TERMS
OF REFERENCE
The Terms of Reference set out the purpose,
role and protocols of the Panel.
Panel members will also be expected to
abide by the Code of Conduct for members of Auckland Council advisory panels.
Purpose
The purpose
of
the panels is to provide strategic advice to the Council on issues of significance to their communities and to
advise
on effective engagement by
Council with those communities.
Outcomes
The Panel will provide advice through an
agreed annual work programme, integrated
wherever possible, with
other panels and
approved by the Regional Strategy and Policy Committee.
Annual work programme
The Council will advise the Panel of the
areas of strategy, policy and plan development that are likely to require comment
or advice from the Panel during the course of the year. The work programme
should also provide scope for the Panel to respond to issues and concerns
arising from its communities and to develop its own priorities.
As resources allow, budget is available for the
Panel to support activities
that clearly contribute to
the
agreed work programme but the Panel may not access external resources for activities or events, except
with the agreement of Council
Submissions
Panel advice will contribute to Council
decision-making, but panels will not make formal submissions on Council
strategies, polices and plans, for example, the Long Term Plan.
In their advisory role to the Council,
Panels may have input to submissions made by the Council to external organisations
but do not make independent submissions, except as agreed with Council.
This does not prevent individual members
being party to submissions outside their role as Panel members.
* The above
information is a summary of the 2014 Terms of Reference document and is based
on the Governing Body decisions of 19 December 2013
Review
The form and functioning of the Panel may
be reviewed prior to or after, the end of the Panel term in September 2016.
Apologies from
Member D Buckingham and Member G Martin have been received.
2 Declaration of Interest
Members are
reminded of the need to be vigilant to stand aside from decision making when a
conflict arises between their role as a member and any private or other
external interest they might have.
3 Confirmation of Minutes
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That the Disability Advisory Panel:
a)
confirm the ordinary minutes of its meeting
held on Monday, 4 April 2016 as a true and correct
record.
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4 Extraordinary Business
Section 46A(7) of
the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 (as amended)
states:
“An item that is
not on the agenda for a meeting may be dealt with at that meeting if-
(a) The local authority by resolution so decides; and
(b) The presiding member explains at the meeting, at a time
when it is open to the public,-
(i) The
reason why the item is not on the agenda; and
(ii) The reason why the discussion of the item cannot be
delayed until a subsequent meeting.”
Section 46A(7A) of
the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 (as amended)
states:
“Where an item is
not on the agenda for a meeting,-
(a) That item may be discussed at that meeting if-
(i) That item is a minor matter relating to the general
business of the local authority; and
(ii) the presiding member explains at the beginning of the
meeting, at a time when it is open to the public, that the item will be
discussed at the meeting; but
(b) no resolution, decision or recommendation may be made in
respect of that item except to refer that item to a subsequent meeting of the
local authority for further discussion.”
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Disability
Advisory Panel
30 May 2016
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Item 7 - Disability portfolio update
File No.: CP2016/09562
Purpose
1. To update
the Disability Advisory Panel on Auckland Council initiatives to improve access
and inclusion, implemented between February and April 2016.
Executive
Summary
2. The
Auckland Plan articulates a vision for the world’s most liveable city, as a
place where all people are included, able to move freely and can physically
access its opportunities.
Disability
Operational Action Plan
3. Supporting
and improving access and inclusion is the core purpose of the Disability
Advisory Panel (DAP). The five priorities for the 2014-2016 DAP work programmes
are:
· employment
· transport
· accessibility
· housing
· communication.
4. In December
2015, Auckland Council completed the Disability Operational Action Plan (DOAP).
The five initiatives were developed in line with the DOAP priorities.
5. The DOAP
details how the wider council family will focus resources on activities that
make a positive difference to people with disabilities. The plan identifies a
range of practical and achievable actions that build on commitments made in
existing strategy and policy documents.
6. Up to July
2016, a key focus has been monitoring the implementation of the four key themes
within the plan. The DOAP’s themes are:
· creating accessible buildings,
places and spaces
· knowledge, communications and
engagement
· events and services
· our workplace.
Specific
council access and inclusion activities (February 2016 – April 2016):
7. To support
accessibility and inclusion outcomes, the Community Empowerment Unit provides
advisory support to DAP and the disability community. Between February and
April 2016, staff undertook five initiatives to improve access and inclusion
across Auckland:
· facilitated the Disabled Women’s Forum
· collaborated with Maori disability
organisations on making the upcoming Council elections more accessible and
culturally inclusive
· co-hosted the International Access to the
Environment and Transport Forum
· participated in a co-hosted Age-Friendly
Auckland Forum
· participated in an Auckland University of
Technology disability research think tank.
8. The
initiatives were developed in line with the priorities laid out in the
Disability Operational Action Plan.
