Kōrero for Change - Banking Webinar
Wednesday 15 April 2026
This next kōrero in the series focuses on Banking. We recognise the urgent need to examine how disabled people experience banking systems — from opening accounts and verifying identity, to accessing online platforms, ATMs, loans, financial advice, and everyday transactions.
Banking is an essential service. Yet too often, systems are designed without disabled people in mind. Digital-only platforms can exclude those who are blind or have low vision. Phone authentication processes can create barriers for Deaf people. Inaccessible branches, complex paperwork, rigid identification requirements, and assumptions about capability can prevent equitable access to financial independence.
This webinar will explore how ableism shows up in banking practices, policies, technology, and culture. We will hear lived experiences, identify systemic barriers, and discuss practical changes that banks, regulators, and policymakers can make to ensure financial services are accessible, inclusive, and dignity-affirming for all.
Join us as we work toward a banking system that recognises disabled people as valued customers, decision-makers, and economic participants — not afterthoughts.
Download the Webinar Transcript
Date: 15 April 2026
Time: 9 am to 11 am
Where: Zoom via YouTube
Master of Ceremonies: Dr Rebekah Graham, Co-Chair Access Matters Aotearoa Trust
Speakers: Bruce Maguire, Lead Policy Advisor, Vision Australia; Neil Jarvis, Digital Accessibility Consultant; Dr Rachelle Martin, Senior Lecturer, DipPhys, MHsc (endorsed in Rehabilitation), University of Otago Wellington; Nicola Sladden, Chief Executive Officer, Banking Ombudsman; Steve Wiggins, Chief Executive, Payments NZ; Peter Harrison, Managing Director, Kaiwahakahaere Matua; Tania Reed, Head of Accessibility, Westpac New Zealand; Jared Hutcheson, Programme Manager Financial Wellbeing, Westpac New Zealand; Annette Rotherham, Senior Speech Language Therapist, Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora; Jake Lilley, Senior Policy Advisor, FinCap
Moderators: Neil Jarvis, Digital Accessibility Consultant; Callum McMenanim, Director, Open Access
Programme: Word, Large Print, PDF Glossy, Braille, NZSL, Audio, EasyRead.