Finding the Flow- Be. Accessible Year in Review 2015/16

Welcome

Welcome to the 2015/16 Be. Accessible Year in Review, “Finding the Flow”.

I am confident that as you read through this summary of the year that was, you will join me in celebrating the many and varied successes that this growing community of leaders and access champions has and is creating minute by minute, day by day and year by year.

Qualities of commitment, passion, humanity, and belief in possibility are vital when creating courageous social change and I see an abundance of all these qualities in the Be. team, the Be. Board and our many partners, friends, colleagues and fellow access champions.

It takes enormous energy to generate true momentum with any social change movement and the Be. Accessible social movement is no different. I believe that surge of “start up” energy is now truly starting to be felt and to self-generate. We all know and recognise that feeling when things just seem to find their rhythm and life seems to flow.

I believe that is where we are at after five exciting, challenging and glorious years and the momentum is only building as more and more business leaders, community leaders and citizens of Aotearoa realise and actualise the value of a truly accessible world for us all.

The robust and highly engaged Fab 50 members, the 99 Be. Leaders, the talented Be. Employed interns and employees, the hundreds of private and public organisations embracing and leading accessibility for both staff and customers in their sectors or regions are all testament to this momentum, leadership and belief that together we can create a better New Zealand for us all.

“When dreams and realities are one, the miracle has happened.” - DH Lawrence

Join the movement, Be. the change and let us all Be. Accessible New Zealand!

Thank you! Minnie b. xx

Our Fabulous Team

Board of Trustees

- John Allen, Chairman – CEO, NZ Racing Board- Mary Jane Rivers - Founder, Inspiring Communities- Ross Brereton - Former CEO, Disabled Persons Assembly of NZ and

former Human Rights Commissioner- Ant Howard - Director, Howard & Company- Andy Martin - CEO NZ Football, Former Executive Board member of

Corporate Banking Division of Barclays PLC

Be. Team

- Minnie Baragwanath - Chief Executive- Megan Barclay - Programme Director- Lesley Slade - Programme Director- Philip Patston - Programme Director- Qiujing Easterbrook-Wong - Be. Campaign Director, CEO - Borderless- Kylie Shirtliff – Relationship Manager – Be. Welcome- Lauren Wetini – Project Manager – Be. Welcome- Adrian Holmes – Accessibility Advisor- Michelle Jurgens - Be. Leadership Programme Manager- Hannah Slade – Be. Leadership Programme Manager and

Communications Manager- Sarah Mitchell – Relationship Manager – Be. Employed- Jacob Mills – Relationship Manager – Be. Employed- Chris Jones - EA and Office Manager- Debbie Irwin - Website Administrator- Janelle Keksz – Finance Manager- Kala Lawson-McGhee – Be. Campaign Manager, Social Change

Activations Manager - Borderless- Indula Jayasundara – Be. Intern

Celebrating our Fab 50 Network and their achievements

Having a network of influential leaders as impressive as the Be. Fab 50 Network is certainly an honour and a pleasure for us at Be. Accessible. Members of this diverse group are invited to join because they have shown leadership and commitment to access in their lives and work, and wish to grow that commitment through their support of Be.

“Being part of the Fab 50 is being part of a living social change movement. Empowering our community to understand the needs and hopes of those who go unnoticed. Be. Accessible is simply brilliant and so relevant. It’s at the core of real need and enlightenment for so many New Zealanders.”

