Auckland Art Gallery facade

Arts organisations and venues will become more accessible this year, thanks to eleven grants provided by Creative New Zealand for projects ranging from sign language interpretations and audio described performances to music workshops and concerts for disabled children and young adults, and improved physical access.   Totalling $30,000, the one-off grants are being administered by Arts Access Aotearoa through its Arts For All Programme, a partnership programme with Creative New Zealand. The aim of this programme is to work with representatives from the disability sector to support arts organisations, venues and producers to improve their access.

Stephen Wainwright, Chief Executive, Creative New Zealand said the one-off grants signal the organisation’s commitment to supporting improved access to arts events for all New Zealanders. They complement the publication Arts for All: opening doors to disabled people and the annual Big ‘A’ Creative New Zealand Arts for All Award.  “It’s great to see the range of projects and the organisations’ enthusiasm to build new audiences by making performances, facilities and information more accessible to disabled people,” he said. “I look forward to seeing the long-term impact of this investment and of Arts Access Aotearoa’s Arts for All Programme.”

Richard Benge, Executive Director, Arts Access Aotearoa said the one-off grants build on the work being done through the Arts For All Programme. They have also prompted valuable discussions with the organisations.  “I am very pleased to see the level of commitment and creative ideas coming from the arts community to improve access for everyone wanting to engage in the arts,” he said.

The eleven grant recipients will also contribute their own funding to their projects.

The grants will go to

• Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki to increase access to its programmes, provide disability awareness training for staff, and provide a series of signed talks about works in its collection in 2012

• Auckland Theatre Company to install ramps in its premises and make its website more accessible to people with a visual impairment

• Capital E National Theatre for Children to provide signed performances of three different works in its 2012 programme

• Chamber Music New Zealand to present a workshop and concert in the Wellington Town Hall for disabled children and young adults so they can experience live music up close, and interact with musicians and their instruments

• Fortune Theatre, Dunedin to establish best practice methodologies for audio-described performances and present six audio-described performances in 2012

• New Zealand Symphony Orchestra to increase the number of its performances to students in special needs schools in Auckland

• Pablos Art Studios, Wellington to provide staff training for its tutors, enhancing their engagement with those studio’s artists who have visual, hearing or communication impairments

• Q Theatre, Auckland to develop an accessibility policy and action plan, promote its access to a wide audience, and provide disability awareness training for staff, board and management

• Silo Theatre, Auckland to provide signed performances of Tribes by Nina Raine, an award-winning work about the politics of communication for hearing, hearing impaired and Deaf people

• Studio2, Dunedin to display artwork by disabled artists to professional standards in its exhibition space

• Theatre Royal Charitable Trust, Christchurch to contribute to the installation of an accessible lift, catering for disabled patrons, to the upper levels of the Isaac Theatre Royal.

Source: Arts Access Aotearoa

Two new text books on accessible tourism are available through the European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT) from Channel View Publications. The first is “Concepts and Issues” (eds: Dimitrios Buhalis and Simon Darcy), which sets out to  explore and document the current theoretical approaches, foundations and issues  in the study of accessible tourism.  Professor Nigel Morgan, The Welsh Centre for Tourism Research states that this volume harnesses “the best conceptual  developments on the topic” and that it will “take accessible tourism and universal design debates into the mainstream of academic enquiryand industry practice“

