Disability advocates are welcoming the changes to family funded care, but say it's only the beginning and nothing has changed to alter what they call the degrading process of becoming a recognised employee.
Yesterday, the Government announced a raft of changes to the funding policy for carers with a family member or spouse that has high needs due to disability, health conditions, mental health, addiction or old age.
The changes include increasing pay rates for family carers from minimum wage to a maximum of $25.50 per hour.
The changes will come into effect in 2020 after going through a select committee process.
The Government announced a raft of changes to funding for family members of disabled people. (Source: Other)
However, disability advocate Jane Carrigan told TVNZ1's Breakfast today the announcement would only give false hope.
"I would describe us landing at base camp on the hill of hope basically, and no one wants to be at base camp," she said. "It sounds good, but my concern is it's going to give a lot of people a lot of false hope."
Ms Carrigan said Diane Moody, who won an historic case in the Court of Appeal against the Ministry of Health's decision to only pay her for 17 hours of care a week, at the minimum wage, had received nothing since.
"The Ministry of Health have changed nothing," Ms Carrigan said. "And I don't care, with all due respect to the Prime Minister and to her ministers, them standing up and saying that things are changing, etcetera, etcetera, nothing has changed in the last 18 months.
"The Justice Minister Andrew Little has been going on about Google not complying with the decisions of the court, or the orders of the court, well the Minister of Health hasn't been complying with the decision of the court from 18 months ago.
"I want the Government to stop listening to the Ministry of Health personnel and their small cohort of so-called disability advocates. I want them to start listening to the coal-face, the Diane's of this world, and frankly the mes of this world because I do understand the last 35 years of this matter, but we get no acknowledgment from anybody"
Ms Carrigan said Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had not responded to her correspondence.
Ms Moody has taken the matter to the employment court. She too joined Breakfast, but wouldn't comment on the specific case while it was before the courts.
She has cared for her son, Shane Chamberlain, almost constantly his entire life - for half a century. He has a mental age of about three.
It means he can stay at home where he is happy and safe, but the Ministry of Health has regarded much of that as parenting rather than work, even though if Ms Moody wasn't able to look after him, the taxpayer would pay for his care.
When asked how she feels about the Government's announcement, Ms Moody told Breakfast, "when all the i's are dotted and the t's are crossed and done properly then it'll be good, but let's not hold our breath just yet."
Associate Health Minister Julie Anne Genter told 1 NEWS: "This Government is putting $32million into changing Funded Family Care because the previous laws weren’t working.
"We are committed to repealing Part 4A, and introducing legislation to fix Funded Family Care.
"The changes this Government are making will right the wrongs of the previous government, but I acknowledge this takes time."
The Prime Minister's office and Ministry of Health have been approached for comment.
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