This Government bill provides a new foundational legislative framework intended to strengthen and stabilise the provision of disability support services. It is still before Parliament.
A Government bill that would create a foundational law setting out what New Zealand's Disability Support Services (DSS) system is for, what it funds, and how it operates. DSS provides government-funded support — such as home help, respite and residential care — for disabled people. The bill would spell out the system's purpose and guiding principles and clarify the Crown's role, including stating that the Government is not the employer of family members who care for a disabled relative.
It partly responds to a 2024 Supreme Court decision that treated some parents caring full-time for disabled children as government employees; the bill seeks to limit further such obligations and give certainty about the Crown's role. Minister for Disability Issues Louise Upston leads it. Supporters say it would stabilise and clarify a stretched system. Critics, including some disability advocates, object to a principle that care rests 'first' with family and whānau, arguing it undervalues unpaid carers.
See the Parliament.nz ↗ site for the full bill.