The second volume is “Best Practice in Accessible Tourism” (eds: Buhalis, Darcy, and Ivor Ambrose).  It focuses on policy and best practice in accessible tourism, reflecting the ”state-of -the-art” as expressed in a selection of international chapters. It brings together global expertise in planning, design and management to inform and stimulate providers of travel, transport, accommodation, leisure and tourism services to serve guests with disabilities, seniors and the wider markets that require good accessibility. Chapter 8, written by Sandra Rhodda of Access Tourism New Zealand, describes the state of accessible tourism in this country.  Overall, the book gives ample evidence that accessible tourism organisations and destinations can expand their target markets as well as improve the quality of their service offering, leading to greater customer satisfaction, loyalty and expansion of business.  Accessible tourism is not only about providing access to people with disabilities but also it addresses the creation of universally designed environments that can support people that may have temporary disabilities, families with young children, the ever increasing ageing population as well as creating a safer environment for employees to work. Noel Scott, of the University of Queensland, Australia says that the volume “provides a ‘state-of-the-art” assessment of both theory and practice. This book establishes a new field of study and provides the benchmark against which other contributions will be judged. It integrates the work of all the key players and should be read by academics, managers and government policy makers.”

The Taranaki Daily News reports that New Plymouth art gallery The Govett-Brewster received the Arts Access Aotearoa Big ‘A’ Creative New Zealand Arts For All Award in recognition of its continuing work with disabled people to better understand their needs in relation to art appreciation. The gallery provides:

• audio and touch tours
• large-print exhibition guides for the blind and partially-sighted
• sound enhancer to make audio clearer for the hearing impaired
• sign-language tours with an interpreter for the deaf
• easy access for those who are physically disabled
• disabled-friendly website
• Staff trained in disability awareness
• discussion forums with the disabled community

Gallery Director Rhana Devenport was thrilled with the award but said it was only the beginning.  ”It’s good that they recognise we’re making a sincere and genuine effort, but we know we’ve got a long journey ahead and lots of learning to do, it’s a continuing conversation with the disabled community,” she said.

In awarding the Govett-Brewster, the judges said: ” The Govett-Brewster Art Gallery’s commitment to accessibility is underpinned by the New Plymouth District Council’s Disability Strategy – an example of best practice that gave the Govett-Brewster the edge. This nomination was a fine example of an arts organisation developing its audience by increasing access, and we look forward to seeing the next steps on its journey to accessibility.”  Presenting the award at a ceremony in Parliament, Creative New Zealand Chief Executive Stephen Wainwright said, “engaging New Zealanders in the arts and ensuring they have access to great art experiences is a priority for us. This award sits at the heart of what Creative New Zealand wants to achieve”.  Creative New Zealand id the national arts development agency.

An event held during New Zealand Sign Language Week (May 2-8) has highlighted the fact that more deaf people would more often attend sign language interpretation of art in galleries if it was on offer. So says NZ Sign Language interpreter Brydee Jenkins Strang.  The Dunedin Public Art Gallery (DPAG) held a tour of the Beloved collection last Sunday, with Strang translating guide Eryn van Dijk’s discussion. This tour was the only interpreted gallery tour in New Zealand for Sign Language (NZSL) Week, and was the second time it was run. The Beloved collection shows popular works in the DPAG collection such as pieces by New Zealanders  Colin McCahon and Reuben Paterson, and by Claude Monet.  Deaf Aotearoa New Zealand (DANZ) community relations officer Jenna Holland attended the tour, and said deaf attendees enjoyed the event and would like more translated events. “Deaf community members like visualising and describing things,” said Holland.  She would like to see an exhibition of work by deaf artists with a related workshop to introduce people to sign language and the deaf arts community.  DANZ focuses on promoting awareness of, access to, and advancement of NZSL and provides information and resources on D/deaf New Zealanders, and D/deaf culture.  DANZ held a workshop on sign language for
gallery staff during Sign Language Week. NZSL is NZ’a third official language –
the other two are English and Maori.

DPAG visitor host Rosemary Jackson-Hunter said the gallery would like to hold more events like the interpreted tour. “We are considering doing something for people with impaired sight,” said Jackson-Hunter .

A search of the DPAG website reveals that there is no information about access to the gallery for people with any type of disability, and no way to search for such information on the website.  While a few other galleries (and museums) in New Zealand do have such information, an extensive search for disabled access at other galleries and museums throughout New Zealand shows that their websites lack access information about their premises.