- Sir Bob Harvey, Fab 50 member

Meet the Fab 50 Network

Adrian SoleGeneral Manager, Affinity Digital

Alex HannantChief Executive, Akina Foundation

Amanda JuddCEO, Kai and Director, Lovenotes

Andrea RickardSenior Technical Director, Beca

Andrew HamiltonCEO, The Icehouse

Andrew KrukzienerFounder, Krukziener Properties

Anna BoundsChief Operating Officer, Waikato University

Anna StoveGeneral Manager, GlaxoSmithKline

Bill DuncanConsultant, Fortune Manning

Brett O’RileyChief Executive, Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development

Sir Bob HarveyInternational Auckland Champion, Auckland Council

Casey EdenCo-Founder, Neighbourly

Craig FisherAudit Partner, Chairman, RSM New Zealand Group

Craig RichardsonCEO, Wynyard Group

David RutherfordChief Commissioner, Human Rights Commission

Derek McCormack

Vice Chancellor, AUT University

Drew McGuire Director, Capability Group

Erica Whineray KellyBreast Cancer Surgeon, Auckland Breast Centre

Fiona FenwickCEO, Fifteen Minutes

Gael SurgenorDirector Community and Social Innovation, The Southern Initiative at Auckland Council

Kate DalyChief People and Communications Officer, Fletcher Building Ltd

Kathryn McPhersonChief Executive, Health Research Council of New Zealand

Kevin LaveryCEO, Wellington City Council

Kevin McCaffreyExecutive Director, EY

Lauren MerrittChief Awesome Officer, Ministry of Awesome

Laurence Sheriff Director, Align

Ludo Campbell-ReidGeneral Manager, Auckland Design Office, Auckland Council

Malcolm JohnsChief Executive, Christchurch International Airport

Martin FenwickCEO, Altris

Melissa Clark-ReynoldsProfessional Company Director and Digital Strategist

Mike ChunnCEO, Play it Strange

Naimh McMahonPartner, McMahon Butterworth & Thompson

Olivier LacouaGeneral Manager, CQ Hotel Wellington

Dame Paula RebstockChair, Accident Compensation Corporation

Penny HulseDeputy Mayor, Auckland Council

Peter HughesState Services Commissioner, State Services Commission

Peter KerridgePartner, Kerridge and Partners

Peter ReidyChief Executive, KiwiRail

Peter Townsend CEO, Canterbury Employer’s Chamber of Commerce

Phil O’ReilyDirector, Iron Duke Partners

Red Nicholson Head of Media Studies, Onehunga High School

Robyn ScottDirector, Ministry of Youth Development

Roy Clare Director, Auckland War Memorial Museum

Sam JohnsonFounder, Student Volunteer Army

Sarah TrotmanDirector - Business Relations, AUT University

Scott PickeringChief Executive, Accident Compensation Corporation

Sean GrayChief Executive, NZ Artificial Limb Service

Sharon HunterDirector, Hunter Powell Investment Partners

Shelley Campbell

CEO, Sir Peter Blake Trust

Simon PowerGM - Consumer Banking & Wealth, Westpac

Simon TongManaging Director, Fairfax Media

Stephen TownChief Executive, Auckland Council

Steve EllingfordCentre Manager, Bayfair Shopping Centre

Sudesh JhunjhnuwalaCEO, Sudima Hotels

Tara PradhanSenior Strategic Advisor, Auckland Council

Tenby PowellDirector, Hunter Powell Investment Partners

Tim MilesCEO, Spark Digital

Victoria CroneAuckland Mayoral Candidate, Auckland City

Vivian BridgewaterGM - Destination and Marketing, ATEED

Wayne BesantCEO, AIA New Zealand

Congratulations to…

Over the past 12 months, many of our Fab 50 have achieved outstanding success in accessibility as well as in their own fields of endeavor!

Olivier Lacoua – GM, CQ Hotel WellingtonWinner of the 2015 Attitude ACC Employer Award

Team Gold Finalist and Winner at the Wellington Gold Awards - June 2016Absolutely Positively Wellington Award (APW) July 2016New Zealand Sign Language Awards - Best Employer May 2016New Zealand Sign Language Awards - Accessible Service May 2016

Martin Fenwick - Director, AltrisJoint winner of the IMNZ Business <$5M Turnover Award at the 2015 AUT Excellence in Business Support Awards.

