12. Disability Issues Minister—StatementsPOTO WILLIAMS (Labour—Christchurch East) to the Minister for Disability IssuesDisability Issues Minister—Statements12. POTO WILLIAMS (Labour—Christchurch East) to the Minister for Disability Issues: Why did she say that she would rather be out on the harbour than meeting with disability advocacy groups?Hon NICKY WAGNER (Minister for Disability Issues): Thank you for the opportunity to make a statement about my tweet. I would like to make four points. The first is that my tweet was totally inappropriate thoughtless and poorly worded. Second I apologise unreservedly. Thirdly I have worked with the disability community for 3 years and I would never do anything deliberately to hurt or insult any disabled person or their families or their communities. I respect them far too much for that. Fourthly I am absolutely committed to making life better for disabled people by developing policies and services that will give them more choice more control and more opportunities in their lives. Poto Williams: If it was not the Minister's intention to give offence as she has just stated and also stated in her tweet of apology why did she state that we all would have rather had … meetings out on the harbour"; and does she not understand that some disabled people cannot access the harbour? Hon NICKY WAGNER: As I said that tweet was totally inappropriate thoughtless and poorly worded. I apologise and I will continue to apologise for it. I would never deliberately do anything to hurt disabled people their families or their communities and I am absolutely committed to making life better for disabled people and to give them more choice more control and more opportunities in their lives. Poto Williams: What feedback did she receive from people with disabilities and disability organisations on her comment that she would rather have been out on the harbour than meeting with them? Hon NICKY WAGNER: As I have said before that tweet was totally inappropriate thoughtless and poorly worded. I apologise for it and I will continue to apologise for it. I have worked with the disability community and I respect them far too much to deliberately hurt them in any way. And finally—Poto Williams: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Mr SPEAKER: I will certainly invite the member to ask the question again. It has not been addressed. Poto Williams: Thank you Mr Speaker. What feedback did she receive from people with disabilities and disability organisations on her comments that she would rather be out on the harbour than meeting with them? Hon NICKY WAGNER: I received mixed response from the disability community but the thing that I find most disappointing is that that tweet got so much publicity when the work that I do with disabled communities and disabled people—and whom I tweet regularly about—which would make a difference to people in the disability community never gets much pick-up. Poto Williams: How does she respond to disability advocates who are now calling for her to resign? Hon NICKY WAGNER: As I have said I have worked for the last 3 years with the disability community. I think we are doing very good work for them. There has been a significant amount of work done in terms of Enabling Good Lives and giving them more opportunities with disability services plus we have worked extensively with getting disabled people into work. I believe that that work should continue. Maureen Pugh: What work has the Minister been doing to support disabled people and their families? Hon NICKY WAGNER: My work for the last 3 years has been focused on giving disabled people more choice more control and more opportunities in their lives. We have rewritten the Disability Strategy now with an action plan and a monitoring framework. I have championed the Enabling Good Lives principles and am now in a co-designed process to totally transform disability support services. Budget 2017 added another $204 million to disability support. I have also worked hard supporting disabled people into work—firstly with Project 300 in Christchurch which got close to 600 disabled people into work and then we rolled out employability across the country based on what we learnt in Christchurch. And finally—Mr SPEAKER: Bring the answer to a conclusion. Hon NICKY WAGNER: —because disabled people will have real opportunities to work only if employers open their doors I have initiated the Disability Confident employers' scheme which has brought New Zealand's biggest employers together to support this work."