Our Interview with Councillor Joe Davies about changes to the Total Mobility Scheme

We sat down with the only known councillor in Aotearoa New Zealand who voted against the cuts to the Total Mobility scheme subsidy.

Canterbury Regional Councillor Joe Davies was “shocked” to find he was the only councillor to push back against it.

From the 1st of July, the Total Mobility subsidy is being reduced from 75% to 65%, and local councils are being required to decrease regional fare caps. This mandated decrease for local councils was what Councillor Davies voted against, calling it “an overreach” on the part of the government.

The government has also proposed more changes to the scheme to further cut costs, including capping how many subsidised trips a person can take, and periodic reassessments of eligibility, even for people with permanent disabilities.

Download the full transcript of our interview with Joe.