Sudesh Jhunjhnuwala – CEO, Sudima HotelsSudima Hotel Christchurch – awarded a Be.  Welcome Gold rating

Steve Ellingford - Centre Manager, Bayfair Shopping Centre Bayfair Shopping Centre – awarded a Be. Welcome Platinum rating

Paula Rae Rebstock, CNZM, Chairperson of ACC Queen's New Year Honours 2016 - awarded DNZM for services to the State

Philip O'Reilly, CEO Iron Duke Partners Queen's 90th Birthday Honours - awarded ONZM for services to business and governance

Shelley Campbell, CEO Sir Peter Blake Tust Queen's 90th Birthday Honours - awarded MNZM for services to health and people with disabilities

New Zealand: Be.coming a more accessible place to visit, enjoy and Be. - The Be. Welcome Story (2015/16)

What a stunning year it has been for businesses and organisations leading the way in creating accessibility across New Zealand.

New Zealand can now boast two shopping centres that have achieved the coveted Platinum Be. Accessible Rating; Palms Shopping Centre in Christchurch (South Island) and Bayfair Shopping Centre in Bay of Plenty (North Island). Achieving Platinum is no small feat and there are now three organisations credited with this, including the AUT Excellence in Business Support Awards Gala Event.

Relevant media article:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/82168748/the-palms-shopping-centre-recognised-for-accessibility-efforts

A community of access champions is growing across New Zealand, with more than 60 Be. Confident workshops held in office boardrooms and visitor attraction staffrooms since the first one in 2013. That’s nearly 950 individuals across New Zealand.

Our team of Be. Coaches have been busy bringing the total number of businesses and organisations committed to growing access to a grand total of 510.

The “Building Better Business Through Accessibility” event was an evening of conversation, generously hosted by Sudima Hotel Lake Rotorua, bringing together a group of accessibility champions, and the business community of Rotorua. These networking and business sharing events are critical to building momentum and understanding of the accessibility movement!

Warrant of Fitness

The Be. Welcome Warrant of Fitness programme has had a significant impact on access improvements delivered across the country. Guided by the Be. team and a local Be. Coach, organisations can track their improvements and improve their accessibility rating..

In the past year the Be. team has worked with 76 Be. Welcomed organisations to check on their levels of “accessibility fitness”. In this short time, nine organisations have been awarded a higher rating amounting to hundreds of access improvements; and that’s only the ones we know about.

Many organisations report to be simply making improvements as a part of their day-to-day operations because they see how easy small improvements are to make.

It’s the Welly Way!

Creating exceptional accessible journeys is as much a science as it is an art, and the size, culture and attitude of Wellington City has enabled it to over the past twelve months.

The city has come into its “accessibility own” with Wellington City Council taking the lead and inviting more than 15 organisations to create greater access. Parliamentary Services and Government House (Wellington) stand out from the crowd with accessibility improvements that include: 

Captioning videos Increasing the font and colour contrast on all brochures Expanding the language options of tours to include New Zealand Sign

Language Tactical indicators added in locations where there is a change in

gradient and at the head and foot of internal ramp and stairs Installing accessible carparks Creating innovative visual graphics to highlight changes in ground

levels Installing signage indicating access routes to the accessible bathroom Installing a hearing loop

Wellington City can be proud of leading organisations committed to improving the accessibility of the City. These are:

AlignBrentwood Hotel

CQ Hotels Wellington

Felix Café

Hutt Valley Hospital

Wellington Station

KiwiRail Scenic Journeys

Interislander

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa TongarewaParliamentary Service

Wairarapa Hospital

Wellington Botanic Gardens

Freyberg Pool

Wellington Cable Car

Wellington Zoo

Michael Fowler Centre

St James Theatre

Westpac Stadium

Copthorne Hotel Wellington

City Gallery Wellington

Cable Car Museum

Nairn Street Cottage

Carters Observatory

Wellington Museum

Capital E

Westpac Stadium

Zealandia

Wellington Airport

Shed 6

TSB Arena

Wellington Opera House

Academy of Fine Arts

Circa Theatre

Botanic Garden Walk

City Walk

Meridian Energy Wind Sculpture Walk

Wellington Central Library

Government House

Toi Poneke Arts Centre

Weta Workshop

Pukeahu War Memorial Park

A growing case for access tourism

By 2050, the access market will represent 25% of global tourism, forming a powerful case for accessibility. Access tourism is all about creating opportunities for us all to participate and enjoy everything that travel has to offer whether it be visit a new city, attend an exciting event like the Lantern Festival, Diwali or perhaps the AUT Excellence in Business Support Awards, dine at a stunning restaurant, shop online and catch a train, bus or taxi. That’s

