One in Six is live

We are proud to share that the new One in Six website – developed in partnership with NZDEN and Whaikaha - Ministry of Disabled People – is now live and out in the world. On 17th February, One in Six was officially launched at the Beehive to Business Wellington Chamber of Commerce event.

What is One in Six?

One in Six is designed as a starting point, helping SMEs and larger employers understand what disability employment looks like and giving them the confidence to get started. The site provides practical advice and downloadable top-tip guides on inclusive recruitment.

This site is the result of a partnership with Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People. Their policy expertise combined with our employer relationships and on-the-ground experience has produced a resource we believe will open the door for many more New Zealand employers, and ultimately bring more of them to the table.

To be clear: One in Six is not a replacement for NZDEN, and we are not changing over our websites or reducing our services or support. As NZDEN members, you receive in-depth, individualised support and advice, access to a hub of resources that go much deeper, and events and connections to the right people at the right time. One in Six is an open door - your NZDEN membership is what's behind it.

Celebrating our members on One in Six

We’re incredibly proud that five of our members have shared their stories – the progress they’ve made, the lessons they’ve learned, and the results they’ve seen. Because as so many of you already know, getting this right isn’t just the right thing to do – it’s genuinely good for business.

Their experiences are now at the heart of One in Six, helping to shape what other employers understand about disability employment in Aotearoa.

Our thanks go out to these members. Putting your story out there takes both courage and leadership. Being featured isn’t about having all the solutions – it’s about being committed to the journey and willing to share what you’ve learned.

We encourage all members to explore these stories on One in Six. There’s genuine insight in every one of them, from practical, everyday tips through to the bigger cultural shifts that make the real difference. These are your fellow members leading the way, and their openness is already helping to shift the conversation.

Accessibility by Design

Vector started their accessibility journey in 2019 with an honest audit of their processes and physical environment. Small steps, steady curiosity, and a willingness to learn have led to accessibility being built into the design of their new office, adapted hiring processes, and digital channels.

Read Vector's story

Opening doors through internships

Sudima Hotels in partnership with Choices NZ created Open Doors - a paid, six-week internship programme for disabled people. What started as a way to remove barriers to employment has changed the culture across their hotels.

Read Sudima's story

Accessibility built on trust and everyday practice

Kaikaranga shows how accessibility can be built into everyday work through consistent check-ins, trusted conversations, and a quiet, steady commitment to doing what you say you’ll do.

Read Kaikaranga's story

Making accessibility part of everyday work

AIA New Zealand set up an employee-led Accessibility Network and developed a Neurodiversity Toolkit that’s been accessed by 38% of their organisation. Many of their most impactful changes required no budget – just the willingness to start and the humility to learn along the way.

Read AIA's story

Building confidence in neurodiversity

Hato Hone St John used Neurodiversity Celebration Week as a catalyst to start conversations across their organisation of 12,000 people. What began as a single event has grown into practical guides for managers, neurodiversity training designed and delivered by neurodivergent staff, and a culture where people feel safe to be themselves.

Read Hato Hone St Johns' story

Does your organisation have a story to tell?

We would love to feature more success stories on One in Six. Stories from real organisations make a genuine difference in helping other employers see that inclusive employment isn’t a distant goal, it’s something that’s happening right now, in organisations across Aotearoa New Zealand.

Your story doesn’t need to be one of perfection, it just needs to be honest. If your organisation has been on a journey with disability employment and you’d be willing to share your experience, please complete the 'have your own story to share?' form on the One in Six website.

Visit the One in Six website

ARM-Up is here!

The Accessible Recruitment Model (ARM-Up) is a practical, business-ready framework that helps employers remove barriers and make hiring fairer and more effective for everyone.

ARM‑Up provides recruitment teams clear, easy‑to‑use tools that improve accessibility, reduce bias, and open the door to a wider pool of talent.

For candidates, ARM‑Up means greater clarity, confidence, and the opportunity to show their true strengths. For employers, it means stronger hiring decisions, better candidate experiences, and processes that genuinely reflect your commitment to inclusion.

And here’s the part that makes us particularly proud: Developed by the NZDEN's Accessible Recruitment Community of Practice, employers and the NZDEN team worked with disabled people and their representative organisations to create a world leading tool for improving inclusive recruitment.

ARM-Up was developed through the hard work and collective thinking of NZDEN members through our Accessible Recruitment Community of Practice. NZDEN members, employers and the NZDEN team worked with disabled people and their representative organisations to create a world leading tool for improving inclusive recruitment. It reflects real solutions, and real workplace experience from across Aotearoa New Zealand.

What ARM-Up helps you do

Identify practical changes that remove barriers for disabled candidates
Build more inclusive processes that work better for all candidates, not just disabled applicants
Access a structured, step-by-step approach rather than trying to figure it all out on your own
Tap into a growing pool of talent that many organisations are unintentionally missing.

Just like the organisations featured on One in Six, the principles behind ARM-Up aren’t only about disability. When you make recruitment more accessible, you make it more effective for everyone.

Explore ARM-Up

ARM-Up is available on the One in Six website. We encourage all members – particularly those in HR, recruitment, and talent acquisition roles – to take a look and start thinking about how it could apply to your processes.

If you have questions about ARM-Up or want to talk through how to apply it in your organisation, please reach out to us directly. We’re here to help.

Explore ARM-Up on the One in Six website

A special thank you

We want to acknowledge every member who contributed to the development of ARM-Up through the Accessible Recruitment Community of Practice. Your time, your expertise, and your willingness to share have produced something genuinely valuable. ARM-Up is a tangible example of what our members can achieve together, and we couldn’t be more proud.

NZDEN Members who contributed to ARM-Up

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Disability sector partners who contributed to ARM-Up