homes are not designed for wheelchair users or people with mobility, sensory, or health-related needs, leaving some disabled people with few safe and suitable housing options.
The issue is especially acute for disabled Māori, who already face overlapping barriers in housing, health, income, and access to culturally appropriate support.
Disabled people also continue to face obstacles when seeking healthcare, disability funding, employment, and other essential services. These include long waiting times, complex application processes, inadequate funding, poor communication, and a lack of understanding from agencies about disabled people’s lived realities.
Carter says government investment is needed to ensure disabled people can live with dignity, independence, and equal access to services.
The Green Party is calling for stronger accessibility standards, better funding for disability support, more universally designed housing, affordable transport, and policies shaped by disabled people and their communities.
Carter says disabled people should not have to fight for basic rights or depend on systems that are difficult to navigate and underfunded.
The call comes amid growing concern that cost-cutting and policy changes are placing extra pressure on people who already experience some of the highest levels of poverty, discrimination, and exclusion in Aotearoa.
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