In 2023, Esther Bramwell applied to Fund for Good with a big idea - to build her very own sensory-friendly “She Shed”. Living in a small home with her parents and younger sisters, Esther was craving a space of her own. Somewhere quiet and creative, where she could sing, dance, and just be herself. With support from Fund for Good, and her qualified builder dad, Esther got to work. Her plan? A non-toxic, recycled-material space built just for her needs. She sourced timber recla

Tara is a creative and kind-hearted young girl who loves animals, dragons, drawing, and Minecraft. Like many kids, she’s navigating her way through growing up, except with some added complexity. Diagnosed with Autism and ADHD, Tara also lives with sensory processing challenges and physical difficulties that impact her day-to-day life. Her mum, Ashley, applied to Fund for Good with a vision: to create a dedicated sensory space at home, a space where Tara can feel safe, regulat

Sam is a bright and passionate young man with a love for all things geological. From polished quartz to treasured pounamu, Sam has long been fascinated by the natural world - his bedroom filled with dazzling stones and crystals, a testament to his enthusiasm. Keen to turn this lifelong interest into a business, Sam (with support from his mum, Melinda) applied to Manawanui’s Fund for Good to help bring his idea to life: Sam Rocks, a small business offering tumbled stones and h

Jo is a mum of three and a creative spirit with a background in early childhood education and a passion for art, craft, and community. Her youngest son, Teddy, is a Manawanui customer who lives with cerebral palsy and other complex needs. Like many parents navigating disability support, Jo knows how important it is for children to feel proud of their equipment and their identity. With Teddy’s support needs in mind, Jo applied to Manawanui’s Fund for Good to bring their idea t

Margot has always loved being outside, feeling the wind on her face, going over bumpy trails, and being part of the action. As Margot has grown, getting out and about for family adventures has become more challenging. Margot has high and complex needs, including being non-mobile, which means she relies on specialised equipment to get around. While her wheelchair is great for everyday use, it isn’t built for rough terrain, making many outdoor adventures difficult. Her family w

Matteo Gray is a bright, determined, and fun-loving 13-year-old who enjoys music, food, and a good laugh. Born with Cerebral Palsy and complex medical needs, Matteo has worked incredibly hard to gain mobility and independence. Against the odds, he started walking at age six, progressed from using a walker to walking independently at home, and now communicates using an eyegaze device. To continue building on his progress, Matteo’s family applied to Fund for Good for support to

Resilient, Determined, Compassionate. These three words perfectly capture John’s spirit. John loves spending time with his loyal pet, Rambo, and enjoys gardening, swimming, and watching documentaries. But beyond his hobbies, he’s driven by a desire to lead a more fulfilling life and create something meaningful for his community. After successfully running a Japanese restaurant in the CBD for over a decade, John faced a life-altering diagnosis of Moya-Moya disease. This led to

For 14-year-old Sam, biking isn’t just a hobby, it’s a vital part of his well-being. Living with autism, OCD, and severe anxiety, Sam has found cycling to be a soothing and grounding therapy that helps him self-regulate and experience independence. Being out in nature brings him immense joy and a sense of calm. However, Sam’s old second-hand bike, without pedal assist or suspension, limited him to flat terrain and prevented him from fully exploring the trails he loves. Suppor

Mikko’s journey hasn’t been easy. He developed epilepsy at the age of 12 and, despite trying different medications over the past four years, hasn’t had success in reducing his seizures. Now 16, Mikko experiences multiple tonic-clonic seizures every day. Along with his epilepsy, he is also autistic and has a language disorder, which means his family carefully manages his care and well-being. Mikko’s neurologist expressed concern that he is at risk of SUDEP (sudden unexpected d

Manawanui’s Fund for Good is an innovation programme which awards grants to help fund big ideas that cannot be funded through Individualised Funding or other funding sources. It’s all about self-direction and is one of the ways that Manawanui, as a social enterprise, reinvests profits into initiatives that give customers choice and control about how they live. In previous years our grants supported business entrepreneurs, Special Olympics participation, getting a book publish