Dear Karen,

It would be so great to see you and your husband (who is willing to wheel you anywhere accessible) in New Zealand, and I really wish I could offer you advice about where to get information about accessible places that you could visit or stay at, but that information is essentially non-existent.  At least reliable information is virtually non-existent.  The most reliable is the newly set up website “Be. Accessible”, which has assessed some accommodations, eateries, attractions and so on for access but so far only in the Auckland City area, so not of much use to you I am afraid.   Another source of reliable information is the newly-released Taupo District Council brochure which has accommodations and attractions etc that have been assessed by a person with Barrier-Free training.  I say reliable because these are accommodations and so on that have actually been independently assessed for access for people with a disability, and their accessibility is described.  If you do visit Rotorua, you could then head south to Taupo with this brochure.  There are a couple of other websites which list accessible accommodations, attractions etc, but may I advise caution? The businesses  listed have been rated as accessible by the owner or operator, but my research has shown that operators do not often know what true access for people with disabilities is and so often claim their premises are accessible when they are not.

 As I don’t know the full extent of your access needs, I can’t advise you to “wing it” in New Zealand as you suggest.  I really have not myself checked out the accessibility of tourism products along the routes you describe and would hate to give you misleading advice.  And there is nowhere you can go to for such advice that I know of I am afraid.  I do not have the knowledge about accessible accommodations and walks that you so desperately need.   I see you have tried to download the brochures about “Easy Access Walks” put out by our Department of Conservation and could not do so.  I am not sure why.   I would in any case suggest caution using these guides as some of the walks that I have checked myself in the past were really not that accessible for a person in a chair, or with mobility disability, even though they are stated as wheelchair accessible.  I have to confess though that I have not checked them all.   In case you do want to depend on these, the north island walks can be found here, and the south island here.

There are a handful of operators in New Zealand who offer accessible tours (I will email you a list), but I have not checked these out personally and so can not speak with authority about them.  As we have no quality rating system for Access Tourism products, it is hard to tell.  One thing you could do is write to them and lay out your needs so you can be quite clear that those needs will be met.  Another thing you could do is to have a look at the Access Tourism NZ website for descriptions of trips others have taken in New Zealand (for example, Jim Llewellyn, Bruce Mumford, etc).  And then, if you do travel around New Zealand, it would be helpful to others if you were to let Access Tourism New Zealand know of your experiences so that we can pass on that information to others.

 I wish that information about Access Tourism in New Zealand was more easily available and relaible, but until more funding is forthcoming for research, quality rating, and description in this area, I am afraid all I can do is offer you my apologies for not being more helpful.  The Be. Accessible Foundation is to receive NZ$4 million from the government over the next four years to advance their access programme so I am hopeful that that will lead to more reliable information about Access Tourism products throughout New Zealand in the future.

Regards, Sandra.

Cruise ships and the companies that run them have become much more attuned to meeting the needs of their ageing and disabled passengers.  No longer is the stereotypical cruise passenger fit, healthy, and dancing – instead many are using walkers, canes, wheelchairs, and scooters  Some cruise passengers may have sight loss, be blind, have hearing loss or be deaf, and cruise lines are pursuing this market opportunity.  This has been prodded not only by considerations for the bottom line, but also by changes in laws. Under Maritime law, a ship’s flag determines what country has jurisdiction. Therefore, an American ship flying an American flag off the coast of Africa is still governed by American maritime law; similarly, Italian law would govern an Italian ship on the coast of California.  However, as of 2004, foreign cruise lines sailing in U.S. waters must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which requires access to passengers in wheelchairs. And last year, a new USA Department of Transportation rule was announced which ensures vessel operators policies do not discriminate against passengers with disabilities.   In Europe, cruiselines, tour operators and travel agents will need to work more closely to ensure they do not breach new European Union regulations on selling cruise holidays to disabled clients.  The EU Regulation 1177/2010, which gives new rights to cruise and ferry passengers, becomes law on December 18, 2012. Breaching the new rules- which apply where embarkation is in the EU – will result in a penalty.