why Be. Accessible has been working with organisations such as Uber, AUT University, Auckland Tourism Events and Economic Development Agency, and Tourism Industry Aotearoa to just name a few. Relevant articles:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/better-business/70851779/be-accessible-helping-nz-businesses-tap-into-unrealised-potential

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/79036240/uber-becomes-more-accessible-through-new-disability-service

Yellow excellence

2015/16 has brought a critical partnership with Yellow Pages Online and its online subsidiaries such as New Zealand Tourism Guide, developing greater reach across more directory platforms to mainstream information and data on accessible destinations around the country.

The team at Yellow have not been satisfied with just sharing the Be. Welcome businesses access information on their online directories. The entire organisation has been working diligently to ensure that all of their directories and mapping tools are leading the way in best accessibility practice.

“Yellow is proud to support the incredible work that Minnie and her team are doing. We look forward to utilising our own networks to help promote and share the work of Be. Accessible, along with being an active part of the Be. Accessible movement”- Michael Boerson, CEO, Yellow Pages Group

Ageing and the value of great access

You probably have been living under a rock if you’ve missed the fact that by 2030 25% New Zealanders will be over the age of 65. That’s a significant number of customers, residents and travellers who need great access. Selwyn Foundation are working with Be. to become the first truly accessible independent living experience for the older person. The Foundation has focused initially on the physical environment by engaging Be’s expertise to guide the development of new complexes around the North Island, and are well and truly on track with this.

“Working with Independent Living and Retirement village, Selwyn Foundation, has demonstrated first-hand the power of modelling great access for every life stage, and the impact it can have on our long-term quality of life.” - Megan Barclay, Programme Director

The growing network of Champions

Be. Confident workshops are designed to grow awareness and build confidence in supporting customers or colleagues with access needs. We asked them how the workshop experience impacted them. Here are the results of that survey (population = 205).

86% found the workshop very helpful in engaging in a new conversation about accessibility.

84% found the workshop very helpful in helping them and the group to think differently about how to consider accessibility in day to day interactions. In engaging with colleagues, customers and their work.

80% found the workshop very helpful in enabling them to see the possibilities that exist in creating accessible experiences for their customers/community.

99.5% found the ‘5 Biggest Challenges’ form very or somewhat useful to begin to truly Be. Confident in all that they do.

And here’s what they told us:

“I learned a lot about a wide range of people experiencing access needs”                         - Brentwood Hotel, Wellington

“I’d really enjoy participating in another session. I thought it was terrific – supportive, moved the group along in their thinking, warm and friendly.”                     - Wellington Museum Trust

“I learnt a lot about communicating with guests and other staff members, to never assume and always ask first if help is needed.”                     - Sudima Christchurch

“At the end of the day I believe it comes down to your openness as a person, to be open with kindness and trying to understand and listen to people.”                     - Copthorne Hotel, Wellington

“Excellent workshop. A+” - Wellington Venues

“The workshop was facilitated in a varied and interesting way, so it was a pleasure to take part in the session.” – Government House

“The workshop was very useful, not something I had thought in-depth about. Definitely changed my way of thinking” – Weta Workshop

“Enabled great discussion for the group to see the wider picture and begin discussions to improve our environment for all.” – Ballantynes

Making becoming accessible, accessible!

Our newest addition to the Be. team is Adrian Holmes, our in-house Accessibility Advisor. Adrian supports our national network of coaches as well as our in-house team working with businesses and organisations to ensure that any list of recommendations we make, can be fulfilled! He is regularly working with builders, architects, designers and craftspeople to support them in creating beautiful, accessible environments.

“I’m incredibly humbled to be able to support the Be. team as well as our growing network of businesses and organisations. My sense is that there is a huge appetite for greater access, and being able to find practical ways to make it possible is very gratifying!” Adrian Holmes

Hubs kicking into action

Accessibility really starts to have a powerful impact on residents and travellers when hubs are formed. This ensures an end-to-end experience in a City or Region is being developed. Over the past twelve months, these cities have sprung into action and formed outstanding hubs with the support of our coaches and teams on the ground.

Christchurch

2 Be. Coaches

26 Be. Welcomed businesses

7 Be. Confident workshops

9 Be. Leaders

4 Fab 50 members

Wellington

5 Be. Coaches

71 Be. Welcomed businesses

21 Be. Confident workshops

21 Be. Leaders

8 Fab 50 members

Relevant article:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/80879253/Wellington-businesses-taking-on-accessibility-challenge

Auckland

7 Be. Coaches

204 Be. Welcomed businesses

18 Be. Confident workshops

37 Be. Leaders

25 Fab 50 members

Relevant articles:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/71736685/ludo-campbellreids-peoplefriendly-design-helping-auckland-find-its-identity.html

http://www.beaccessible.org.nz/the-movement/media/improving-accessiblity-around-browns-bay]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/better-business/70635607/aut-welcoming-all-to-education-through-accessibility

Hamilton

2 Be. Coaches

21 Be. Welcomed businesses

2 Be. Confident workshops

4 Be. Leaders

1 Fab 50 members

Thank You

Thank you to our funding partners – investing in accessibility takes trust, commitment and a long-term view.

- Ministry of Social Development- The Trusts Community Foundation- Lottery Grants Board- TODD Foundation- ACC

Be. Accessible would like to acknowledge these organisations, along with our other amazing funders and supporters, for their incredible commitment to accessibility.

Thank you to our collaboration partners – at the front line in creating accessibility

Independent Living Services (ILS)

ILS supports Be. Accessible in our ongoing development of the Be. Coaches, the Be. Welcome programme, and the professional development of the new Master Coaches around the country.

Fairfax Media

Fairfax Media has worked alongside Be. Accessible and our campaign partner Borderless to create a New Zealand public facing campaign on business approach to creating greater accessibility.

Deaf Radio

Deaf Radio support Be. to ensure all of our communications are best practice in communicating to the Deaf community of New Zealand, in particular having NZSL included as a key principle of our communications. We also connect the Be. Welcome businesses with Deaf Radio to provide them with support to communicate in NZSL on their websites, at events and in galleries, public attractions and hotels.

Blind Foundation

We refer all business requests for braillisation to the Blind Foundation, and the Blind Foundation Accessibility services deliver our Clear Print communication assessments for all corporate clients.

Borderless

Our social change partners, Borderless work across all aspects of the Be. brand, communications, storytelling and campaign activations.

Learning, Working and Earning in the Modern Day Access Employment Market - The Be. Employed Story (2015/16)

Access to a job, career and future is one of the most fundamental and meaningful ways we can create a better society for everyone. Employment rates for people living with access needs continue to be remarkably low (at 60%) compared to the national average of around 94%.

Be. Employed is an exciting programme that aims to change this. It works alongside our business assessment programme (Be. Welcome) and leadership development programme (Be. Leadership) to enable a holistic approach to access employment.

By creating a pipeline and brokering relationships, Be. Employed brings together employers that are committed to accessibility and talented individuals looking for relevant and meaningful employment through an internship or job opportunity.

Work-readiness with PepTalk

One of the outstanding aspects of the Be. Employed programme is the support that is offered to job candidates. Be. has teamed up with Fab 50 member Drew McGuire and Capability Group to develop an innovative coaching workshop called “PepTalk”. PepTalk is run as a group workshop and comprises four full day sessions with 16, one-hour modules. Designed, developed and delivered free of charge by Capability Group, the workshops ensure talent are as work-ready as they can possibly be before entering the workforce.

