Improving services through consultation

Feedback from the disability community is helping to shape improvements to disability supports and services.

2026 community consultation

More than 860 people took part in the 2026 consultation on further improving disability support services.

Thank you everyone who shared their experiences and suggestions for what good support looks like, or who supported others to have their say.

People told us what a good disability support system could look like – easier to use and understand, responsive to people’s needs, gives people confidence in decisions, and better recognises the role of carers.

We have shared a summary of the key findings as well as the full consultation report.

What we’ve heard will help shape practical improvements to services as well as longer-term work to strengthen Disability Support Services.

We will continue to involve and update the community as this work progresses.

You can find the summary and full report of the feedback at the bottom of this page.

What we heard

The 2026 consultation focused on what good support looks like in areas that disabled people, whānau and carers have said matter most.

People told us that a good disability support system includes:

support and services that are built around people's individual needs
support that plans for and responds to life changes and changing circumstances
information and services that are easier to find, understand and navigate
confidence that decisions are fair, transparent and consistent
greater choice and flexibility in how supports are used
better recognition and support for carers and whānau.

What happens next

The focus now is identifying opportunities to make improvements in the areas we heard about.

What we have heard will help shape practical changes to services and information, as well as longer term policy and legislation which may take a longer time to design.

We will continue to communicate about what we’re doing and how feedback is helping to shape decisions.

Ongoing work to strengthen disability support services

Work to strengthen the disability support system is ongoing and we are building on progress over the past two years.

Earlier consultation and feedback have already led to changes, including:

greater choice and control for people who use flexible funding
more consistent needs assessments that reflect Enabling Good Lives principles and consider carers' needs.

The new Disability Support Services Act 2026 provides the foundation for further improvements to the disability support system. The Act gives a framework for what DSS does and how decisions on supports and services are made – including people-centred principles and consultation.

We are now looking to improve areas such as safeguards, complaints and review processes, access to supports, and clearer roles and responsibilities across the system.

DSS is also developing a carer support package of financial, respite and practical support to make the role of whānau and family carers more sustainable.

Feedback from the 2026 consultation will help inform this work.

We will continue to keep the disability community informed about what is happening, how feedback is helping to shape decisions, and any opportunities for input into further improvements.

Read the findings

DSS Community Consultation Feedback Summary

Read the summary of main feedback themes:

DSS Community Consultation Full Report

Read detailed analysis of all feedback:

Alternate formats and language translations

Access a short summary in alternate formats and language translations: