News

Our Chief Executive Ralph Jones has been awarded Life Membership of NZDSN.

The board of NZDSN unanimously voted to support the honour in September 2024.

While the nomination acknowledged IHC’s role in supporting NZDSN, this award recognised Ralph’s individual contribution working behind the scenes to support the sector and its leaders.

The nomination outlined Ralph’s contribution over the years including being part of the steering group that worked to establish NZDSN and ensuring IHC funded staff and resources were used to set up the organisation.

“The sector needed NZDSN and Ralph believed it was IHC's job to support the sector and to ensure greater voice to providers,” the nomination states.

Ralph believes that the medium to large providers have a role to play in using their resources and capability to assist other NZDSN members and the wider disability community.  

Under his leadership Ralph was influential in negotiating the landmark sleepover claim, has worked on various residential pricing projects, and was appointed by NZDSN to represent them on the initial pay equity negotiations.  The nomination says that “During the Sleepover and earlier Pay Equity negotiations, IHC's finance staff did a great deal of the background work to support claims. IHC also sponsored the legal advice used during the negotiations.

“More recently, Ralph has been involved in pulling disability support sector leaders together to discuss the impact of health and safety legislation on providers and the very real risk that exists for providers and disabled people alike.  NZDSN has since assumed this role through a specific project sponsored by Whaikaha.

Ralph is widely recognised for his outspoken views on the barriers and unnecessary frustrations that government agencies and bureaucrats place on disability support providers and disabled people but is quick to offer solutions on how such barriers can be minimised or removed through innovative and practical action.

“Ralph has spent many years promoting the needs and aspirations of providers with the end result of providing the best care and support possible to disabled people.  He strongly advocates that providers have a place and future role in providing services to many vulnerable New Zealanders and he has represented providers at all levels of government across all political parties.  He has put energy into building good networks and relationships to better support quality service provision.

“Ralph has often supported and continues to support other Chief Executives in the sector by sharing his own experience and advice.”