The list below starts with the recommendations we think will have the biggest impact. This is only an initial assessment, and we recommend doing another review with key stakeholders and decision makers. That review should also compare impact with effort to agree on the final order of priority.

These recommendations are based on the research findings:

1. 3.1 Train leaders — Help leaders understand and prioritise accessibility and service design standards.
2. 3.2 Support practitioners — Provide centralised tools, resources and training for professionals working on digital services.
3. 3.3 Use plain language — Write the DSDS and DAS in plain language where possible. Include clear definitions and make sure they align with international standards like the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and EN 301 549.
4. 3.4 Improve procurement — Offer guidance on how to assess and choose suppliers that can deliver well-designed, usable and accessible services.
5. 3.5 Build it in from the start — Provide templates and guidance for including accessibility and usability in project planning, budgeting and delivery.
6. 3.6 Share success stories — Publish case studies of accessible and usable services to show what good looks like. Include details on processes, activities, results, budgets and how people were allocated.
7. 3.7 Make standards mandatory — Mandate and enforce the standards to ensure all government services are accessible and usable.
8. 3.8 Create a central support team — Set up an All-of-Government team to provide advice, testing, and help with user engagement.
9. 3.9 Provide a consistent user experience — Make interacting with government services familiar and predictable especially when identifying oneself.
10. 3.10 Deliver examples of leading accessible and usable services — Start with small projects that show DIA’s commitment to accessible and usable services.
11. 3.11 Role requirements for accessibility — Everyone who creates or delivers digital services must know about accessibility and usability as part of their job
12. 3.12 Te reo Māori voice synthesis for screen readers — Invest in te reo Māori voice synthesis to make sure that people who use screen readers have access to native pronunciation and reo Māori.
13. 3.13 Integrate kaupapa Māori throughout standards — Weave kaupapa Māori through all service design principles, rather than treating it as a single principle.
14. 3.14 Guidance for more accessible te reo Māori — Provide guidance for including accessible te reo Māori in government services.
15. 3.15 Mobile guidance in standards — Add the updated guidance for mobile application (apps) into the accessibility standard.
16. 3.16 Advise tertiary educators on accessibility — Work with tertiary educators to make sure accessibility is taught in their courses.
17. 3.17 Case studies from the disability community — Share real stories about how disabled people experience government services and how accessible services make a positive difference
18. 3.18 Guidance on processes for accessibility testing, user testing and research — Give clear guidance for manual accessibility testing, and how to involve disabled people in research and design.
19. 3.19 Publication of performance — Make accessibility performance data public for government services. This includes showing which services meet the standard and which do not.
20. 3.20 Updated New Zealand Government Design System — Build a complete New Zealand Government Design System that includes accessibility and usability. Make sure it is flexible enough for different agencies to use.
21. 3.21 Align with international standards — Make sure New Zealand standards align with international standards. This ensures government services are accessible for everyone and helps New Zealand companies compete globally.
22. 3.22 Mandate DAS compliance for internal tools used by government employees — Make sure all internal government systems and tools are accessible.
23. 3.23 Provide alternate formats where identified — Give clear guidance on when and how to provide alternate formats for high-stakes information and services.
24. 3.24 Consistent All-of-Government feedback process — Create a clear and accessible way for people to give feedback on government services.
25. 3.25 All-of-Government hub for accessibility — Create an AoG hub for alternate format documents and clear information about government services.

3.1 Train leaders

Help leaders understand and prioritise accessibility and service design standards.

Training leaders to understand and prioritise accessibility and service design standards will help them support their teams. This support means teams can focus on delivering high-quality, accessible and usable digital government services. Leader support adds weight to advocating for these standards.

Leaders who prioritise usability and accessibility at the right project stages lead successful service delivery.

Key insight from research

Government and supplier teams often struggle to make services accessible and easy to use. A major reason is that leaders do not give enough support or understand why accessibility matters. Key barriers include leaders treating accessibility as a low priority and not seeing its value.

When leaders, such as Chief Executives, actively support accessible design, it helps teams make this work a priority.

Recommended actions

• Provide targeted training to decision makers and leaders within government so that they can understand why accessibility is important, the benefits it brings, and how to integrate into their process.
  • Action for DSDS: Incorporate guidance and training resources into the relevant principles regarding Building in accessibility from the start and Empowering multidisciplinary teams.
  • Action for DAS: Work with training specialists to provide information about meeting accessibility requirements at an appropriate level for leadership.
• DIA could create (or find existing) resources and training to help explain that accessible service design is often ‘cheaper’ in the long run. Resources could include case studies and real user stories that communicate the impact of non-accessible services on people.
  • Action for DSDS and DAS: Identify existing resources and training that accessibility experts and practitioners recommend and add links to these resources to the standards. Add links to case studies and real stories (when created) to the standards.
• A top-down approach was also suggested, where the Government Chief Digital Officer (GCDO) and CEO of Whaikaha - Ministry of Disabled People could collaborate and strategise, then meet with each CEO from government agencies to talk through accessibility requirements, where organisations may be falling short, and together collaborate on a plan to meet those requirements in future.
  • Action for DAS: Advise GCDO and Whaikaha CEO on known issues across government services not meeting the DAS, a priority order, and how these can be fixed by the organisations responsible.