“The PepTalk programme was awesome! It taught me heaps of valuable lessons and how to land a job interview.” – Simon Mill, PepTalk participant

Internships offer real-world experience and grow confidence

Over the past 12 months, Be. Employed has successfully created 14 fully funded internships with leading employers across New Zealand. In addition to this, the programme has also led to 3 (Ministry of Social Development funded) Mainstream placements, and 11 full-time permanent roles (funded by the employer).

Here’s what some of our employers and talent had to say about their experience!

 “I didn’t believe in myself before, but now I know I can do anything” Daniel

  “I wanted to tell you before (my employer) does… I’ve got a job! I’m so excited, I’m jumping up and down on the inside” Emily “Without you guys this opportunity wouldn't have been possible, thank you. I couldn’t have done this without your support” Khan “She has been such a pleasure to work with and I’ve come to rely on her hard work to achieve some of the key project milestones. On Mariana’s first day, I talked through the website project with her, she sat and read through the documentation and at the end of the day she approached me with a number of suggestions and ideas. I was so impressed and knew she was going to be amazing” Starjam

“Michael has learnt a lot very quickly, and we’re impressed with the work he’s done. We’ve seen him grow in confidence and it’s been great having him in the team ” University of Waikato

Relevant article: http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/77782223/Be-Accessible-bridging-employment-gap-for-students-with-disabilities

Congratulations again to CQ Hotels

In any social movement, there is often an individual or organisation that simply stands out because it continues to go well beyond expectations to achieve a tremendous impact. CQ Hotels, Wellington and General Manager, Olivier Lacoua have done precisely this. In December 2015, CQ Hotels Wellington was awarded the ACC Employer Award at the 2015 Attitude Awards.

In the past year, CQ Hotels Wellington has employed interns from the Be. Internship programme and now has five employees with access needs. Two Deaf staff members were hired especially to assist with the launch of CQ’s New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) menu and have stayed on in permanent positions.

CQ Hotels Wellington was the first hotel group in New Zealand to train its employees in NZSL.

Relevant article:

http://artsaccess.org.nz/CQ+Hotels+Wellington+wins+Attitude+ACC+Employer+Award

Our very own Indula Jayasundara

With all the buzz coming from the employer network about how well the internship was working for them, Be. decided to take on our very own intern.

We've been privileged to have Waikato University student Indula Jayasundara, who is in his fourth year of a Bachelor in Management Studies majoring in Accounting and Tourism, with us in the Be. Office for a 12-week internship. He recounts his experience in the Be. Office:

“As part of the Waikato Management School's internship programme, I was lucky enough to secure a placement here at Be. Accessible. My experience here has been nothing short of an exciting journey, constantly exploring the organisational values and witnessing the strong determination of the team to advocate the social message of accessibility to the wider community.

I was given the opportunity to work on projects, meet with clients and to learn the majority of the functions, which support the daily operations of the organisation. The most valuable experience was my involvement in a social change movement, the opportunity to apply my expertise, working alongside a passionate team towards a cause, which makes the world a better place to live in.

I'm incredibly proud to have been associated with a social enterprise such as Be., which in a period of 12 weeks became my second home.”

Accessible Leadership in Action - The Be. Leadership Story

Be. Leadership, now in its sixth year, boasts 99 incredible people who have invested one year of their lives in exploring, challenging and growing their own capacity and opportunity to lead.

The 2015 cohort of Be. leaders, comprising a diverse group of 16 people from across New Zealand graduated in a spectacular event at the Auckland Art Gallery in November 2015.

The 2016 group, who came together for the first time in February 2016, have already taken part in 5 sessions, a total of 13 days of learning across Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

Relevant articles:

1. http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/81656617/Leadership- week-Be-Accessible-invites-people-to-think-outside-the-leadership-square?

