This report provides advice from an independent panel of reviewers on the steps to be taken in the 2024/25 financial year to better manage increasing money pressures faced by the Ministry of Disabled People - Whaikaha.

The decision to establish an agency dedicated to serving the needs and interests of disabled New Zealanders was welcomed by the disability community, and expectations of improved services and levels of support, and new ways of doing things, were evident.

In practice, the combination and scale of the new responsibilities has proved very challenging for a small agency with accountability for $2.6 billion of taxpayer funding in the 2024/25 financial year. Numerous risks identified in the planning process for the Ministry have eventuated in practice, including in particular, ongoing budget over-runs.

Recent events have revealed that the Ministry was ill-prepared for its important role. Its establishment, in the late stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, was rushed, and challenges soon emerged in dealings with partner agencies that had been charged with providing shared services and other support. The timeframes for implementing the three phases of organisational set-up – establishment, consolidation and transformation – have proved over-ambitious and are not reflected in the current state of the Ministry’s operations.

This report sets out recommendations for actions that can be taken in Phase One of the Review of Disability Support Services.