Thank you, Lianne. And thank you to everyone who has turned out tonight, both here in Wellington and at the regional functions.

Your presence shows me how important the Strategy is to you all, and how closely you will be watching to make sure it is successfully implemented.

And that's what I want to focus on tonight: the Government's commitment to the content of the Strategy and to its implementation.

There were two major underlying principles that governed the development of the Strategy - the social model of disability and human rights.

Societies are built in ways that assume we can all move quickly from one side of the road to the other. That we can all see signs, read directions, hear announcements, reach buttons, climb stairs, open heavy doors, interpret complex information, and have stable moods and perceptions.

For the one in five New Zealanders with a long term impairment, this is not necessarily the case. Many are unable to reach their full potential or participate fully in our communities because of the barriers they face doing everyday things.

These barriers relate to their physical environment, social attitudes, education and employment opportunities, access to services, income levels, and other factors which affect people's goals and aspirations.

They are socially constructed - and they can be removed. That, in a nutshell, is the aim of the New Zealand Disability Strategy.

The Strategy also incorporates a vision of a society based on human rights, empowerment and participation of all its people. A society which values and celebrates diversity, and which recognises the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi.

With 15 objectives supported by 113 actions, there is obviously a lot to do. We all want to see practical changes and initiatives that will really impact on people's lives - the sorts of things that, over time, will make New Zealand a truly inclusive society.

The New Zealand Disability Strategy provides the direction and context in which to develop these initiatives. From the practical, commonsense things that can have a big impact on people's lives - like effective rehabilitation and making sure our public information is actually accessible to all New Zealanders, to broader systemic issues - through the development of holistic approaches that cross agencies and funding sources.

The Government has not used the development of the New Zealand Disability Strategy as an excuse for delay. Work has already begun on a number of related initiatives.

We have almost completed a review of vocational services for disabled people, looking at the way services are organised and funded. Disabled people are, quite rightly, demanding meaningful employment opportunities and community participation, and this review is a long-overdue response to that demand.

We have funded the 2001 Disability Survey, following on from the Census. This is the second such survey. It will provide timely and authoritative statistics for policy, planning, research and advocacy which will help inform us as we implement the Strategy.

At the beginning of April, Standards New Zealand launched their improved and expanded code covering design for access and mobility in buildings and associated facilities. It is the only standard cited in the Building Act, giving it a unique status and a weight it would not otherwise have. This is a good example of mainstreaming the interests, rights and needs of disabled people into important everyday legislation and codes. I hope it becomes a model for other areas. Access is a basic human right and it is too important to be left as a discretionary 'add on'.

Just last week, I launched the E-Government Strategy with State Services Commission Minister Trevor Mallard. It has the catchy title, government.nz@your.service, and it aims to make Government information accessible to people with widely different knowledge and skills.

New technologies have the power to revolutionise access to information for disabled people . But unless their needs are taken into account, there is potential for the same roadblocks and the same barriers to be created on the internet as in our physical environment.

The New Zealand Disability Strategy will add momentum to these initiatives and provide a coordinated approach. For the first time ever, we now have a national framework that will enable us to address disability issues across agencies, policies, services and legislation. And we will be able to address issues before decisions are made which affect disabled people , rather than as an afterthought, as happens so often at the moment.

The Strategy sets out what we want to do. The next step is for Government departments to respond by telling us how they're going to implement the Strategy.

To kick this process off, the Government has asked for a report later this year on equity of access to, and coherence of, services and support for disabled people - a matter of concern for many years.

Over the next month, 11 key government departments will develop a one-year work plan under the Disability Strategy. Next year, all departments will develop work plans, showing how they will remove the barriers facing disabled people . This practical checklist is the way in which we will measure our progress and achievements.

Many of the strategy's objectives will take time to achieve. That is to be expected. However, departments will be monitored against their annual work plans and obliged to report on progress. We will also have overarching reviews after five years and 10 years. This, I believe, is our insurance against decisions being made without considering their impacts on disabled people . .

We haven't made final decisions about monitoring arrangements yet. But we have agreed that those arrangements must include disabled people. And we have insisted that Government departments consider the Sector Reference Group's advice, as well as the Strategy itself, when they develop their work plans.

The primary focus will be on what government departments and other publicly-funded organisations need to do to remove the barriers faced by disabled people . But it is also important to reflect on some of the key findings from consultation on the Strategy.

People made it clear that attitudes are the biggest barrier they face. Attitudes and ignorance - which lead to discrimination. This is a challenge to all New Zealanders to ask themselves whether they judge people by what they can't do, rather than what they can do."

People also consistently raised the fact that local authorities have a huge impact on the lives of disabled people . The issues raised at consultation meetings were often about the frustrations faced in communities when disability issues, especially physical access and the right to live in and move around the community, are not considered.

It is essential that local authorities, and other public bodies, support the New Zealand Disability Strategy. We will be discussing the Strategy with them, and considering ways in which they can help implement it. Their support is essential if we are to become an inclusive society.

Finally, I want to point out that publication of the New Zealand Disability Strategy is the beginning of a process - not the end. It provides a blueprint for a world that respects and celebrates diversity and difference. Thank you all for your goodwill and contribution. I look forward to your continued support during the implementation phase.

And now it is my great pleasure to launch the New Zealand Disability Strategy.