Whanganui advocates welcome consultation on Election Access Fund

Whanganui disability advocate Sir Robert Martin said he would like to see the Election Access Fund made available for local body candidates. Photo / Bevan Conley

Whanganui disability advocate Sir Robert Martin said he is pleased the Electoral Commission Te Kaitiaki Take Kōwhiri is attempting to make it easier for candidates with disabilities to run for office.

The purpose of the $1 million Election Access Fund is to reduce cost barriers faced by political candidates with disabilities that non-disabled candidates do not face.

Martin received a knighthood for services to people with disabilities in the 2020 New Year Honours and is a member of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

"I'm a bit too busy to think about standing for election myself but I fully support the Election Access Fund and I do have some ideas about what candidates with disabilities need.

"The language used in politics is very different and for someone with a learning disability, it requires the right kind of assistance to make sense of it. I'm really glad they are asking people what assistance they need."

The fund is the result of a bill introduced to Parliament by Green Party MP Chloe Swarbrick and passed in 2020.

Martin said he would like to see the fund expanded to include local body candidates as well as those wanting to stand for central government.

Russell Lowry who runs a career counselling service in Whanganui has been visually impaired all his life and stood for local body election in the 1990s.

"I was a candidate in the Bulls ward for the Rangitīkei [District] Council," he said.

"There were some access issues as I recall and although I understand that most council buildings have better access now, there are likely to be campaign venues that won't be accessible."

Blind or visually impaired people will need help with things like transport and paperwork, Lowry said.

"I was lucky to have my wife to help with those things but the fund could help candidates to hire a driver or campaign assistant."

Lowry said it was good to hear that the Electoral Commission was taking the trouble to consult on the needs of people with disabilities because the criteria should be wide and inclusive.

"Some disabilities are not obvious and it is important to be inclusive when looking at eligibility."

Former Green Party MP Mojo Mathers highlighted the need for inclusiveness when she became New Zealand's first deaf Member of Parliament in 2011 and it was her suggestion that NZ Sign Language be used in Parliament to "enable the wider deaf community to access political debate".

Chief Electoral Officer Karl Le Quesne said costs such as sign language interpreters and accessible transport were some examples of expenses that could be covered.

"We are asking interested groups and individuals to take part in a survey on the fund. We want feedback on the practical aspects of how we will operate the fund, including eligibility for funding and the sorts of expenses it should cover," he said.

"Having the input of the disability community throughout the process to design and develop the fund is critical to ensure that it works well in practice."

The survey can be filled in online at the elections.nz website under the tab called 'Have your say on the Election Access Fund'.