3.2 Support practitioners

Provide centralised tools, resources and training for professionals working on digital services.

This centralised hub should:

• Offer training, support and approved tools related to accessibility and usability standards to everyone, including external suppliers.
• Give clear guidance on creating accessible documents, such as Word files. These documents are often a barrier for disabled people.
• Offer easy-to-follow instructions and examples so practitioners can apply standards in real projects.
• Make sure training can be part of everyday work. Practitioners need time to learn new skills while working on projects.

Key insight from research

Government and supplier teams told us about the challenges they face when making services accessible and easy to use. They also shared what would help.

• People want to improve their skills but do not know where to start. Training pathways are unclear, and they are unsure if the training is right.
• They need DIA to confirm that the training is correct and up to date.
• Practitioners need support from the managers and dedicated time during the work day to learn and keep up with changes. This helps them apply new skills and real projects.

Recommended actions

• Provide one centralised place for training and support about good service design processes and accessibility requirements and provide links from standards.
  • Action for DSDS: Incorporate guidance and training resources links into the relevant principles regarding Accessibility and Empowering teams.
  • Action for DAS: Work with training specialists and accessibility experts to provide information about meeting accessibility requirements at an appropriate level for practitioners.
• Provide a list of tools and resources that are ‘approved’ by DIA. This could also be guidance provided for processes like creating accessible documents.
  • Action for DSDS and DAS: Work with subject matter experts, including those with expertise in testing, to define this list and add links to the standards.
• Plan for training processes to be integrated into practitioners’ day-to-day activities, including time allocated to upskill while working on projects.
  • Action for DSDS: Add guidance for incorporating training methodologies for teams into the relevant principles Accessibility and Empowering teams.

3.3 Use plain language

Write the DSDS and DAS in plain language where possible. Include clear definitions and make sure they align with international standards like the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and EN 301 549.

Plain language is important to make digital government services accessible and easy to use. It also makes it simpler to convert content into alternate formats like NZSL and Easy Read.

Key insight from research

Disabled people told us that confusing language and hard-to-follow websites are major barriers. Government websites often use jargon and ‘government speak’ instead of clear language. Directions for tasks are unclear, and content design is poor.

Practitioners noted that government employees tend to write for themselves, not for the public.

Recommended actions

• Incorporate plain language requirements and definitions strongly into the DAS and DSDS.
  • Action for DSDS: Incorporate guidelines for plain language into the relevant principles regarding Accessibility.
  • Action for DAS: Incorporate guidelines for plain language into the standard.
• Write both standards in plain language, including the definitions of how to ‘meet the standard’ and any examples that can help clarify meanings.
  • Action for DSDS: Ensure that the DSDS is written in plain language to provide practitioners with clear guidance to understand and meet the standard.
  • Action for DAS: Ensure that the DAS is written in plain language as much as possible and where not sourced from the international standard.
• Provide a plain language version of WCAG which can be referenced as a practitioner resource.
  • Action for DAS: Work with subject matter experts to create a WCAG ‘explainer’ in plain language that can be accessed by practitioners. This could be linked from the DAS.

3.4 Improve procurement

Offer guidance on how to assess and choose suppliers that can deliver well-designed, usable and accessible services.

Currently procurement often fails to check if suppliers can meet accessibility standards. This leads to services that are hard to fix and costly to improve later.

Accessibility should be part of the procurement process from the start. Products and services should be tested to check that they will meet accessibility requirements. This includes built and integrated third-party products and services.

Allocating part of a project budget to accessibility can ensure services are usable and accessible.

Key insight from research

Government agencies said suppliers often fail to meet accessibility standards. This makes necessary fixes difficult and expensive.

Suppliers said that decision makers see accessibility as ‘too expensive’ and sometimes prioritise extra features over accessibility.

Recommended actions

• Determine that a certain percentage of the project budget is allocated towards accessibility during procurement. This would provide a minimum spend to ensure a service is usable and accessible.
  • Action for DSDS: Incorporate guidelines for budget allocation into the relevant principles regarding Accessibility.
• Incorporate further recommendations from upcoming additional research focused on the procurement processes.
  • Action for DSDS and DAS: To be determined by upcoming research.