Introducing the amazing Nathan Pearson! Nathan loves photography and all things equestrian. His passion for horses began at aged four when he saddled up for riding lessons at Greenhithe Riding for Disabled in Auckland. Nathan was born prematurely and faced challenges that resulted from cerebral palsy, making him a regular wheelchair user. From a young age riding horses was almost like his weekly physio - Nathan’s Mum Natalie Pearson said she had never seen him sit and stand s

Dikina (pictured left) with her wonderful family. Dikina is 24 years old and lives at home with her Mum, Wendy and wonderful sisters. For the last few years, Dikina has had her mind set on getting her learners driver's license.  All of her sisters (even the younger one) have their drivers licenses and Dikina doesn’t want to miss out! Dikina needs to get to her place of work early in the morning as well as sometimes working night shifts. Understandably, she feels unsafe catchi

Esther Bramwell lives in a tiny home with her parents and two younger sisters. As she is getting older and has auditory processing needs, Esther has been asking for her own space and claims she is old enough and clever enough to build it herself! Although Esther struggles with learning, she is strong and has an innate understanding of what is required when she has helped her family with building projects. Esther is happy and mentally stimulated when she works on a physical an

Introducing Braxton! Braxton lives with his Mum, Nicole and 2 siblings who love to go on family bikes rides. Braxton has ADHD and a bladder and bowel disability, which means he can only walk or bike for around 5-10 minutes before he gets too tired and sore. His muscles are very weak, and this makes him frustrated that he can’t properly join in. Being able to partake in regular light exercise would help build Braxton’s confidence. As he is growing up, his disability has impact

(Aaron is the one sitting down with the red and white striped shirt – taken during a show rehearsal) Introducing successful Fund for Good recipient, Aaron Richardson. Aaron is a talented and generous person, extremely knowledgeable in the world of arts including film, tv, stage, visual art and voice. Aaron suffers from diabetic retinopathy with fluctuating levels of blindness (almost total blindness with occasional patches of blurry vision) and diabetic nephropathy (chronic k

Introducing rock star and Fund for Good winner Max Bennett! Max is an incredible talented musician and loves playing the guitar, drums, singing and writing songs. Since joining Manawanui, he has become part of a band and made some amazing friends who have encouraged him to get into song writing. Max has ADHD, OCD, GAD, ASD, DSF and SPD – maybe all these acronyms help fuel his creative talents. He  has a box full of songs he has written but to record his music he prodigiously

Introducing the one and only Oakley Curley! Oakley loves swimming, messy play and most of all playing with his siblings. Oakly is just over a year old and lives with Mum Monique, Dad Paul, sisters Tiger Lily and Savanah and brothers Odin and Loki (pictured below). When Oakley was three weeks old, he was diagnosed with unicuspid aortic valve with critical stenosis and severe regurgitation which required open heart surgery. Following this, he was able to return home briefly for

Renee loves music, dancing, doing puzzles, gardening and.... chickens! Ever since she was a little girl, Renee has always been fascinated by chickens, from holding the baby chickens at the A&P show to experience at school incubating eggs and caring for the baby chickens as well as time on her Nana and Grandad’s farm feeding the chickens and collecting eggs (pictured below). Renee is 18 years old and lives with Mum Alison, Dad Leon and her twin sister Hollie. She was born with

Manawanui’s Fund for Good is an innovation programme which awards grants to help fund big ideas that cannot be funded through Individualised Funding or other funding sources. It’s all about self-direction and one of the ways that Manawanui, as a social enterprise, reinvests profits into initiatives that give customers choice and control about how they live. We want to say a massive thank you to everyone who applied for the 2023 round of Fund for Good – the judging panel had a

Harper loves surfing, fishing, swimming, outdoor adventures, cooking, playing with friends and whanau and most importantly ... DJing. Meet DJ Harpz. Harper is 11 years old and lives with older sister Mia, Mum Trish, Dad Dion and Dog Tui on the Kapiti Coast. Harper was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) at 4 years old, and in 2021 Harper lost the ability to walk. DJ Harpz has a five-year plan to become a world-class professional DJ. In late 2021, Harper began DJ