The Barrier Free NZ Trust

Welcome to the Barrier Free NZ Trust

The Barrier Free NZ Trust (BFT) was established in 1993.  The Trust is made up of consumers and individuals with experience and expertise in local government, the building industry, and the disability sector.

Our mission is to encourage, promote, and facilitate the creation of environments that are accessible and usable by everyone in the community including people with disabilities. This encapsulates the concept of Universal Access for all people. We do this through training, education, and advocacy. We provide technical advice and oversee the use of the International Symbol of Access.

As an educational organisation the BFT focuses on facilitating and encouraging solutions that ensure all people are able to use all facilities within public buildings independently and safely.

On an annual basis the BFT organises nationwide seminars, which are aimed at a wide range of employment groups, including territorial authorities, building consent staff, architects, designers, planners, landscape architects, building construction and property managers, disability organisations such as CCS Disability Action, IHC, DPA, Royal NZ Foundation of the Blind; and government departments.

The BFT is also responsible for accrediting and registering Barrier Free Advisers who provide the professional service of undertaking building audits. This service assists designers and developers in ensuring that the built environment that they create will satisfy the accessibility requirements of the Building Act 2004 and Building Code.

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