Consultation and feedback from the disability community is helping to shape improvements to key areas of DSS services.
The 2026 community consultation on further improvements to key areas of DSS services is now closed. The consultation ran from 8 June to 31 July 2026.
Thank you to everyone who took part or supported others to have their say.
People generously shared views, experiences and ideas. We greatly appreciated people’s thought, effort and time.
What we consulted on
The consultation focused on what good support would look like in key areas the community has said matter most.
Topics included more flexible support, planning for life changes, better support for carers, making it easier to get information and give feedback, and the difference good support should make in people’s lives.
The 2026 consultation built on earlier feedback from the community and improvements over the past two years.
Read the 2026 consultation documents
Next steps
The focus now is reviewing the feedback and identifying opportunities to further improve services.
We will share a summary of what we heard once we have reported back to the Minister for Disability Issues.
What we’ve heard will help strengthen disability support services now and in future – including work underway to improve support for family carers – ensuring that future improvements are grounded in the experiences of disabled people, whānau and carers.
We will continue to keep the community and sector informed and will engage with representative groups as this work progresses.
Wider work underway
This consultation is one part of wider work to strengthen disability support services.
Feedback from the disability community over the past two years has already led to improvements, including:
- more consistent needs assessments that reflect Enabling Good Lives principles and consider carers' needs
- greater choice and control for people who use flexible funding.
There is still more to do, and further work is underway.
Support for family carers
DSS is developing a package of financial, respite and practical support for family carers. Feedback from this consultation will help inform that work.
Learn more about the carer support package
DSS legislation
The DSS Bill aims to provide a clear and transparent legal foundation for Disability Support Services and make it easier for people to understand what support is available and how decisions are made.
The Bill aims to support future improvements to DSS support programmes. What we’ve already heard through community consultations will help to guide this work. We will engage further with groups and representatives as this work progresses.