2. http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/81782206/leadership- week-be-accessible-leaders-talk-leadership-as-navigators

3. http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/81887195/Leadership- week-Be-Accessible-explain-leadership-as-a-disruptor

The Power of the Network

With so many Be. Leaders achieving so much in their own lives, we are starting to notice a powerful network of capable, insightful and influential individuals emerge across New Zealand.

Congratulations to:

Cate Grace (Be. Leader 2014) - awarded Premier Award in Arthritis awards

Beth Noble (Be. Leader 2015) - awarded David Sievwright Memorial Prize in Building Science by the School of Architecture at Victoria University.

Debra Bathgate’s (Be. Leader 2014) for curating the Deaf art exhibition, Korero, for NZSL Week’s 10th Anniversary in (year).

Genevieve McLachlan (Be. Leader 2012) – recognised in the Queen’s Birthday honours with a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to people with disabilities.

Erin Gough (Be. Leader 2011) - employed as Human Rights Commission's Disability focused Human Rights Specialist starting September 2015

Meet our 2015 / 2016 Leaders

2015 Be. Leaders

Beth Noble (Wellington)Catherine Soper (Wellington)Juliana Carvahlo dos Santos (Auckland)Kylie Shirtliff (Auckland)Loren Corbett (Hamilton)Marilou Scott (Dunedin)Martin Nunn (Auckland)Michael Campbell (Hamilton)Rachel Cox (Auckland)Sarah Mitchell (Auckland)Simon Noonan (Auckland)Stephen Macartney (Tauranga)Steven Daw (Christchurch)Teena McEwen (New Plymouth)Tonya Baker (Auckland)Ulrike Rosenfeld (Wellington)

2016 Be. Leaders

Amy Glassford (Christchurch)Bruce Roberts (Wellington)Henrietta Bollinger (Wellington)Hannah Young (Auckland)Jayshree Ranchhod (Wellington)Jonathan Heaps (Auckland)Kim Smith (Cambridge)Maree Welgus (Rotorua)Maria Fredatovich (Wanaka)Redmond Nicholson (Auckland)Sarah Orr (Dunedin)Sean Parker (Palmerston North)Soana Hodgkinson (Auckland)Thisanka Tittawella (Auckland)

Celebrating Leaders – Be. Leadership Graduation 2015

This year, the Fifth Be. Leadership Graduation ceremony was hosted by the beautiful Auckland Art Gallery. 150 attended the event and special guest Minister Nicky Wagner attended and presented certificates to the 15 graduates.

The graduates are a diverse group including individuals participating in advanced study, business owners, househusbands and many more.

Leadership Week Dream Team

A number of our Be. Leadership Alumni took part in the Sir Peter Blake Trust’s Dream Team 2016, visiting schools and talking about leadership with students.

Juliana Carvahlo Dos Santos (Be. Leader 2015): “I'm a believer and I love to inspire people to become believers too, we have infinite possibilities to achieve whatever we dream about.”

Sarah Mitchell (Be. Leader 2015): “I wanted to show the importance of having a goal, the right attitude and the unending possibilities of being able of a dream.”

Wayne Forrest (Be. Leader 2013): “I love sharing what I have learned and if I can help inspire anyone to make a life they love, that is just awesome.”

A word from the programme directors, Lesley Slade and Philip Patston

The inventor of the concept of ‘flow’, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, describes it as “being completely involved in an activity for its own sake.” This idea is echoed by leadership theorist Margaret Wheatley in her latest book, So Far from Home: Lost and Found in our Brave New World. She talks about leadership needing to be grounded in purposeful actions without the expectation of influence — that is, for its own sake. She invites us to be “good, caring people doing the right work…while also being gentle, decent and brave.”

This year, a new group of people have come together for the 2016 Be. Leadership programme. Theirs has been a collective journey of self-discovery and of seeking out their own flow or right work — the actions they will commit to with intention but without expectation, activity for its own sake.

