We asked AI to help explain the DSS consultation. Its response was uncomfortably revealing

Government consultations are a funny thing. The idea is well-intentioned: let the people have their say. The challenge, of course, is that the consultation process is usually created by people who know the most about the topic, making the consultation hard to understand, access and engage with.

As the Ministry of Social Development begins consultation on some critical changes to Disability Support Services (DSS), this challenge feels more relevant than ever. They’ve told us they want to hear what we have to say. “Everyone is welcome,” they implore. But will everyone understand exactly what's going on?

Let’s be clear, the proposed changes are important. Whatever the outcome, this policy will have a significant impact on the 50,000 disabled people in Aotearoa who receive disability support services and their whānau.

If we are to believe that they really do want everyone to have their say, let’s take a look at the information they’ve provided to help shape our understanding.

The documents that are being shared widely include: 

• The independent review report (9400 words)
• Full discussion document (4700 words)
• Flexible funding fact sheet (500 words)
• Assessment and allocation fact sheet (400 words)

So far, so many thousands of words.

But if you didn’t write these yourself, or have a doctorate in disability policy studies, how are you supposed to understand what it is they’re asking? Within the documents, there are many mentions of recommendations, independent reviews, and allocations. But for those of us who find those words hard to understand in the first place, being able to contribute to the consultation itself will be very difficult indeed. 

Feeling a little disenchanted, we decided to turn to the only thing making our lives easier in 2025: cute AI chatbots. Desperate for some clarity, we asked: “Please explain the DSS consultation process in a way that we can understand”. Its response was revealing: but perhaps not in the way we had expected.

What follows is the unedited transcript of what it told us:

Imagine you have a big box of toys that are there to help kids who need a little extra support, like kids who might have trouble walking, seeing, or doing things by themselves. This box of toys is managed by some grown-ups who want to make sure that every kid gets the toys that help them most.

But some kids and their families feel that it’s a little bit tricky to get the right toys. Sometimes, the toys they need aren’t easy to find or use. And sometimes, the rules for how to get them don’t make sense, or they don’t help the kids the way they should.

So, a group of helpful grown-ups (called a "taskforce") got together to figure out how to fix it.

They want to make sure that:

- The rules are clear and easy to follow.

- Families know exactly how to ask for toys and know what toys they can use.

- Every kid gets the right toys for them.

The taskforce asked lots of people—like kids and their families—how they could do things better.

Some of the things they might change are:

- How they decide what toys kids need.

- Making sure families can choose what toys work best for them.

- Being clearer about what toys are available and which ones might come from other places, like the doctor or school.

They’re asking everyone to help share their ideas so that the toy box can work better for all the kids who need it!

Does this response help us understand the consultation better? Maybe.

Does this response say quite a lot about how society thinks about disabled people, what our support needs look like, and where all the power lies between us and the “adults”?

Absolutely.

* PS. If you're looking for other ways to understand the consultation process, the good folks at Awhi Ngā Mātua have written this excellent explainer.

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