NEW PROJECT
Flourishing Health Systems: Embedding Disabled People’s Expertise in Health Design
We are delighted to share that our team has received funding from the Health Research Council for a new research project.
This three-year project will explore how disabled people’s and tāngata whaikaha Māori expertise can be embedded into the places where health services are designed, planned, commissioned and evaluated.
The project builds from the work of Hua Tahi | Flourishing Together, where disabled people powerfully articulated that access, participation, home, health and wellbeing are shaped by systems — not simply by individual choices or clinical services.
In this next phase, we are moving further upstream. Rather than asking how disabled people can navigate systems that were not designed with them in mind, we will ask how health systems can better design, plan and make decisions with disabled people from the beginning.
Working with Health New Zealand, disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori, whānau, researchers and system partners, the project will develop and test practical methods for embedding lived expertise into real health service design and commissioning work.
Our hope is that this work will contribute to more equitable access to health and rehabilitation services, particularly for disabled people and tāngata whaikaha Māori who continue to experience fragmented, inconsistent and difficult-to-navigate pathways.
We are deeply grateful to the disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori, whānau, community partners, colleagues and system leaders whose wisdom has shaped this work so far. We look forward to continuing this kaupapa together.
Welcome.
Access to appropriate and inclusive housing is a fundamental human right and a key social determinant of health. Yet, disabled people, including tāngata whaikaha Māori, often face significant barriers in exercising choice and control over their living arrangements. Navigating a housing system primarily designed for non-disabled individuals presents significant challenges for those experiencing disability.
The 'Hua Tahi | Flourishing Together' research project has collaborated with disabled people, including tāngata whaikaha Māori, to co-produce policy recommendations for kāinga, housing and home. We aimed to develop a deeper understanding of the contexts in which disabled people could access and maintain kāinga, housing and home in ways that best meet their needs and aspirations.
At the same time, we co-designed and piloted novel processes and methods to more meaningfully include disabled experiences and expertise in future health-related policy development spaces.
This website will collate the stories, recommendations and outputs arising from the research.
Please do get in touch by email if you would like to connect or have any further questions.
Ngā mihi nui
Rachelle (on behalf of the team)
Including disabled voices improves housing outcomes and challenges systemic inequities, fostering a more inclusive and accessible housing future for all.
Achieving safe, accessible, and affordable housing for all requires inclusive policies that address the needs of disabled people and their families | whānau, including tāngata whaikaha Māori.
Yet, disabled voices remain underrepresented in housing policymaking.
The Hua Tahi | Flourishing Together project has used participatory co-production methods in partnership with disabled people. We have used realist methods to guide the research - trying to understand what works best for who, in what contexts, and how.
Between 2021 - 2025, 40 disabled people collaborated with researchers as a ‘Co-Production Team’. This work would not have been possible without their involvement and rich input.
This project was funded by the Health Research Council (HRC) Emerging Researcher fund. The study was approved by the University of Otago Human Ethics Committee (H21/099)