3.5 Build it in from the start

Provide templates and guidance for including accessibility and usability in project planning, budgeting and delivery.

Plan for accessibility from the beginning of every project. Doing this saves money and avoids expensive fixes later.

Provide clear guidance and templates to help teams include accessibility and usability in project planning, budgeting and delivery. This should cover:

• Standards at every stage. Apply accessibility standards all through the service lifecycle, including procurement and updates.
• Checklists for all project sizes. From small projects to larger multi-year ones.
• Budget planning. Make sure budgets include money for accessibility.
• Role descriptions. Explain what roles are needed to deliver accessible and usable services.
• Show the benefits. Share examples of how this approach improves budgets, processes and user experience.

Key insight from research

Accessibility is often left until the end of projects, which makes it expensive and hard to fix. Practitioners want accessibility built in from the start, but decision makers often do not commit to this.

Clear, official guidance is needed so teams can consistently include accessibility and usability in planning, budgeting, and delivery.

Recommended actions

• Provide ideal project plans that incorporate how to consider usability and accessibility as part of every step of a project.
  • Action for DSDS: Incorporate guidelines for project approach into the relevant principles regarding Accessibility and overlapping process principles regarding team structure, tools, project planning and preparation, and preparing for ongoing service delivery.
• Provide best practice guidance for testing tools and processes for accessibility.
  • Action for DAS: Work with accessibility experts to define these best practices and add information as links from the standard.

3.6 Share success stories

Publish case studies of accessible and usable services to show what good looks like. Include details on processes, activities, results, budgets and how people were allocated.

These examples should include:

• The steps taken to make the service accessible and usable.
• Activities and processes used during delivery.
• How the user research was conducted.
• How challenges were faced and success was measured.
• Budgets and how resources were allocated.

Link these examples to the updated standards so that practitioners can see how the principles work in practice.

Key insight from research

Practitioners told us that standards can be hard to understand without real-world examples. Case studies make it easier to apply the standards and show the benefits of accessible design.

Recommended actions

• Create case studies of good service delivery projects that have been delivered by teams within the NZ government.
  • Action for DSDS and DAS: Work with case study content creators and service designers across government to identify projects that have followed both standards well, and can be used as examples of best practice.
  • Action for DSDS: Add links to these case studies into the principle regarding Accessibility and any other relevant principles.
  • Action for DAS: Add links to case studies from DAS where appropriate.

3.7 Make standards mandatory

Mandate and enforce the standards to ensure all government services are accessible and usable.

Accessibility standards must be required and enforced. This will make leaders and teams treat accessibility as a priority.

Accessibility should be as important as security and privacy. This ensures disabled people have equal access to government services.

Enforcement should come with clear guidance, resources, and support so agencies can meet the standards.

Key insight from research

Accessibility is often treated as optional. Government and supplier teams face barriers and inconsistent approaches.

Some practitioners work hard to make services accessible, but this adds extra work and can lead to burnout. Decision makers often put other goals ahead of accessibility.

Both practitioners and the disability community agree that without enforcement, compliance will not happen. Australia’s system, which includes legal consequences, is seen as more effective.

Recommended actions

• Appropriate mandates and enforcement mechanisms to be agreed by government decision makers.
  • Action for DSDS and DAS: Add information about mandates and enforcement to standards when agreed, and where appropriate.
• Refine the definition of meeting the standards in appropriate procurement documentation to elevate accessibility and usability to the same level as security and privacy requirements.
• If mandated, provide links to appropriate resources, guidance and support for agencies to help them comply with standards.
  • Action for DSDS and DAS: Ensure this guidance is available to agencies directly or through links from the standards.

3.8 Create a central support team

Set up an All-of-Government team to provide advice, testing, and help with user engagement.

Projects work best when teams can get advice from accessibility experts and disabled people.

Practitioners want an All-of-Government usability and accessibility team they can call on. This team could offer:

• Bookable research panels for testing and advice.
• A panel of disabled people set up with DIA, Whaikaha and the DPO Coalition.
• A central user testing group with trained assistive technology users and disabled practitioners.
• Expert advice on usability and accessibility.

Key insight from research

Government and supplier teams face challenges in making services accessible and usable.

They need easier ways to work with disabled people for testing and research during design and delivery.

Smaller agencies often lack the staff and funding for customer-focused, accessible projects. They do not have enough people or money to hire specialists like service designers, UX designers, researchers, or content designers. But they want to bring in this expertise when needed.

Disabled people are keen to take part in research and user testing but need fair payment for their time.

Recommended actions

• Invest in a bookable AoG usability and accessibility team that agencies can go to for various levels of support. The team could be comprised of different groups of people to support various agencies’ needs. One group could be a panel of disabled people that agencies could engage with to help with research, co-design and user testing. Another group might be practitioners who are subject matter experts in research, design, accessibility, usability, delivery and testing methods, that agencies without these resources could rely on for their design, build and testing expertise.
  • Action for DSDS and DAS: Add information about how to access these services to the standards.
  • Action for DAS: DIA and the DAS team to work with Whaikaha and the DPO Coalition to recommend who should be on the team representing the disability community.
• Ensure training mechanisms are in place to keep the usability and accessibility team up to date with any changes in international standards and best practices.
  • Action for DSDS and DAS: Ensure that the advice from this AoG accessibility and usability team aligns with the current standards.

3.9 Provide a consistent user experience

Make interacting with government services familiar and predictable especially when identifying oneself.

People often face different processes when using government services. This makes things confusing and harder to access.

To fix this, government services should feel familiar and predictable — especially for tasks like identification and security.

An updated New Zealand Government Design System can help by offering:

• common patterns and components for all agencies
• best practices for accessibility and usability
• guidance that saves money and improves user experience.

The DSDS should include this guidance and link to the New Zealand Government Design System for examples.

Key insight from research

Disabled people told us that they struggle with inconsistent and inaccessible government services, especially when filling in forms and going through security steps.

Participants said that learning one system did not help when interacting with a different agency, because of varying processes. Practitioners agree that a shared design system would make services easier to use and more accessible.

Government and suppliers teams said that an updated New Zealand Government Design System, that allows for flexibility, would save money and increase accessibility.

Recommended actions

• Update the New Zealand Government Design System to provide a consistent user experience for government services that defines common patterns and components and provides best practices for accessibility.
  • Action for DSDS and DAS: Add links to the design system from standards.
  • Action for DSDS: Add this guidance and information on how to provide a consistent user experience throughout standard, to the relevant principles.
  • Action for DAS: Advise New Zealand Government Design System owners of best practice approach for accessibility and how that should be applied to patterns and components.

3.10 Deliver examples of leading accessible and usable services

Start with small projects that show DIA’s commitment to accessible and usable services.

Disabled people, advocates, and DPOs are frustrated by lack of change from past research. They want research findings put into practice.

To show commitment, start making changes now. DIA and Whaikaha should lead by:

• identifying services with known accessibility issues
• working with relevant agencies and the disability community to make small visible improvements.

These changes should make services easier to find, use, and access.

As improvements happen, share updates publicly. This shows feedback is valued and action is being taken.

Key insight from research

Disabled people and DPOs have already shared their experiences and barriers. These issues are well documented.

Participants are frustrated that despite ongoing research, services rarely improve. They want real changes that reflect their input. Many believe consultation often happens without any follow-up action.

Recommended actions

• DIA and Whaikaha to initiate these project(s) and work with the disability community to select the first three services to focus on, with a plan to add the next three on project completion.
  • Action for DSDS: Ensure processes outlined in standards are followed for these projects and used as case studies to prove the new standards can be used by multiple practitioners.
  • Action for DAS: Advise during this process to ensure that the accessibility standard is being followed. Identify any areas where practitioners are unsure of how to meet the accessibility standard and update supporting materials as needed.
• Project leaders to work with content writers to describe the process underway and inform readers on Digital.govt.nz of successful updates of the first three accessible and usable projects.
  • Action for DSDS and DAS: Add links to these stories and live websites to show as examples of successful delivery of accessible and usable services.

3.11 Role requirements for accessibility

Everyone who creates or delivers digital services must know about accessibility and usability as part of their job.

Government agencies often lack these knowledge and skills. To fix this, make accessibility and usability knowledge a requirement for relevant roles. This means:

• Adding accessibility to job descriptions and recruitment processes.
• Requiring staff to complete training on accessibility and usability, including practical WCAG guidance.
• Including accessibility in personal development plans.

Making accessibility part of every role makes sure that it’s a shared responsibility, not left to a few people.

Key insight from research

Accessibility knowledge is often held by only a few staff. This creates uneven workloads and potential burnout. When these people leave, agencies lose crucial knowledge.

Many staff do not understand accessibility requirements or their impact on disabled people. This leads to poor commitment and action.

Currently, there’s no way to check if staff have accessibility skills. This also makes it difficult to confirm that new hires also have them.

Recommended actions

• Make accessibility knowledge a requirement in job descriptions and validated during the recruitment process.
  • Action for DSDS and DAS: Advise appropriate level of requirements in role job descriptions and what to consider during the recruitment process.
• Support accessibility knowledge by providing appropriate and accessible training opportunities.
  • Action for DSDS: Add descriptions of required accessibility and usability knowledge per role type in principles regarding Accessibility and Multi-disciplinary teams.
  • Action for DAS: Help provide guidance on appropriate training. This may be links to existing resources, or the process of creating new training modules. Provide links to these resources from the standard.

