Kāpō Māori Aotearoa

Kāpō Māori Aotearoa (KMA) is the oldest and only national tāngata kāpō Māori (Māori blind, low vision and deaf blind) and tāngata whaikaha Māori (Māori disabled) led organisation in Aotearoa. Set up by kāpō Māori and their whānau in 1983, to provide a ‘safe’ forum to celebrate their indigeneity.

They are whānau inclusive and diverse: pan-ethnicity, pan-tribal, pan-age, pan-disability, and provide a dual role, as a kaupapa tāngata whaikaha Māori advocate and as a government contracted Māori health and disability service provider.

• Work with members and whanau in accordance with kaupapa Māori best practice standards to remove barriers that restrict their ability to be contributing citizens in Aotearoa New Zealand.
• Support members and whānau to attain individual and whānau self-determination in accordance with whānau ora health and well-being outcomes.
• Invest in innovations and research that strengthen member, whānau and organizational capability and capacity.
• Influence societal change through contributing forward thinking, solution focused, consumer perspective advice and guidance to members, whānau, disabled Māori, the disability community, other indigenous disability organisations, local Government, Iwi, the Crown and the general public.
• Deliver specialist Māori cultural support services to members, whānau and the disability community generally.