New Zealand wheelchair user advocates for cheaper tickets at concert venues; request granted after pressure from Human Rights Commission

From The Dominion Post in NZ:

Ticketek has been pressured to offer cheaper tickets to wheelchair users at November's U2 and Jay-Z concert after a warning from the Human Rights Commission.

Disability advocate Red Nicholson (pictured) wrote to organisers of the show Sept. 2 after learning that the cheapest wheelchair-accessible seating available was $179 plus booking fee, while general admission tickets started at $39.

He paid $380 for himself and a support person.

Mr Nicholson said that, although he had not been counting on getting a $39 ticket, he had budgeted on buying general admission passes for about $100 each.

"I really wanted to see Jay-Z live, so I had to use a significant amount more of my savings, but I couldn't wait around for some sort of resolution. It's about choice – one group of people, who are arguably on a lower average income, being asked to pony up $180 while everyone else has the opportunity to pay less."

After queries from The Dominion Post, concert organisers agreed to open up an allocated number of seats in the reserved section at a lower price for wheelchair users.

Ticketek has promised to move Mr Nicholson and refund part of his ticket price, and said its original pricing was "not intended to offend or discriminate".

Human Rights Commissioner Judy McGregor said it could be considered discriminatory to force wheelchair users to pay more for tickets.

"If people in wheelchairs are expected to pay more for their tickets because they can only access expensive seating, they could be being treated less favourably than others and, if so, this would effectively constitute discrimination."

The problem had been raised with the commission before and dealt with through mediation.

Mr Nicholson said he was pleased with the result but it was a problem that arose often in New Zealand.

He had been to several concerts in Europe and it was normal there for promoters to give discounts for disabled concert-goers or allow the support person in free.

"I went to a couple of shows at the West End, where normal ... tickets were 40, and I was able to take myself and my girlfriend for 20 per person."

This is not the first time Mr Nicholson has succeeded in taking concert organisers to task over discriminatory pricing.

In 2008 he persuaded the promoters of Westlife and Eric Clapton concerts to lower a small number of seat prices for disabled patrons.

"I'm not trying to be self-righteous or demanding, it would just be nice to have the same options as everyone else."