This site employs many features to make information more accessible:
- All images have text alternates (ALT attributes)
- Pages are organised to be fully functional, even with javascript turned off
- All text uses relative font sizes so text can be enlarged or reduced using the text size options available in visual browsers (see instructions below)
- The site can be navigated without the use of a mouse (see instructions below)
- All pages use flexible page formats so pages can be automatically resized for different window sizes and screen resolutions
- Page formatting is done with CSS not tables to ensure that the semantic structure of the information is preserved
- All pages are designed with separate cascading style sheets, so they can be replaced by user-defined style sheets
- This site follows World Wide Web and NZ E-Government accessibility guidelines
Using the site without a mouse
The site can be used without a mouse. The following shortcut keys will take you to commonly used pages such as the home page:
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The procedure for using shortcut, or 'Access' keys, varies depending on which web browser you view the site with. The following table shows the AccessKey combinations for a range of popular web browsers:
| Operating System |
Browser |
AccessKey Combination |
| PC Windows |
Internet Explorer 4 and above |
ALT + AccessKey (to focus the link) + ENTER to activate |
| PC Windows |
K-meleon |
ALT + AccessKey |
| PC Windows |
Mozilla Firefox 1 |
ALT + AccessKey |
| PC Windows |
Mozilla Firefox 2 |
Not supported |
| PC Windows |
Netscape 6 and above |
ALT + AccessKey |
| PC Windows |
Opera 7 |
SHIFT + ESC, followed by AccessKey |
| MAC OS 9 |
Internet Explorer 4 and 4.5 |
Not supported |
| MAC OS 9 |
Mozilla Firefox |
Not supported |
| MAC OS 9 |
Netscape 4 |
Not supported |
| MAC OS 9 |
Opera |
Not supported |
| MAC OS X |
I-Cab 2.8 |
CONTROL + AccessKey * * you may need to click on the page first |
| MAC OS X |
Internet Explorer 5 and 5.1 |
CONTROL + AccessKey * * some systems require CONTROL + COMMAND + AccessKey |
| MAC OS X |
Mozilla Firefox |
Not supported |
| MAC OS X |
Netscape 6 and above |
CONTROL + AccessKey |
| MAC OS X |
OmniWeb 4 |
Not supported |
| MAC OS X |
Opera |
Not supported |
| MAC OS X |
Safari |
Not supported |
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Use of text on this site
Most navigation elements are plain text and we have provided text alternatives to graphics on the site.
Those with poor sight may be able to increase the size of the text on screen. The procedure for doing so differs from one browser to the next. The table below outlines the procedure for some popular browsers. If your browser does not appear in the table the following guidelines may be of assistance: In general, looking under the "View" selection on the main menu, you should find an option called "Text Zoom" or "Text Magnification" or "Text Size" or "Font Size". From that point it should be relatively simple to find and select an additional sub menu option that adjusts text size to your needs.
| Operating System |
Browser |
Instructions |
| PC Windows |
Internet Explorer 3 and 4 |
View > Fonts |
| PC Windows |
Internet Explorer 5+ |
View > Text Size |
| PC Windows |
K-meleon |
View > Increase Font / Decrease Font |
| PC Windows |
Mozilla Firefox |
View > Increase Text Size / Decrease Text Size |
| PC Windows |
Netscape 6 |
View > Text Size |
| PC Windows |
Netscape 7 |
View > Text Zoom |
| PC Windows |
Opera 5 and 6 |
Use dropdown menu on 'progress' bar |
| PC Windows |
Opera 7 |
View > Zoom |
| MAC |
I-Cab |
View > Font Size |
| MAC |
Internet Explorer 4.5 |
View > Text Size |
| MAC |
Internet Explorer 5+ |
View > Text Zoom |
| MAC |
Netscape 4 |
View > Increase/Decrease Font Size |
| MAC |
Netscape 7 |
View > Text Zoom |
| MAC |
Opera 5 and 6 |
Use dropdown menu on 'progress' bar |
| MAC |
OmniWeb 4 |
Browser > Bigger Text / Smaller Text |
| MAC |
Safari |
View > Text Size |