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) predicts that the 2011 cruise season will be better than ever before, with 16 million passengers (an increase of 6.6%).   Here in New Zealand, the number of Kiwis taking a cruise has reached a record high, increasing 62% over the last five years.  The important role played by older tourists in this growing sector was in February recognized by the NZ Tourism Industry Association when CEO Tim Cossar stated that “the cruise market is being driven by high spending Baby Boomers”.  In spite of that, our ports are ill prepared for an influx of older visitors.   Cruise passengers travelling to New Zealand tend to be in older age groups.  72% are aged between 55 – 74 years, while only 5% are under the age of 40 (2006/2007 Cruise Research, Tourism New Zealand).  Along with an increase in the age of our visitors will come an increase in visitors with disabilities because disability increases with age.  Given this, the rise in cruise numbers, and the increasing provision of access on ships resulting in more passengers that have disabilities using those ships, Access Tourism New Zealand will continue to advocate for an improvement in access at NZ ports. 

For information about cruise lines and access – including caveats against particular choices – and for cruise tips for people with disabilities, visit the Cruise Critic website.

At a time when New Zealand is focused on recreating the built environment of ita second-largest city (Christchurch), a new enterprise has launched with two significant and potentially contributory new initiatives: New Zealand’s first nationwide accessibility programme, Be. Accessible, and the first nationwide disability leadership programme of its kind, Be. Leadership.

At its launch event at the Auckland War Memorial Museum, Be. Institute formally presented the two programmes and outlined the vision for what the institute, through its initiatives and partnerships, can do to foster accessibility and enable a 100% accessible society for all New Zealanders.

The mission is social change: to improve the accessibility of the physical environment, enable better access to information, promote the inclusion and leadership of disabled people in employment and the community, and change social attitudes and behaviours.

In many respects, the timing of the launch is optimal. One Be. Institute project, the Be. Test Match, will be rolled out through the Be. Accreditation programme (part of Be. Accessible) to the 12 New Zealand cities hosting Rugby World Cup 2011.

In the first phase, the Be. Assessors will visit key locations in each of the 12 cities and assess stadia, fan zones, i-SITES and other relevant locations such as hotels.

However, the organization’s aims for its programmes reach beyond this sporting event. By the end of May 2011, Be. Accessible will have trained 40 Be. Assessors, who will be equipped with the tools and know-how to perform holistic assessments of the aforementioned sites, and thousands of others over time.

They will be able to cover the whole accessibility journey, asking questions like: how accessible is the organisation’s website,  what is the level of customer service, how accessible is the building entrance, interior and products, and are the business / organisation’s marketing materials accessible to all people?  Any business can book an accessibility assessment from a Be. Assessor and learn how they can change their practices or structure to make their organization more accessible.

The Be. Institute was founded through a partnership between the Auckland Council, the Auckland University of Technology (AUT) and the Auckland District Health Board.  Be. Institute is led by chief executive Minnie Baragwanath, who before founding Be. Institute worked for 10 years in the disability sector, advising to the former Auckland City Council.

Ann and Jim Llewellyn

In summary, Jim found:

 • Although all 10 operators claimed their accommodation was accessible, none of the ten we stayed at were fully accessible, and accessibility ranged from non-existent to poor for most, to excellent for one (Amber Court Motor Lodge, Nelson).

• There seems to be no standard requirements

• In most hotels/motels disability features are at the whim of the installer as to location and design

• So-called accessible rooms for people with disabilities are often located well away from entrances to buildings, and I got the feeling that in some places it was “out of sight, out of mind”.

• Design features are such that microwaves, power outlets and switches are not suitably placed.

• Showers have no curtains so that the whole floor gets wet. To get from the shower I would have to place my crutches in the wet and walk in the wet. No squeegees were supplied.

