Northern Advocate
  • Northern Advocate home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei
  • Kaipara
  • Mangawhai
  • Dargaville

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Northern Advocate

Jonny Wilkinson: Election chance for Northland's disabled to be heard

Jonny Wilkinson
By Jonny Wilkinson
Northern Advocate columnist·Northern Advocate·
15 Aug, 2020 03:00 AM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Northland's disabled community is very diverse spanning all ages, genders and ethnicities. Accessible transport is critical, particularly in a region like Northland, says Jonny Wilkinson. Photo / NZME

Northland's disabled community is very diverse spanning all ages, genders and ethnicities. Accessible transport is critical, particularly in a region like Northland, says Jonny Wilkinson. Photo / NZME

A DIFFERENT LIGHT

You've no doubt noticed the scarily vivid posters around town, pitting the "pitbull" Judith Collins against the "angelic" Jacinda Ardern in glossy, larger-than-life, traffic-stopping billboards. You'd be living under a mushroom not to know the General Election is only weeks away now.

Years ago I often fantasised about the potential of the disabled community voting as a cohesive sector of the New Zealand population. What a powerful force we would be. Back then disabled people made up 20 per cent of the population.

Now it's 24 per cent nationwide - Northland has the second highest proportion of disabled people in the country at 29 per cent. But guess what – it ain't that easy. Because, dammit, the disabled community is so very …diverse - spanning all ages, genders and ethnicities.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Sure a few key issues get most disabled people a little riled up. Jobs is a biggie and it always has been. Disabled people are well over-represented in unemployment stats and our need to eat and pay rent has not diminished over the years.

And two golden oldies that really light the touch paper for most disabled people are equitable access to education and good health services. We really are talking the basics still, sadly.

Availability of accessible housing continues to be a pressure point up here. Accessible transport is critical, particularly in a region like Northland where the rurality is vast and public transport is light on the ground.

The general election is an opportunity for the disabled community to put their issues in front and centre as a powerful lobby. The Ministers of Parliament and would-be politicians need to front up. How, you ask, can this be done effectively?

As luck would have it, we at Tiaho Trust, are holding a public Meet the Candidates meeting on September 2 at Mahitahi Hauora, on Rust Ave, from 1pm–3.30pm. We have invited all the standing candidates from the main parties from the Whangārei, Northland and the Tai Tokerau Electorate.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

We have posed three questions: one on education, one on employment and one that hones in on what they think the key issues facing the disabled community in Northland.

We are delighted that 11 out of the 13 candidates responded that they will front up on the day. So come on, disabled community, come listen to what the candidates have to say and have an opportunity to ask your questions.

This election is particularly relevant to disabled people because of the referendum on the 'End of Life Bill". The issue has been hotly debated within the disability community.

There is a strong feeling among some disabled people that the proposed legislation will make disabled people vulnerable to coercion from their families and people around them to end their lives. There is concern that there aren't enough safety guards, checks and balances to ensure this doesn't happen.

Discover more

NDHB committee searching for Māori disability voice

29 Jun 07:00 PM

'Disability' does not equal sick and if it ain't broke …

04 Jul 01:00 AM

A brilliant time in Roto-vegas

17 Jul 11:00 PM

Falling over common experience for disabled people

01 Aug 02:00 AM

Disability Rights Commissioner Paula Tesoriero has emphatically expressed this concern, saying: "The overwhelming concern is that people feel that this type of regime will not provide a choice, but in fact provide a solution, the solution being inadequate support services to disabled people and inadequate choices. I would far rather, as a country, that we're talking about providing adequate services for disabled people and enabling them to live a good life, than we were debating how to die a good death."

On the other hand, prominent disabled leader Diversity New Zealand's managing director Philip Patston, who supports the Bill, believes disabled people have the right to end their lives along with other New Zealanders if they fall under the criteria of the proposed Act.

"In my opinion, disabled people are more at risk from suicide-related harm than if assisted dying were legal.

"I believe that conflating the issues of disability discrimination and assisted dying is not useful for either disabled people, or for competent people - disabled or otherwise - who are suffering from a terminal illness, and are seeking the right to choose assistance to die.

"As a staunchly active disabled person, I value equally my right to live and my right to choose to end my life in the case of acute suffering. If I were to be in a position where my suffering was intolerable, and assisted dying was available, I would want the right to choose to end my suffering.

"We as a society should not deny one right by promoting another. I believe that complex issues such as euthanasia needs to be approached on a case-by-case basis, and with love not fear."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Disability and politics isn't straight forward - it's complex. It's worthy of debate and representation at all levels of our democratic process. So see you on the second of September – all welcome!

Footnote: Contact the Tiaho trust to confirm if the meeting on September 2 is still going ahead because of the Covid-19 resurgence.
Email info@tiaho.org.nz or call 430 3406 or 027 277 9333.

• Jonny Wilkinson is the chief executive of Tiaho Trust - Disability A Matter of Perception, a Whangārei-based disability advocacy organisation.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Northern Advocate

Northern Advocate

Storm hits Northland, 500 still without power as crews work to restore

Northern Advocate

256-year-old anchor found after 43 years, confirming historic discovery

Northern Advocate

'Will it take someone to die?': 85yo's fears after home demolished by airborne car


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Northern Advocate

Storm hits Northland, 500 still without power as crews work to restore
Northern Advocate

Storm hits Northland, 500 still without power as crews work to restore

'Hopefully we can get out there and get it all fixed.'

17 Jul 09:27 PM
256-year-old anchor found after 43 years, confirming historic discovery
Northern Advocate

256-year-old anchor found after 43 years, confirming historic discovery

17 Jul 09:02 PM
'Will it take someone to die?': 85yo's fears after home demolished by airborne car
Northern Advocate

'Will it take someone to die?': 85yo's fears after home demolished by airborne car

17 Jul 05:00 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northern Advocate e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Northern Advocate
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northern Advocate
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP