Updating the Advocacy Guidelines

Key Points:

HDC is updating the Advocacy Guidelines.
The Guidelines are issued by the Health and Disability Commissioner and guide expectations about the delivery of the Nationwide Health and Disability Advocacy Service.
Stakeholder feedback will be incorporated into the final draft.
The Minister of Health approves the guidelines. Guidelines are expected to be submitted for approval in early 2027.

About the Advocacy Service

The HDC Act 1994 enables the establishment of a nationwide free advocacy service.

This service is mandated under the Act, to promote the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights 1996, (the Code of Rights) and to support consumers (and family and whānau) to resolve concerns directly with a health or disability service. The service operates independently of HDC.  See link to the Act below.

Advocates use an empowerment strengths-based advocacy model, to support family and whānau and to work alongside consumers. Advocates do not determine if there is a breach under the Code of Rights.  Serious or unresolved complaints are referred to the office of Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC).

You can find out more about the service here Nationwide Health and Disability Advocacy Service.  

Purpose of Advocacy Guidelines

The Advocacy Guidelines determine what the Advocacy Service will do and how advocates will engage with consumers and providers.  They set out the broad content areas that advocacy services are expected to deliver on.

Earlier this year we outlined plans to refresh the Advocacy Guidelines, which were last updated in 2005. To begin with this involved seeking feedback from stakeholders across a range of community groups, individuals and priority groups. This feedback will be incorporated into the final draft.

Feedback:

Selected stakeholders were engaged over a six-week period to provide feedback on the initial draft guidelines. Overall, feedback was supportive. However, some identified areas where the guidelines could be strengthened, particularly by making expectations more explicit, practical, measurable, and inclusive of priority populations.

Key themes from feedback:

Accessibility and communication	Disability rights and priority populations
Te Tiriti, tikanga, and equity	Lived experience and systems learning
Monitoring, accountability, and quality improvement	Consumer, family and whānau, and community engagement (includes trauma-informed, culturally appropriate)
Scope and role clarity	Plain language and readability

What’s next:

The final draft is now underway and is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.

It will then be submitted to the Minister of Health’s office for approval in early 2027.

If you have a query, please email: guidelines@hdc.org.nz