Based on data collected from our people at the time of onboarding, only 4.3% of our people have told us that they have a disability. But with disabled people accounting for 24% of New Zealand’s population1, we know that this number is likely to be significantly higher.
Disability takes many forms – some are visible, and many are hidden. Some people are disabled by society but may not identify as having a disability. We want all people at Inland Revenue Te Tari Taake to be supported to perform at their best. We have an ongoing focus on removing barriers to employment and ensuring that our practices, processes and tools are inclusive and enabling for all.
“Nothing about us without us”
This is the principle that we work to when focusing on work that supports our people with disabilities. We will work collaboratively with the disabled community to develop, review and implement our actions that enable them.
Our focus for 2024/25
Accessibility Tick assessment
In the 23/24 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Roadmap we committed to working with the Diversability Network to explore the New Zealand Disability Employer’s Network and the Accessibility Tick.
Our aims of doing so were to understand our current state and any areas of improvement needed to be inclusive of disabled and neurodivergent people.
An initial assessment has provided us with useful advice on where we might improve. These will be worked through with the Diversability community and different parts of the organisation to identify the actions that we already have underway and any new opportunities for improvement that align with Inland Revenue’s priorities.
Our properties
Our property programme is committed to ensuring the voices of our disabled community are included across our property initiatives. This is generally through active involvement in Business Engagement Groups (BEG) for each specific property project. Acknowledging that individual experiences are unique as well as the specific features of each project and site – this approach allows actions to be tailored based on the specific needs of the project.
Digital Accessibility
Digital accessibility is an ongoing focus. It ensures that everyone including people with disabilities can access and use digital content.
Digital accessibility improvements at Inland Revenue Te Tari Taake are coordinated by the Digital Accessibility Working Group (DAWG), however accountability and responsibility are on all business groups and individuals to ensure that this is front of mind when procuring tools, services or learning.
We will be continuing to provide advice and support across the organisation, and work with external partners to ensure that accessibility requirements are met.
1Statistics New Zealand 2013 Disability survey