Disabled Women’s
Forum
9. For
International Women’s Day (8 March 2016) the Disabled Women’s Forum highlighted
the achievements of disabled women in New Zealand.
10. Staff
provided capacity-building advice to the forum’s planning committee. This took
the form of connecting the committee with community funding opportunities and
brokering relationships to increase forum attendance and the network itself.
11. Key note
speakers included representatives from CCS Disability Action, People First New
Zealand, the Blind Foundation, Deaf Aotearoa and Auckland Council.
12. Staff
presented on council’s work to improve outcomes for the disability community in
Auckland. To date, this has included development of the community empowerment
approach and continuing development of the Disability Operational Action plan.
13. The forum
highlighted that the issues and barriers remain in areas of accessible
transport, facility design, employment and the enjoyment of the natural
environment for access consumers. Community Empowerment Unit staff will
continue to support community organisations and individuals to navigate Council
processes and develop capability to better advocate the needs of their
representative communities.
Collaboration
with Maori disability organisations
14. Staff
collaborated with Te Roopu Waiora and Karanga Maha (whanau haua/disabled Maori
groupings and organisations) to progress the He Tohu Whakawaiora training
programme.
15. The training
programme supports organisations working with disabled Maori to develop cultural
competency.
16. Staff
supported the participating Maori organisations by:
· providing links to various disability
organisations
· providing learnings on past elections
that impacted the disability community
· instigating discussions on the importance
of encouraging the disability community to vote in local elections
· planning the delivery of active
citizenship training to make the upcoming local elections more accessible and
culturally inclusive.
17. Council is
currently working on improving electoral website accessibility, adding NZ sign
language to the Auckland elections website and planning to provide personal
assistance for blind and vision impaired people, to help complete electoral
forms.
Auckland
Arts Festival – audio described and sign interpreted performances
18. During the
2016 Auckland Arts Festival (March) organisers were supported to include audio
described and sign interpreted performances of at least six performances at the
Q Theatre.
19. Use of audio
described and sign interpreted performances enabled blind, low vision and deaf
patrons to access and enjoy the arts.
Local board
work programme development
20. Accessibility
plans assist local boards to identify opportunities to improve access and
inclusion in their local area.
21. Staff
identified an opportunity for the Mangere-Otahuhu Local Board to develop a
formal accessibility plan. This has been included in their draft 2016-2017 work
programme.
22. Waitemata
Local Board are updating their existing accessibility plan and held a workshop
on community access needs in April 2016.
International
Access to the Environment and Transport Forum
23. Auckland
Council co-hosted an International Access to the Environment and Transport
Forum with the World Blind Union (13-15 April 2016). This was attended by
stakeholders from as far afield as the United Arab Emirates and Africa. It
focussed on:
· showcasing
the accessible shared spaces for blind and low vision persons in the Central
Business District around Elliott, Ford and Darby Streets
· drafting
position statements on shared spaces, to be recommended internationally
· making
recommendations around access to traveling with a guide dog and international
travel in general
· highlighting
issues relating to quiet hybrid and silent vehicles for blind and low vision
pedestrians
· promoting
best practice principles, goals and examples.
24. A report
will be tabled from Blind Citizens New Zealand to Auckland Transport and the
Community Empowerment Unit at the end of May 2016, outlining the forum’s
findings and recommendations.
Age-Friendly
Auckland Forum
25. On 17 March
2016, the Auckland District Council of Social Services and Auckland Council’s
Seniors Advisory Panel co-hosted an Age-Friendly Auckland Forum.
26. Staff
presented on council services and environmental factors that impact on the
disability and seniors’ community. Solutions to current issues presented,
included the aged sector working alongside the disability sector to influence
drafting of the Auckland Transport Disability Action plan.
Auckland
University of Technology Disability Research Think Tank
27. In April
2016, Auckland University of Technology hosted a disability research
collaboration think tank. The three aims of the think tank were to:
· identify
and prioritise health issues for deaf and disabled people, and people living
with disabilities in New Zealand
· build
research clusters with researchers and disability advocates
· create a
programme of possible research projects.
28. The research
topics discussed, included:
· updating
New Zealand legislation in the area of access to the built environment
· best
practice in universal design
· guidelines
around the prevention of domestic abuse of disabled persons.
Next update
29. This report
outlines initiatives to improve access and inclusion, implemented between
February and April 2016. Staff will provide a further update on activity in six
weeks’ time.
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Recommendation/s
That the Disability Advisory Panel:
a) receive
the update on access and inclusion initiatives across council.
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Attachments
There are no attachments for
this report.
Signatories
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Author
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Sarah Zimmerman - Senior Advisor
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Authorisers
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Graham Bodman - General Manager Arts, Community and
Events
Andrew Wood - Lead Officer Support
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