3.12 Te reo Māori voice synthesis for screen readers

Invest in te reo Māori voice synthesis to make sure that people who use screen readers have access to native pronunciation and reo Māori.

People who use screen readers need to hear correct pronunciation of te reo Māori. Currently screen readers pronounce te reo Māori words incorrectly, using English sounds. This makes it hard to understand and is disrespectful to the language.

Work has started on creating a synthetic reo Māori voice, but it’s not yet available.

A government-funded prototype could test if this technology would work and how it could be used. This should be done in partnership with projects like Tua o Te Pae which is already working on this.

Key insight from research

Disabled people and their advocates told us that te reo Māori is almost inaccessible for screen reader users. Words are often mispronounced, which causes confusion and frustration.

The disabled community strongly support keeping te reo Māori in government services, but want it to be accessible and spoken correctly.

Recommended actions

• Investigate an early version of the technology to test if it is scalable, feasible and viable. Work collaboratively with Tua o Te Pae.
  • Action for DSDS: Add information about te reo voice synthesis into the appropriate principles regarding Accessibility and Cultural awareness.
  • Action for DAS: Advise on accessibility considerations and requirements for screen reader use and WCAG requirements during any proof of concept and technology investigations.

3.13 Integrate kaupapa Māori throughout standards

Weave kaupapa Māori through all service design principles, rather than treating it as a single principle.

Kaupapa Māori should be part of all service design principles — not treated as a separate topic. The current approach puts te ao Māori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi in a single principle, which limits their impact.

Government needs clear guidance from experts in te ao Māori in how to enhance cultural capability. This includes practical steps for integrating Māori values and data sovereignty into service design.

It also means clarifying whether policies like the Data Protection and Use Policy (DPUP) are mandatory or recommended. This is a complex area, so clear definitions and guidance are important.

Key insight from research

Government practitioners asked for stronger guidance on Māori data sovereignty and how to apply it in service design.

Advisors from Te Kōhanga Reo and the Data Iwi Leaders Group recommend stronger integration of Māori data sovereignty and governance into all DSDS principles.

There is a lack of specialist skills in accessibility, cultural design and service design within government. This leads to poor cultural competency and weak engagement with Māori communities.

Recommended actions

• Data sovereignty and privacy considerations need to be more explicit in the DSDS principles.
  • Action for DSDS: Ensure this guidance is explicit and available in the relevant DSDS principles.
• Work with practitioners with deep expertise in te ao Māori to define and provide guidance to support appropriate cultural service design process to ensure meaningful cultural engagement can be delivered.
  • Action for DSDS: Ensure this guidance is explicit and defined in the relevant DSDS principles.

3.14 Guidance for more accessible te reo Māori

Provide guidance for including accessible te reo Māori in government services.

Using te reo Māori and English together is important to New Zealanders. But it can create barriers, especially for disabled people, if it is not done correctly. To make bilingual content easier to use:

• Keep te reo Māori and English separate on the page. Do not rely on text size to distinguish them.
• Put each language on different lines or sides of the page for clarity.
• Use HTML lang attributes so screen readers know where each language starts and ends.
• If there is a lot of te reo Māori content, consider having separate sites or a bilingual/multilingual mode so users can choose their preferred language.
• When buying tools or services, make sure they support te reo Māori features like auto-transcription.

Key insight from research

Disabled people and DPO representatives said bilingual pages are hard to navigate and read, especially for people with dyslexia or learning disabilities.

Screen readers often mispronounce te reo Māori, making it almost inaccessible.

Despite these challenges, participants agreed te reo Māori must remain in government services, even if it takes longer to access.

Recommended actions

• Continue to include te reo Māori. The standards and the updated New Zealand Government Design System should outline how te reo Māori is used and integrated on bilingual and multilingual websites.
  • Action for DSDS: Add guidance and examples for the integration of te reo Māori and multilingual sites across appropriate principles including references to Accessibility and Cultural awareness.
  • Action for DAS: Add guidance and examples for the integration of te reo Māori and multilingual sites, and procurement tools into the standard.
  • Action for New Zealand Government Design System: Add guidance, examples and code references for the integration of te reo Māori and multilingual sites into the updated design system.
  • Action for DSDS and DAS: Add guidance for testing the capability of internal tools supporting Aotearoa New Zealand-specific context during procurement processes.

3.15 Mobile guidance in standards

Add the updated guidance for mobile applications (apps) into the accessibility standard.

Government services must work well on mobile apps. Many disabled people use mobile devices, but they face barriers when apps are not accessible.

