Permanent chief executive of new Ministry for Disabled People will be a disabled person
Thursday, 30 June 2022
The permanent chief executive of the new Ministry for Disabled People will be a disabled person, the Public Service Commission has said.
However, there was a delay in finalising the appointment due to the “personal circumstances” of the person, and they won’t be named when the new ministry launches on July 1.
The new Ministry for Disabled People, which was announced in October 2021, will “join up all the supports and services available to disabled people and replace a fragmented system where there is no single agency responsible for driving improved overall outcomes for disabled people,” said Minister Carmel Sepuloni at the time.
It is also the first government ministry in Aotearoa to have three official names – one in English, one in Te Reo Māori and one in New Zealand Sign Language.
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Until the appointment of the permanent chief executive, Geraldine Woods had been appointed acting chief executive for a limited time.
Woods was currently co-chair of the Ministry for Disabled People Establishment Governance Group.
Deputy public service commissioner Helene Quilter QSO said Woods was 'well-known to many in our disabled communities' and a respected public service leader with experience in the delivery of services for disabled people.
“While it is unfortunate there is a delay, I am very pleased Ms Woods has agreed to step into the acting role,” Quilter said.
The role of the chief executive of the ministry is to provide strategic leadership to the agency and across the system to achieve better outcomes for disabled people in New Zealand.
The Ministry for Disabled People Establishment Governance Group, which is consisting mostly of disabled people, said it was “very gratified” that the permanent chief executive was a disabled person.