Finding Common Ground
Building disability leadership for collective impact
A movement to build a shared declaration of disabled people’s rights to shape political change ahead of the 2026 General Election and beyond.
Join us to share your voice, your lived experience, and your vision for collective action.
On this page
Why this kaupapa matters
Disabled people have long advocated for our rights, dignity and inclusion. Too often, however, our voices are fragmented or overlooked in political decision making.
Finding Common Ground responds to a clear call from the disability community to:
- strengthen unity across the disability and whānau sectors
- elevate disabled voices and lived experience
- create a shared platform that can influence decision making and public conversations
- assert disability rights in ways that honour Te Tiriti and recognise Aotearoa’s diverse communities
Together, we are building a shared declaration of disabled people’s rights — grounded in Te Tiriti o Waitangi, UNCRPD and Enabling Good Lives — to shape political change ahead of the 2026 General Election and beyond.
This project is led by tāngata whaikaha Māori, Deaf and disabled people, whānau, carers and allies and aims to support our collective impact — not replace existing advocacy — rather amplify it through shared purpose and collaboration.
Change is strongest when we build it together
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Grounded in Te Tiriti o Waitangi
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Led by disabled people
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Strengthening collective impact
How you can get involved
We want this declaration to reflect the voices and priorities of disabled people and our wider communities.
The team at Tātou-Tātou (tatoutatou.org) are supporting engagement and drafting. There are several ways to participate:
- Open survey (coming soon):
A short survey to gather high-level ideas and priorities. We encourage you to complete it and share it widely with your networks. - Online focus groups:
TātouTātou will facilitate small online workshops for deeper discussion. These groups are for people who are confident sharing ideas and thinking in detail.
Places are limited, but we will do our best to accommodate interest.
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Sign up to receive updates and opportunities to get involved
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Contact us if you have any questions
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Register your interest in being in a focus group
Register for a focus group
What has happened so far?
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Feb
Finding Common Ground takes shape
Our first Finding Common Ground hui was held in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.
Tāngata whaikaha Māori, Deaf and disabled leaders, parents, whānau and carers came together to connect, share whakaaro, and explore how we could strengthen our collective impact.
- One of the strongest idea to emerge was a call for a clear, shared declaration of disabled people’s rights in Aotearoa
- The declaration is intended as a practical tool that the sector can use to push disability rights onto the political agenda in the lead up to the 2026 General Election, and for post election campaigning and advocacy.
There was also a call for a steering group to be set up.
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Mar
Steering group - guiding kaupapa and securing funding
A steering group has been set up to guide the kaupapa and secure funding.
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Dec
Funding secured
We are grateful to receive funding for this important mahi from:
- Foundation North
- J R McKenzie Trust
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March
Drafting the declaration begins
The draft declaration will be developed through surveys, focus groups and engagement that will be:
- shared across our collective networks
- open for your feedback and input
- refined before being finalised.
Meet the steering group
A steering group was set up to guide the kaupapa and secure funding.
It includes representatives from:
- Disabled Persons Assembly (DPA)
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- Kera Sherwood-O'Regan (co-chair)
- Juliana Carvalho
- Te Ao Mārama Aotearoa (TAMA)
- Bernadette Jones (co-chair)
- Tristram Ingram
- National Enabling Good Lives (NEGL)
- Jade Farrar
- Mark Benjamin
- Gordon Jackman
Thank you to our funders
We are grateful to receive funding for this important mahi from:
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
A statement of our rights that we want upheld in law and in practice.