Member profile: LEC member Matt Frost, QSM, JP
9 Apr 2025
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Responses prepared by Matt Frost
Something personal about me – what “lights me up”
In my disability work, it makes me feel good to see younger generations coming through in our work and that my commitment is worth it. I am also a huge fan of cricket and from the age of 10, I started scoring, which involves counting and recording all sorts of numbers such as how many runs and how many overs and by whom – things like that. For 35 years I have been doing this. I officially score when cricket (national and international) matches come to Wellington. I then submit the scores to New Zealand Cricket (there are about 15 of us around the country who do this?.
How I describe myself and my intersectionality
I’m always conscious of what I’m not. I’m a white pakeha (“NZ European”) male. I believe an important part of intersectionality is giving space for what I’m not. I believe in social justice and social democracy, and these have become special fields of interests for me. It’s important for people who identify with intersectional perspectives to give expression to this. I have living experience of disability and experience in multiple domains such as mental distress, addiction challenges and opportunities for recovery. I am diagnosed with Autism.
What am I most proud of in my contribution for others with lived/living experience?
I was involved in a small way in the development of a Māori term for Autism. I was approached by a Māori linguist Keri Opai, to discuss terminology for Autism. He said we could discuss my experience over a coffee and that he would take our discussion away. I’m now very proud of the term which Keri put together – “Takiwātanga” – which translates to “my/his/her own time and space”. I felt this was a good example of working with an ally to amplify lived experience. It’s a special term for Māori who experience Autism. If my experience can enrich that conversation, I’m delighted the term has resonance with people. I also think its a good example of a small action which can grow into something of power and resonance – because we often think (especially when doing work such as this) that we have to get involved in things like Policy- that’s not always the case.
What theme areas are my passion that I bring to the LEC, and so that GLE members know what they can contact me about
The LEC is an opportunity for me to extend my networks in policy and strategic spaces. What I bring is a very strong interest in human rights frameworks and a good understanding of global conventions. I’m not a human rights lawyer but I do understand how those frameworks work and how they can be effectively used.