But there has been another aspect of flow that we’ve noticed in this, the sixth year of the programme. This flow is one of progression, an increase of capacity and a deepening of conversation. For the first time, every participant is in gainful employment, be it working for corporate organisations like ACC, DHBs, universities or self-employment. Some are starting out, others are in leadership roles.

Be. Leadership was borne of an intention to increase leadership in the access community, especially in employment. We didn’t know what to expect, but we did it anyway. Now, it seems, looking back, that by being completely involved in running and improving the programme for its own sake, we have done right work and have indeed had a significant and constructive influence.

- Lesley Slade & Philip Patston, Programme Directors

Activating and encouraging the social movement

Telling stories, inviting participation and growing partnerships have been at the very heart of our social movement from the very beginning. Over the past year, we have started to gain a real sense that there is a natural flow-on effect taking place across all of our work.

The year began with the Our Place conference in Wellington – a cross sector event brought together by Inclusive NZ, Inspiring Communities and Be. Accessible. The conference focused on sharing stories from a variety of community-led initiatives, as well as stories that look at the ‘big picture’.

At this event, Be. Accessible premiered its documentary film, To. Be. Me., a story that captures the journey of the social movement since inception. The release of the film coincided with the launch of The Invitation campaign, an initiative that invites New Zealanders to host screenings of the film, discuss opportunities for greater access and spread the word through their networks.

Since it launched in 2015, the film has been screened more than 1,500 times in homes, communities and in the workplace. We’ve had screenings hosting by a huge variety of organisations, some of which include:

GlaxoSmithKline staff Wellington City Mayors Office CQ Hotel in Wellington’s public screening Christchurch City Council Diversity Week screening as part of their film festival Buddle Findlay screenings in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch Ministry of Education – Cook Islands screening Fairfax Screenings in Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton and Christchurch Festival for the Future ACC screenings throughout organisation Thought Wired Various universities including Waikato, AUT University, Canterbury and

more Leadership New Zealand Various organisations from the disability sector, and many many more!

Relevant article:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/76473017/Businesses-accept-The-Invitation-to-support-accessibility

In May 2016, Minnie was invited to present at TEDx Auckland. Her presentation on the “Accessibility Equation” was a sobering reminder of the value of good accessibility, or in her case, the challenges of navigating a health system that is not designed for a woman with access needs. Minnie’s experience and story is a powerful call to action, that while we have done so

much, there is still a long way we need to go to achieving full access, particularly in the areas of life that matter most!

Survey reveals great optimism, and the pathway for a new index

In 2015, Be. launched The New Zealand Accessibility survey revealing 92% of New Zealanders want to help make New Zealand the most accessible place to live, work and travel.

This key result from the recent survey, which canvassed 1,200 people, shows that New Zealanders are poised to engage in the journey of accessibility. While only 0.85% of respondents believe our country is currently fully accessible, 80% believe we have the potential to become the most accessible country in the world.

The findings of this survey have fuelled a desire to understand and measure in a much more in-depth way, the levels of accessibility in every aspect of life in New Zealand. As a result, Be. Accessible has formed a partnership with AUT University to create the Be. Index, a holistic measure of access for New Zealand. This will be formally launched in 2017.

Relevant article:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/better-business/72026752/be-accessible-survey-to-give-insight-to-attitudes

Endeavours in 2017

As the ecosystem grows and becomes more connected and energised, plans are being made to take the accessibility movement to yet another level.

In 2017, Be. Accessible and a group of partners will host the inaugural Global Summit on Accessibility in Auckland, New Zealand. The Summit brings together leaders in business, public service, academia, design and innovation in order to fast track the opportunity that accessibility presents for societies, economies and our planet.

While it was only the efforts of a small number of committed citizens that got together to start the Be. movement just over five years ago, it is without a doubt that it will take many more to create global shifts in accessibility so that for every single one of us may live, enjoy, travel and share everything our world has to offer.

Contact details for Be. Institute

Phone: +64 9 309 8966Freephone: 0800 be in touch (234 686)Email: info@beaccessible.org.nzwww.beaccessible.org.nz