from Disabled Person's Assembly (DPA) New Zealand. Following this meeting, members of the New Zealand delegation sought feedback on the draft developed by the Working Group from both New Zealand government agencies and the disability community. This was used to inform the principles the delegation would aim to promote in future negotiations. The general negotiating principles the New Zealand delegation were guided by included: to promote partnerships between government and non-government organisations in national and international negotiations related to disability issues. to promote outcomes consistent with the principles and purposes of the New Zealand Disability Strategy, New Zealand legislation and in international human rights instruments to which New Zealand is already a party. to facilitate agreement between countries to a Convention text. Negotiations continued at the fourth session of the Ad Hoc Committee from 23 August to 3 September 2004. New Zealand was again represented by a delegation of officials from the Office of Disability Issues and MFAT; by New Zealand Ambassador Don MacKay; and by Gary Williams, CEO of the Disabled Person's Assembly. At the meeting, New Zealand co-ordinated discussions on the draft convention text. Negotiations on the proposed convention text resumed from 24 January to 4 February 2005. New Zealand continued to be actively involved through the presence of representatives from the Office of Disability Issues, the Like Minds Like Mine national consumer advisory group and the Human Rights Commission working in partnership with the MFAT and staff of the New Zealand Permanent Mission to the United Nations. New Zealand's leadership was further endorsed when Don MacKay was appointed as Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee in April 2005. In August 2005, MacKay, along with a delegation of representatives from the Office for Disability Issues, the Mental Health Commission, the Human Rights Commission and DPA, led further discussions on the proposed convention text at an Ad Hoc Committee session in New York. Negotiations continued into 2006 where from 16 January to 3 February, the Ad Hoc Committee held its seventh session, the goal of which was to complete a full reading of the draft text prepared by Chair Don MacKay in order to produce a final set of draft articles. New Zealand was again represented by a delegation of government and non-government officials whose goal was to use consultation data gathered from disabled New Zealanders and the New Zealand Disability Strategy to strengthen the existing text. By the