Research participants, especially from Blind Citizens NZ, highlighted many issues with mobile apps. They suggested a separate study to understand how to include mobile app guidance into the standards.

The DAS should include the updated guidance for mobile apps from the Web Accessibility Guidance website.

Review the mobile app guidance, focusing on the needs of blind users and identify any gaps in the guidance. Then decide if more research is needed.

Key insight from research

Disabled people and DPO representatives said that mobile apps often create barriers.

Blind participants faced issues with:

• video interaction
• screen size
• transferring information between devices
• differences between mobile and desktop structures.

Some low vision participants preferred mobile devices for easier viewing.

Recommended actions

• Ensure guidance for mobile apps is integrated into the standards.
  • Action for DSDS: Incorporate relevant guidance for mobile apps from the Web Accessibility Guidance website into relevant principles regarding accessibility and tools and technology.
  • Action for DAS: Incorporate recent updated guidance for mobile apps from the Web Accessibility Guidance website site into the new DAS.

3.16 Advise tertiary educators on teaching accessibility

Work with tertiary educators to make sure accessibility is taught in their courses.

The DIA should advise and advocate for including accessibility in tertiary education. This will help graduates enter the workforce with the skills they need to design and deliver accessible services.

Key insight from research

Government staff and suppliers said they often struggle to make services accessible because many employees lack training.

Accessibility knowledge varies widely, and new employees often have no accessibility experience.

A recent graduate said their coding courses did not include accessibility. Participants recommended adding accessibility to tertiary education so new graduates are better prepared for jobs that need these skills.

Recommended actions

• DIA to advise and advocate for accessibility to be included in tertiary education courses.
  • Action for DAS: Advise DIA as to the appropriate and required level of skills needed in accessibility training.
  • Action for DAS: Ensure the standard is easily accessible and available to tertiary institutions and students.

3.17 Case studies from disability community

Share real stories about how disabled people experience government services and how accessible services make a positive difference.

These stories help government staff and suppliers understand why accessibility matters. They can include:

• personal experiences of using government services
• examples of what worked well and what caused barriers
• customer journey maps and user profiles based on research.

Keep these resources in one easy-to-find place and update them regularly.

Key insight from research

All participants said case studies helps build understanding and empathy. They make accessibility issues feel real and personal for decision makers.

Case studies should be based on strong research and include insights from detailed interviews and data sets. This approach helps leaders see the impact of accessibility challenges on people’s lives.

Recommended actions

• Create case studies and other storytelling resources that help build empathy and understanding about the experiences of disabled people when interacting with government services.
  • Action for DSDS: Ensure links to these resources are available from the appropriate principles referring to Accessibility and Understanding your users.
  • Action for DAS: Provide links to these resources in the standard to help illustrate accessibility requirements where appropriate.

3.18 Guidance on processes for accessibility testing, user testing and research

Give clear guidance for manual accessibility testing, and how to involve disabled people in research and design.

Accessibility and usability are not tested consistently. Automated testing alone is not enough. Manual testing and real use of feedback are essential to make sure services are truly accessible and usable.

Guidance should cover:

• how to combine automated and manual testing
• planning and budgeting for testing
• engaging with disabled people and accessibility experts
• what support services to include, like NZSL interpreters and captioners
• advice on appropriate payment or koha.

Key insight from research

Government teams and suppliers often skip accessibility testing and user research because of time and budget limits.

Many do not know how to start engaging with disabled people or how to plan for costs. There is also confusion about payments or koha.

Clear, practical guidance will help teams test properly and involve the right people from the start.

Recommended actions

• Create guidance on how to test for accessibility, for both manual and automated processes. Ensure this guidance is easy to find, use and accessible from a central location.
  • Action for DSDS: Recommend a combination of automated and manual testing for assessing accessibility requirements in principles regarding Accessibility and Measuring service performance, and provide link to the guidance.
  • Action for DAS: Add requirements to use both automated and manual testing to assess accessibility, and include links to the guidance.
• Provide guidance for engagement with the disability community.
  • Action for DSDS: Add links to engagement guide to principles that relate to Understanding user needs and Accessibility.
  • Action for DAS: Add links to engagement guide from the standard.

3.19 Publication of performance

Make accessibility performance data public for government services. This includes showing which services meet the standard and which do not.

Publishing results will make agencies more accountable. It will also encourage them to improve their result.

Ranked results can show how well each agency is doing. The ranking should include results from both automated and manual accessibility tests.

Agencies should get help and resources to learn and fix any issues found in these tests. Sharing best practice examples and success stories will motivate leaders to invest in accessibility.

Key insight from research

Currently some agencies do not treat accessibility as a priority because there are no consequences for failing to deliver it.

Public results create positive pressure to improve. People want to see how their organisation compares to others.

