•
Help shape the second phase13 of the Inquiry, which will take a deeper look at the impacts of the
pandemic on disabled people, whānau and communities.
The focus for phase one related to: the information available to disabled people; the adequacy of
national and local planning to meet the needs of disabled people during the Omicron outbreak;
the implications of new testing arrangements; and how disruptions to disability support services,
in particular home-based support services, were being managed to ensure disabled people and
their whānau continued to have access to essential supports during this most recent stage of the
pandemic. While the focus has been clearly on the period since Omicron arrived in Aotearoa, the
information provided naturally related to earlier stages of the pandemic response where the impact
was amplified during the Omicron outbreak.
Submissions and analysis
The information gathering stage was planned for between 11 March and 23 March 2022 and was
extended to 4 April 2022 in response to specific requests. The Commissioner approached a range
of organisations for their submissions via email and publicised the Inquiry through public media
statements – leading to other organisations providing submissions. Around 35 organisations were
approached and 30 submissions were received (over an 80% response rate), mostly in writing, with
some audio and video recorded14 (with informed consent). Submissions generally responded to a
set of questions15 developed by the Commissioner with the support of Baker Consulting Ltd. (an
independent consultancy, engaged to support phase one of the Inquiry) and the Chair of Te Ao
Mārama, a Māori Disability Advisory Group.16 A small number of submissions provided information
that was outside of the scope of the first phase of the Inquiry as guided by the questionnaire. All 30
submissions have been included in the analysis where appropriate.
The submissions received from these organisations have been thoughtful and compelling, and it
has been important to analyse them appropriately. For phase one, analysis has been informed by
Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the human rights framework. An intersectional lens was used to analyse the
mechanisms by which “intersecting power relations influence social relations across diverse societies
as well as individual experiences in everyday life”.17 Māori scholars, including tāngata whaikaha,
observe how “intersectionality has been declared an essential requisite for an equitable public health
approach to the COVID-19 pandemic”.18 More information on the approach to ethics and thematic
analysis is provided in the Appendices.19
13
The second phase of this Inquiry is subject to resourcing decisions.
14
Audio and video recordings of submissions (obtained with informed consent) of video meetings between
organisations and the Disability Rights Commissioner were transcribed. NZSL interpreters were made available as
requested in video meetings.
15
Refer to Appendix 1.
16
Te Ao Mārama is an expert Māori disability advisory group to the Ministry of Health.
17
Collins and Bilge (2020), p.2.
18
Jones et al., (2021), p.73.
19
Refer to Appendix 2.
15