ACHIEVE

It has been a fantastic year for ACHIEVE and all the hard work that has occurred during the past two years has well and truly paid off. We have spent a considerable amount of time rebuilding, and I am proud to say that we are now performing at a level that once made ACHIEVE a very powerful organisation. The year began in November 2010 and it was wonderful to be able to host a Professional Development Conference. This consisted of a video presentation by Dr Colin Cameron (Northumbria University, England) Not our Problem: Impairment as Difference, Disability as Role; together with a presentation from Dr Gill Rutherford (University of Otago College of Education) and Lara Sanderson (University of Otago's Centre for Research on Children and Families) Making a Difference: The relational work of student support, were enjoyed by attendees from across the country.

We also welcomed Lara Sanderson to the NEC as a Student Representative. Lara has recently completed a research master's thesis in child and youth studies. Her thesis looked at the school experiences of senior secondary ORRS funded students. Previous study includes a BA majoring in History and English with a minor in Classical Studies and a Postgraduate Diploma in Child Advocacy (with distinction). It has been great to have Lara's input on relevant issues from a student's perspective.

Following the AGM, Steve Russell stepped down as President and I assumed the role of Acting-President. In an attempt to strengthen student representation, Jo Hodge made contact with the New Zealand Union of Students' Association to re-establish contact between the leadership of the two organisations.

In January 2011 a refreshed NEC met and made a start on the various tasks that needed to be done. Rachael Lane from Massey had compiled a Statistics Template which was circulated around various institutions to complete. ACHIEVE had been asked for statistics on students with impairments and tertiary education by the Human Rights Commission. It raised a valid point because no one appeared to be gathering them, hence the birth of the template. Unfortunately many institutions were unable to complete this task, but in some ways this was useful as it further highlighted the need for the Ministry of Education to do so. Rachael spent a considerable amount of time on this project and I would like to extend a personal thanks to her for her efforts.

In February Jo Hodge and I met with the Ministry of Education, and this proved to be worthwhile. At this meeting ACHIEVE sought the Ministry's views on Kia Orite, equity funding and the lack of requirement to report on disability statistics, regression of inclusion, and the fact that ACHIEVE was monitoring how Managed Enrolments would affect students with impairments. This meeting renewed relationships and we were appreciative of the input from the membership regarding matters that needed to be raised.

In April we held a strategic planning session and reviewed the Constitution, Strategic Direction and Action Plan. While this was quite a "dry" task, it was long overdue and also allowed new NEC members to be familiar with such documents. At this session we also agreed that our promotional material needed to be revamped, but were also mindful of costs involved. We have been fortunate that our administrator has been able to secure additional funding to enable us to do this. On this note, I would like to thank Brett Challacombe-King, Lara Sanderson and Rachel 'Aluesi for their work on this project. The promotional material we now have is wonderful for raising the profile of ACHIEVE.

In September Jo, Lara and I met wth the Honourable Tariana Turia, Michelle McNab from the Office of Honourable Tariana Turia, Rachel Simpson from the Honourable Stephen Joyce's Office and Jan Scowan from the Office for Disability Issues. We discussed Kia Orite and possible re-endorsement, equity funding and the lack of requirement to report on disability statistics, regression of inclusion, and the fact that ACHIEVE was monitoring how Managed Enrolments would affect students with impairments. It is pleasing that we have received a response from this meeting and it seems Honourable Tariana Turia is keen to get some reporting mechanisms in place. We look forward to continuing discussions with all parties.

In October a document was circulated around the membership as ACHIEVE has been working with Workbridge on an initiative to try and simplify the process for students to access money from the Training Support Fund. One institution which has a large numer of students applying to the TS Fund to assist in paying for support services such as NZSL interpreters and notetaking, already has such an arrangement with Workbridge. Using their agreement as a model, ACHIEVE and Workbridge have been working on a proposal to make this kind of streamlined arrangement available to other institutions. As it stands, institutions did not think that was necessary at this time, so we will not proceed any further. I would like to thank Christine Brennan for her work on this issue and also for her comprehensive proposal to the membership. In addition to the previously mentioned activities, we have also made a number of submissions or commented on matters that will affect tertiary education. In particular, the 2011 Budget Announcement, the changes to accessing a Student Loan or Student Allowance, Managed Enrolments, and more recently the Ministerial Direction on Compulsory Student Services Fees in 2012. I would like to thank Jo for preparing a comprehensive submission on this very important issue.

So, you will see ACHIEVE has had a very productive year, but as with most years, there are highs and lows, with the Christchurch Earthquake being a huge low. The devastation caused was difficult to comprehend and our thoughts were very much with our colleagues in this area. Both Steve Russell and Christine Brennan have been dealing with the aftermath of such devastation and I would like to thank them both for their continued involvement during such difficult times.

Another low has been saying farwell to some of our NEC members: Rebecca Burns, Helena Tai and Rachael Lane. We wish to acknowledge their contribution to ACHIEVE over the years and wish them all the very best.

In terms of highs, the NEC was delighted with the appointment of Paul Gibson to his role as New Zealand's first Disability Rights Commissioner, which was announced on 2 September. Paul had a key role in founding ACHIEVE and in initiating the reform of student support in New Zealand. We wish him all the very best for this exciting new role.

Finally, working towards our goal of ensuring equal opportunity and access to post-secondary education and training for people with disabilities has enabled us to achieve some fantastic outcomes this year. I would like to extend a personal thanks to the NEC for all their very hard work and also for their ongoing support. I would like to thank Rachel 'Aluesi for being such a capable and competent administrator, and for being so resourceful in sourcing funding. I have greatly appreciated knowing that ACHIEVE is in good hands while I have been on parental leave and without Rachel, I know we would not be in the position we are in today. I would also like to thank Christine Brennan and Jo Hodge for providing Rachel with additional support during my absence.

In the words of Helen Keller, "Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much". I believe this is extremely fitting because all of our small contributions have greatly enhanced ACHIEVE. I look forward to working with the NEC to keep up the momentum in 2012.

Melissa Lethaby
Acting-President