Olivia Shivas

New Zealand

Storyteller, podcaster, organiser, baker and proudly disabled. Listen to What's Wrong With You? on Apple Podcasts and Spotify [email protected]

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Articles

Do you feel like a burden?

1 month ago | thedlist.co.nz | Pieta Bouma |Olivia Shivas

In the third and final episode of the series,we explore what feels like the touchiest and most personal of the three topics. Do our disabilities make us feel like burdens? In Pieta’s work supporting those with spinal cord injuries, one of the deepest and most painful challenges for some is our relationship with ourselves when we suddenly rely on support from loved ones. Is it a common experience to feel like a burden on our families?
Did your parents make you ableist?

1 month ago | thedlist.co.nz | Pieta Bouma |Olivia Shivas

How do our parents’ relationships with our disabilities shape who we grow up to be, and what we think of as appropriate behaviour? In the second episode of the podcast series, we reflect on disabled adults' relationships with their parents, and their feelings about how their parents may have done things well, or poorly, in how they were raised.
Acquiring disability meant acquiring creative wealth for author Sam Smith

1 month ago | thedlist.co.nz | Eda Tang |Olivia Shivas |Lotto Ramsay

A period of transition is undeniable for anyone who acquires a disability. Smith thought that if he could no longer do the thing he trained to do, he might as well do the thing he wanted to do. “I just got to do my hobby, comedy, more which was great.”Comedy isn’t new to Smith’s world, in fact, as a drama kid at school it’s always been his passion. Even during the time Smith was studying dentistry, comedy was his first love.
Since when did Ōtautahi festivals become so accessible?

Mar 13, 2025 | thedlist.co.nz | Olivia Shivas |Emily Coull |Ellen Mogård Larsen

Growing up camping with my family has created some of my favourite childhood memories - collecting crabs in the Coromandel, playing card games with my cousins in a muggy tent because it’s raining outside and finger puppet shows by my dad under the torch lights. But it’s always the muddy grass, crowded mosh pits and questionable accessible portaloos that put me off going to camping music festivals.
Access Guide: What to expect at Waitangi this year

Jan 29, 2025 | thedlist.co.nz | Robyn Hunt |Emily Coull |Olivia Shivas

If you’ve never been to Waitangi on Waitangi Day before, the logistics can seem a bit daunting. That’s why we’ve scoped out as many accessibility features as we can in advance so you can go in with as much preparation as possible. The event buzzes with culture, politics, music, ceremony and kōrero with public events scheduled from the dawn of Monday 3 February until the end of Thursday 6 February. While details continue to arrive, this page will be updated right up to Waitangi Day.
More than PVC gutters and ball muffin trays: Boccia brings community together

Nov 19, 2024 | thedlist.co.nz | William J. Sangster |Olivia Shivas

Boccia is often seen as the Stereotypical Disability Sport, but it’s so much more than PVC gutters and ball muffin trays. It’s a game of strategy, skill and teamwork that brings people together, creating a sense of community, culture - and a healthy dose of competitive beef. Boccia is a sport where you can have a specific rival or matchup with whom you share unspoken tension or a motivating competitive drive.
Raising the low bar on accessible dining

Nov 17, 2024 | thedlist.co.nz | Olivia Shivas |Eda Tang

Wheelchair accessibility seemed like an obvious place to start, said Muru-Lanning. “It’s the most visible form when people are thinking about accessibility.” For a restaurant to be deemed wheelchair accessible on the reviews, there needed to be wheelchair access from the front door to the entirety of the restaurant and the bathrooms. Forty out of 50 restaurants on the list were considered wheelchair accessible.
Tāngata whaikaha join the nationwide hīkoi for Te Tiriti

Nov 13, 2024 | thedlist.co.nz | Olivia Shivas |Eda Tang

As disabled people, we know how important it is to have a place to belong and contribute to thriving communities. This is what Te Tiriti o Waitangi is about. It's the key agreement that says that as long as people who arrive in Aotearoa respect tikanga or Māori ways of doing things then they can have a place to live and belong here. In te ao Māori, everyone using their strengths to contribute as part of whānau and communities is important.
Royal Commission apology: ‘Survivors need disabled allies’

Nov 10, 2024 | thedlist.co.nz | Olivia Shivas |Eda Tang |William J. Sangster

As the Government prepares to give an official apology to survivors of abuse in care this week, Gary Williams’ message to disabled people who have not been in care is this: “We need allies.”“If you can come along with us who have been in care to support us, we can keep going,” he says.
Have your say: ADHD treatment improvements on the horizon

Sep 26, 2024 | thedlist.co.nz | Eda Tang |Ruby Solly |Olivia Shivas

In September, Pharmac released two proposals which may put people with an ADHD diagnosis in a better position to access first line medications. Lisdexamfetamine (aka Vyvanse), an ADHD medication that currently costs over $100 a month, may be publicly funded in New Zealand by December to support those with ADHD and narcolepsy.