Kāpiti Coast District Council and its disabilities advisors have agreed on key relationship issues and have completed a memorandum of understanding that defines them.
The MOU was signed last Thursday (April 8) by Mayor Jenny Rowan, Kāpiti Disability Reference Group chair Jim Webber and the Council’s Chief Executive Pat Dougherty.
“The memo states that the Council values our long-standing relationship with the Disability Reference Group which was formed in 2001,” Mayor Rowan said, “and we look to the Group for informed, experience-based advice on issues of access, equity and inclusion for people with disabilities in Kāpiti Coast District.”
“The practical effect of this agreement will be that Kāpiti Coast District Council will embed disability responsiveness in all Council policies, strategies and processes, and ensure that Kāpiti Disability Reference Group is involved early in the planning and design of Council projects,” she said.
“We’re greatly encouraged that the Council has agreed to formally recognise the roles we both have in improving the wellbeing of people with impairments in the Kāpiti communities,” said Jim Webber.
“The DRG already has a good relationship with Kāpiti Coast District Council and Council staff with whom we collaborate in various ways. However, the district’s over-65 population is forecast to expand dramatically during the next decade with an accompanying rise in disability numbers.
“This is one of the many reasons we welcome the memorandum of understanding and we thank Kāpiti Coast District Council for its role in developing it,” Mr Webber said.