Government staff want a central audit system with resources to help agencies fix any issues it finds.

There is already public information on which government websites have accessibility failures.

Recommended actions

• Publish results of CWAC assessments of government services as a leaderboard.
  • Action for DSDS: Add information about the CWAC process, and add links to the public results from the principles regarding Accessibility and Tools.
  • Action for DAS: Add information about the CWAC process and links to the leaderboard public results from the standard.
• Publish updated results of CWAC assessments of government services with additional manual accessibility testing to leaderboard.
  • Action for DSDS: Add information about the manual testing processes and add links to the leaderboard public results from appropriate principles regarding Accessibility and Tools.
  • Action for DAS: Add information about manual testing processes, and add links to the leaderboard public results from the standard.
• Provide help and resources to agencies to learn how to address issues found through these audit systems.
  • Action for DSDS: Add links to help and resources to appropriate principles regarding Accessibility and Tools.
  • Action for DAS: Add links to help and resources from the standard.

3.20 Updated New Zealand Government Design System

Build a complete New Zealand Government Design System that includes accessibility and usability. Make sure it is flexible enough for different agencies to use.

Currently design systems vary across different organisations. This leads to different solutions for the same problem.

A complete New Zealand Government Design System will save money, reduce duplication, and give people a consistent experience when using government services.

This design system should include:

• clear guidance on creating usable and accessible services
• reusable components and patterns that meet accessibility standards
• practical details — like example code and ARIA tags
• flexibility for agencies to include their own branding.

The updated system should be developed, maintained and made publicly available.

Key insight from research

Government and supplier teams said that the current design system is not complete. They often create new similar solutions, that wastes time and money.

A strong design system that includes accessibility and usability best practice will help teams build better, more efficient services. These best practices currently live separately on digital.govt.nz.

Recommended actions

• Develop and maintain a New Zealand Government Design and make it publicly available.
  • Action for DSDS: Add information and links to the design system to relevant principles regarding User needs, Reusable components and Accessibility.
  • Action for DAS: Advise on appropriate accessibility considerations for components and patterns within the design system, and add links to the system from the standard.

3.21 Align with international standards

Make sure New Zealand standards align with international standards. This ensures government services are accessible for everyone and helps New Zealand companies compete globally.

Strong international accessibility guidelines have existed since 1999. New Zealand signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), so we must meet these standards without compromise.

Aligning our standard with international standards, like WCAG or EN 301 549, means:

• disabled people can access government services
• agencies follow best practice
• suppliers can work globally without extra compliance issues.

Key insight from research

Disabled people and DPO representatives said that not meeting accessibility standards harms disabled people by creating barriers to information and services.

Government and supplier practitioners already use New Zealand and international standards, so aligning them will make work easier and more consistent.

Recommended actions

• Align the New Zealand accessibility standard with international standards without exception.
  • Action for DSDS: Add a summary of the purpose and importance of meeting the accessibility standard without exception, and add links to DAS from the accessibility principle.
  • Action for DAS: Ensure the accessibility standard align with international standards without exception.

3.22 Mandate DAS compliance for internal tools used by government employees

Make sure all internal government systems and tools are accessible.

This includes tools for recruitment, training, and everyday work. Accessible systems and tools help disabled employees work independently and with dignity.

Currently, many internal tools are not accessible. This creates barriers for disabled employees when applying for jobs, completing training or doing their work.

Once these tools are chosen, they are hard to change. Recruitment websites and intranets often fail to meet accessibility standards. The lack of plain language in tools and systems makes it hard to navigate and use content.

Regular reviews and audits are needed to make sure internal tools meet the DAS. Accessibility should also be part of the procurement process for new systems or tools.

Key insight from research

Disabled employees shared that inaccessible tools and processes make it hard to find jobs, apply for them and stay employed. Inaccessible training systems also limit opportunities to learn and grow. These barriers reduce independence and fairness.

Some disabled employees also said that they struggle with balancing benefit entitlement and work hours, creating further employment barriers.

Recommended actions

• Audit existing internal tools and systems in government agencies to check they meet the accessibility standard and use plain language.
  • Action for DAS: Advise on how to check internal tools and systems meet the accessibility standard and collaborate with Whaikaha to support disabled employee engagement for further feedback on the tools they are using.
• Make sure procurement processes include steps for checking and testing that third-party systems meet the accessibility standard.
  • Action for DSDS: Add guidance on testing new systems during procurement regarding accessibility and selecting the right tools and technology to the principles regarding Accessibility and selecting the Right tools and technology.
  • Action for DAS: Provide support and guidance on testing new systems during procurement to make sure they meet the standard. Add links to guidance from the standard.
• Check that government careers sites and recruitment practices meet the accessibility standard and that there are appropriate supports put in place for disabled applicants.
  • Action for DSDS: Provide advice about how to create accessible employment pathways for job applicants. Add these guidelines to the appropriate principles regarding Accessibility, Team empowerment and selecting the Right tools and technology.
  • Action for DAS: Advise and support recruitment teams to ensure recruitment pathways and tools are accessible.
• Review how benefit entitlements and hours worked are balanced to ensure the rules are clear and fair. This review could be a potential collaboration between Whaikaha and MSD.