• Taps generally are of the knob-type not the extended-arm type (i.e., easy to use by people with physical disabilities).

• Many consider only wheelchairs, not other disabilities. • There were no visual or vibratory emergency alarms for the hearing impaired.

 In addition, Jim reports that where wheelchair- accessible public toilets were used en route (when available) they were in general use, and were dirty, with very wet floors. Therefore, if a person had to remove a prosthesis, their clothes would get soiled.

Jim also writes that, in looking on the internet for accommodation for a return trip planned later this year to the north island of New Zealand, he has found discrimination in many instances where a disabled person is charged considerably more for accommodation.

You can read Jim’s assessment of the ten accommodations here:

REPORT: Accommodation for people with physical disabilities in the south island of New Zealand.  Taking into consideration use of wheelchair, crutches and prosthesis (walking stick). Details in order of visit (all hotels were notified of the users disability prior to the visit)

Addington Court Motel, Lincoln Road, Christchurch: Had a disabled unit that was well fitted, although there was no stool to sit while dressing or using sink. There was a non slip product on the hand rails – the best grip I have come across.

Commodore Court Motel, Blenheim: Room had a 50mm access lip, difficult for a self propelled chair. Although a large entry to room it was impossible to have wheelchair next to beds, Very difficult for severely handicapped. It had knobbed taps, not arm and no changing stool. Toilet seat was broken from prior use as such. Wheelchair does not fit under sink. No rail to pull up from plastic chair supplied for shower and the legs buckled. Quite dangerous.

Amber Court Motor Lodge, Nelson: What a pleasure it was to stay here. The assistance of the Manager, the presentation of the room- outstanding. The room had all that was needed except for a dressing stool and the soap dish was located a bit far from a seated position in the shower. It was mentioned to the manager and with no hesitation the matters were rectified. If only we struck more of this calibre.

Buller Bridge Motel, Westport: Had 1 single and 3 double disabled units and although well fitted out were using an insecure electrical towel rail as a grab handle. Danger mentioned to Manager. No wheelchair access to beds without moving beds- difficult for disabled.

Greenacres Chalet, Hanmer Springs:  Totally inaccessible for wheelchairs to bathrooms and toilets, shower as useless as the bath- unable to use either. No rails, smooth stainless floor and no room for assistance. Doors to bedrooms too narrow for wheelchair access.

Ibis Hotel, Christchurch:  Amenities good but towel rail not handy and had to sit on toilet to dress. No wheelchair access to rest of room/bed.

Omarama Motel, Omarama: No towel rail adjacent – no soap container, difficult to pick up from floor. Once again no stool.

Kingsgate, Dunedin:  No wheelchair access to bathroom and toilet. Glazed tiles, dangerous on crutches. Bars over bath were located for showering not bathing, would be difficult for elderly and disabled.

Kingsgate Hotel, Te Anau:  Great , a number of disabled rooms, although no stool and no bars outside shower (common fault).

Mercure Resort, Queenstown: The first room provided was a 70 metres walk from the lift. The bathroom with shower over the bath and half screened made it totally inaccessible. On complaint we were moved to a 2nd room, which had an open shower with no seat available in the shower or stool to dress. It had a 4 rail towel rail located shoulder height adjacent to the toilet – this made it impossible to sit squarely on toilet and to stand up from it. Sink placement in front of toilet made inaccessible for a wheelchair. Rail in shower was at standing height and no seat till they found an unsuitable plastic scooped sun chair, No rails to leave shower – no wheelchair access to beds which were too low to the floor. The entrance door was so strongly sprung that wheelchair and crutch access was extremely difficult without assistance. Tiles were semi glazed, very slippery on crutches. There were redeeming features. They supplied a wheelchair to use in the hotel. The entrance door of the room had an eyehole at wheelchair height – the first I have seen- however, from the chair you could not get close enough to use it.

