Auckland Council awarded the Accessibility Tick
It is always an honour to present an organisation with their Accessibility Tick. On 29 June, Phil had the pleasure of celebrating this milestone with Auckland Council.
As Aotearoa's largest council, serving over 1.7 million people across Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland Council's commitment to the Accessibility Tick programme represents a significant milestone - both for our flagship programme and for disability and neurodiversity inclusion in local government.
The Accessibility Tick recognises an organisation's ongoing commitment to becoming more accessible and inclusive for disabled and neurodivergent employees and the communities they serve. It's not a finish line - it's a commitment to continuous improvement, supported by the NZDEN through regular assessments, action planning, and quarterly reviews.
Max Wallace, Senior Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisor, says “We’re eager to continue building an equitable workplace where everyone can fully participate and succeed.”
"The Accessibility Tick is not a finish line. It is recognition that we are moving in the right direction. Our focus now is on practical improvements, clearer guidance, better training, and stronger support for disabled and neurodivergent kaimahi and Aucklanders. That is how we make equity and inclusion real in the day-to-day experience of working here."
Auckland Council already has a strong foundation in this space, including their Disability Action Plan - Mahere Mahi mō te Hauā - and the work of their Disability Advisory Panel. Being awarded the Accessibility Tick builds on that foundation and brings a structured, outcomes-focused framework to drive ongoing progress across the organisation.
For an organisation of Auckland Council's scale and influence - delivering services, managing public spaces and facilities, and employing thousands of people across the region - the impact of this commitment has the potential to be felt right across Tāmaki Makaurau.
We're proud to welcome Auckland Council to the Accessibility Tick programme and look forward to working alongside them as they continue this mahi.
Whakamihi to everyone at Auckland Council involved in making this happen.