3.23 Provide alternate formats where identified

Give clear guidance on when and how to provide alternate formats for high-stakes information and services.

Alternate formats are important for many disabled people to access services with dignity and support their human rights. They should be easy to find and as accessible as other information.

Plain language should be the best starting point for creating alternate formats. It makes creating alternate formats easier and improves accessibility for everyone.

High-stakes and time-sensitive information should be a priority for alternate formats. There should be systems in place to provide and update this information quickly.

Key insight from research

Disabled people and their advocates said that alternate formats are often missing or hard to find. This creates barriers to independence and fairness.

Even using accessible web pages require digital skills that not everyone has, so alternate formats are vital.

Recommended actions

• Provide alternate formats for high-stakes information and services for disabled communities, and ensure they are easy to find.
  • Action for DSDS: Add specifications and guidelines for alternate formats into the standard to the principles regarding Accessibility and Understanding user needs.
  • Action for DAS: Add information and guidance to the standard on alternate formats and when they need to be provided.
  • Action for DSDS and DAS: Reinforce in the standards why plain language should be the foundation for all content. This supports all accessibility including the starting point for required alternate formats.
• Ensure that there are processes in place to provide information in alternate formats during rapidly changing situations when information critical and time-sensitive.
  • Action for DSDS: Add information about these processes and systems to the principle regarding Accessibility and provide links to relevant plans.

3.24 Consistent All-of-Government feedback process

Create a clear and accessible way for people to give feedback on government services.

Feedback systems should be easy to find, simple to use, and consistent across agencies.

Currently, feedback methods are often hidden or inaccessible. People get frustrated when they give feedback but do not know what happens next.

Agencies struggle to act on feedback, especially for third-party tools, because of funding and contract restrictions.

A standard feedback process will make it easier for people to share their experiences and for agencies to respond. It should include:

• multiple accessible feedback options
• clear steps for how the feedback is handled
• transparency about what will happen.

Key insight from research

Disabled people said that giving feedback is hard and frustrating. Many hold back due to fears of negative consequences or privacy concerns.

Feedback methods, even straightforward ones like phone numbers, are hard to find or not available.

Government staff want to act on feedback but lack funding, approvals and clear processes to do that.

A consistent system will build trust and improve services.

Recommended actions

• Improve feedback processes so they are consistent, and make it easy for people to give feedback and for government agencies to receive and respond to it.
  • Actions for DSDS:
    • Add guidance on providing an appropriate range of feedback options for people with different access needs into the principles regarding Accessibility.
    • Add guidance on how to create transparency around feedback processes, and how it is prioritised and addressed under the principles regarding Measure performance and Improve often.
  • Actions for DAS:
    • Add guidance to the standard on how to make sure that purchased third-party feedback tools are accessible.
    • Make sure DAS guidance aligns with the DSDS on providing a suitable range of feedback options. Include examples of which options may suit different communities.
• Ensure procurement contracts allow government agencies to request changes needed to comply with the mandated standard.
  • Actions for DAS:
    • Provide guidance to procurement teams on the barriers to contract changes and funding.
• As part of a New Zealand Government Design System (see recommendation 20), provide repeatable, tested patterns and components for providing feedback within digital services, and guidance on their use.

3.25 All-of-Government hub for accessibility

Create an AoG hub for alternate format documents and clear information about government services.

This hub should make it easy for disabled people to find what they need without searching across multiple sites.

The hub should provide:

• links to alternate format documents
• clear descriptions of services
• optional videos to help people choose the right service.

This idea aligns with the work of Whaikaha to create a ‘front door’ for all disabled people. It should be a single place to access essential information. It should avoid duplicating content and instead link to existing sources.

Key insight from research

Disabled people said it’s often unclear where to go to find the services they need.

Many want one central place to find all alternate format and service information. Others from the blind community prefer using “websites that everyone else uses”.

The hub content must be:

• well-structured
• written in plain language
• easy to navigate.

Whaikaha leaders understand that different disabilities require different support. A ‘one door’ approach could help people find the services they need, like a new passport or driving licence.

Recommended actions

• DIA and Whaikaha leaders to work together to define what is needed to provide a front door hub that links to information without duplicating content.
  • Action for DAS: Advise on requirements for an accessible hub.