Taupō District Council has released a new brochure designed to make it easier for people who have a mobility issue to get around and enjoy what the district has to offer.   The Taupō District Access Brochure is a joint venture between Taupō District Council and the Taupō Mobility Access Reference Group (TMARG). TMARG is a community group who meet regularly to look at access issues in our community on behalf of people with a range of restricted mobility, sight and hearing impairments.  

The brochure will inform community members and visitors to the district of accessible facilities, such as banks, ATMs, accommodation, dining, parking, public toilets, respite care and medical facilities.  The brochure will be available from Taupō district i-Site’s and respite/retirements homes, and will also be on the Taupō District Council website. 

The six month project involved auditing every public facility in the CBD of Taupō, Turangi and Mangakino, and giving a rating of poor, moderate or good. Accessible Taupo Project worker Lucinda Stone, together with TMARG member Chance Anderson – who has skills gained from his Barrier Free Audit training – took on the task of checking and rating the facilities.  Access Tourism NZ applauds the fact that assessments of facilities have been done independently.  “Too often in Access brochures, opertors such as accommodation owners rate their own facilities as accessible, when quit frankly, they have no idea of what true access is” said Sandra Rhodda of ATNZ.    ”Kudos to this council for going the extra mile and doing the job properly”.

Production of Taupō District Access Brochure is kindly supported by Lakeland Disability Support Trust.

In a positive step forward, the New Zealand Government has recognized the skills, knowledge and economic power of older people and how these will benefit New Zealand’s economic competitiveness in the next 40 years.  Minister for Senior Citizens John Carter – in releasing a report called The Business of Ageing, Realising the economic potential of older people in New Zealand: 2011-2051   – said that in less than 20 years, one million people in New Zealand will be over the age of 65, compared to about 560,000 today. And in 40 years, one in four people will be aged over 65, compared to one in eight today.  “People over 65 are predicted to be our only growth market in terms of demography. They will become one of the most significant consumer markets in New Zealand. They will have their own needs and preferences that are quite different from earlier generations of older people, and also quite different from younger people.  Baby boomers will be healthier, better educated and have more spending power than any other generation reaching 65 in New Zealand’s history.  They want to stay active and keep working. Flexible work options could drive job growth and help us respond to projected skill and labour shortages.  Government cannot work in isolation to develop priorities for older people, so buy-in from the business sector, employers and people of all ages is essential to capture the possibilities this report outlines” said Carter.

That the mature market is hailed as a good example of an opportunity for New Zealand, both domestically and internationally is a major step forward.   The report mentions tourism amongst other things.  Certainly, in tourism, there has been little recognition of the growing importance of this market.  The first mention of the fact that “travellers in the older age groups will become even more significant in the future” occurred in the Ministry of Tourism’(now part of the Ministry of Econmic Development) report, Interenational Visitors Tourism Sector Profile, in June 2009.  Then last year (2010), Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism John Key said that moteliers should not be surprised if their market becomes increasingly retired people. “They will travel around New Zealand as they will have more time on their hands and will want see the West Coast or whatever and you will get more of them as at the moment New Zealand has 535,000 over 65 and in 40 years it will have a million.” said Key.    Also in 2010, the government released a report which recognized the importance of the older market.  The report – Domestic Tourism Market Segmentation - went on to state that major barriers to this group travelling are “health and disability (their own or that of a travelling companion) as well as lack of travelling companions”.    

This latest report states that ”A tourism industry that responds to the changing demands of baby boomers over 65 could have spin-off effects for other industries and stimulate regional economic growth”. As Access Toursm New Zealand has pointed out on numerous occassions, if New Zealand is to seriously market to and cater for older travellers (or indeed, older markets in general), it has to take into consideration that disability increases with age, and must improve its access tourism offer.  Instead of seeing a person’s disability as a barrier (as the Segmentation Report does), it must look at  environment factors such as inaccessible tourism websites, transport, accommodation and other innaccessible products as disabling.