Interim web accessibility statement

We support accessibility by:

• providing alternate formats when requested
• including digital accessibility in our policies
• training our staff in digital accessibility
• identifying, tracking and fixing accessibility issues on our websites
• responding positively to accessibility complaints
• working to meet the NZ Government Web Standards.

Accessibility Charter

MSD has signed the Accessibility Charter as a commitment to providing accessible information to the public.

Accessability Charter | Ministry of Social Development

The NZ Government Web Standards, which include the Web Accessibility Standard and the Web Usability Standard, define our requirements for web accessibility.

NZ Government Web Accessibility Standard 1.2 | Digital.govt.nz

NZ Government Web Usability Standard 1.4 | Digital.govt.nz

The Web Accessibility Standard requires meeting the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 Level AA. These are the standards and level that we are working to comply with.

We have completed a partial audit. A full audit, including testing with mobile screen readers, will be completed once the website is live. The results of this full audit will be provided on this page.

Compliance status

This website is partially compliant with NZ Government Web Standards, due to the accessibility and usability issues described in this statement.   

Content that is not accessible

There are some accessibility issues that we have not yet fixed. We have grouped them by section of the website. 

Job Applications

On the Job applications screen, some information shown for each job cannot be read by screen readers. To access this information, open the job application. 

Website notifications

Notifications that sometimes appear at the top of the screen cannot be dismissed. 

Menu

The main menu has accessibility issues and may be difficult to navigate. Menus display differently depending on the size of your screen and if you have zoomed in.

Menu for laptop or large screens when you have not zoomed in.

• When you open a menu, for example Help Centre, the submenu items are shown on the left of the screen. 
• In the submenu, items that do not announce as links are buttons that expand to show more menu items. For example, How it works and Job Seeker profile. They can be expanded to show more menu options but cannot be collapsed without closing the whole list.

Menu for small screens or when you have zoomed in, screen readers will announce this as Main menu button.

• The expanded menu will disappear if you scroll down with your mouse or try to tab to a menu item that is not showing on the screen. To access all the menu items, reduce your zoom to less than 200%. The last menu item is a link to StudyLink.
• When you expand a submenu, for example My Jobs, the list you were on will be replaced by the My Jobs submenu. Screen readers will make an announcement like a new page is loading. When you navigate back into the submenu the screen reader will not announce that you are a menu.
• In the submenu, the first button on the screen (shown at top left) is a Back button that goes back to the previous menu list. The second button (shown at top right) will be a user menu button, if you are logged in, and then the main menu button. Below the buttons are the submenu items.

Search jobs

The search fields on the Home and the Job search results screens do not work properly with screen readers:

• Industry: this field is not announced correctly by screen readers. The field has 10 Industry checkboxes. Using a PC, change to forms mode. Press Enter to expand the checkboxes. When the checkboxes are expanded use the Enter key to select as many as you like. They will not announce as checkboxes, and each one may be prefixed by either Building and Trades or Attention.
• Location (City, district or region): You need to choose from the suggestions that appear as you type. Screen readers do not announce the suggestions once a location has been selected, so you will need to perform additional searches to find jobs in multiple locations. Navigating the suggestions can also cause the screen reader to move to other parts of the page, such as the Shielded Site link in the footer.

Creating your Jobseeker profile (clients)

• The title of each page, announced by screen readers when each page loads, is always Jobseeker profile.
• The main heading on each page has been renamed to read the step number before the heading, for example Step 11 of 17. This information is only available to people using a screen reader or screen magnifier with voice support.
• The text above the progress bar cannot be read by screen reader or screen magnifiers with voice.
• For fields like Add skills, where the items you select are shown below the combobox, the screen reader does not announce you have made a selection. When you remove an item, the screen reader moves focus to the back button.

Online Vacancy form (employers)

The form may not be accessible for some disabled people, particularly screen reader users, people with low vision and people who use only a keyboard because:

• drop-down options in edit comboboxes are not announced. 
• when modals such as the Edit dialog on the Review job page are open, the cursor does not stay in the modal.
• the first page uses a CAPTCHA, Captchas are known to cause accessibility issues and are often unusable for disabled people
• the title of each page, announced by screen readers when each page loads, is always Home
• headings have been skipped or used incorrectly
• images such as the MyMSD logo in the banner and the icons for job details on the Review job page have no alternative text for screen reader users
• on tabbing to the input fields and radio buttons, the questions are not being announced, however, they can be read with arrow keys
• the content such as the progress bar does not sufficiently adapt to high contrast settings
• some text and form fields have insufficient contrast against the background, making them hard to read
• it is not always clear to keyboard users where the cursor is on an item like a button or a link
• the labels for the progress bar are not visible to keyboard users.

The Shielded Site

• Screen reader users can access the content on the underlying page while the application is open.
• The content does not sufficiently adapt to high contrast settings.

This website was designed to work with common browsers.

We have completed some assistive technology testing, including testing with JAWS, NVDA and keyboard-only navigation. Additional testing is still under way.

It has been tested with:

• Google Chrome 148.0.7778.179 and Microsoft Edge 147.0.3912.72 with JAWS on Windows 11
• Google Chrome 148.0.7778.179 and Microsoft Edge 147.0.3912.72 with NVDA on Windows 11
• Google Chrome 148.0.7778.179 and Microsoft Edge 147.0.3912.72 with keyboard-only input on Windows 11.

Note: the online Vacancy form has not been tested with NVDA.

This website’s accessibility assessment has been partially completed. Our accessibility assessment includes:

• evaluating selected pages against WCAG 2.2 Level AA
• testing selected pages with assistive technologies.

Contact us if you:

• experience an accessibility issue on this website 
• need information in alternate formats
• need the information in a different file format.

We aim to respond within 3 working days. 

We can provide information in alternate formats. You can request information in: 

• Easy Read
• New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL)
• Braille
• audio
• large print.

When you contact us, please include:

• the webpage (URL) of the information you need 
• the alternate format you need, for example Braille.

To make a formal complaint, follow the complaints information on our website.

If you're not satisfied with our response to your complaint, you can make a further complaint to the Human Rights Commission or the Ombudsman New Zealand.

MSD Transformation Team

Ministry of Social Development

Te Manatū Whakahiato Ora

Last statement review date

3 June 2026