Managing your own disability support funding can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. At Manawanui, New Zealand’s first and most trusted Individualised Funding (IF) host, we make self-managing your disability supports simple, flexible, and empowering. What is Individualised Funding (IF)? IF allows you to decide how, when, and who delivers your support services, giving you choice and control. Whether you’re new to self-management or looking to switch IF hosts, Manawan

In New Zealand, funded support for our elderly and disabled comes in a few different forms. Individualised Funding (IF) and Home Based Agency Care offer different approaches to disability support, each with its own benefits. Here’s a breakdown of how they compare: Benefits of Individualised Funding (IF) Individualised Funding (IF) is built on a simple principle: the people closest to the care needs are best placed to decide how those needs should be met. IF provides funding d

Introducing the lovely Melissa from Manawanui’s Customer Experience Centre (CEC) team. She is a recent addition to the team – having spent a wonderful 3 months at Manawanui! As a part of the CEC team, Melissa talks to customers on the phone and via email, helping to make things easy and answering any questions. We thought since many customers talk with Melissa on a daily basis, it would be nice to put a face to the name. So, we’ve asked her a few questions to get to know her

Individualised funding works best when you understand how to make it work to suit your needs. Let's take a look at the path towards self-directed funding.  Step 1:  Have a needs assessment A needs assesment may be done through your DHB or Ministry of Health NASC. Visit www.whaikaha.govt.nz for services near you.  Be prepared to talk about ALL the support you need – perhaps provide them with what a typical day and week looks like and how you need to be supported. If you need

Respite supports full-time carers of a person with a disability to take a temporary break from caregiving and provide the person with a positive experience. Who can get IF Respite? People who are eligible for Ministry of Health funded disability supports and who have been allocated Respite supports by the NASC. People who are eligible for DHB funded disability support and have a Respite allocation. Who can provide Respite services? Host family including family members from wi

At Manawanui, we always try to make things easy – ko te whainga matua, me ngawari. Making things easy for our customers is really close to our hearts, but we know it’s not always plain sailing being an employer. We recognised an Employer Protection Package would make things easy if things don’t go to plan with employees. We also believe the freedom to choose the people you want to work with is a really important part of self-direction, but it brings the responsibilities that

Introducing our Community Relations Advisor Patch Waters, who makes the transition to IF easy!  Every day Manawanui staff strive to live our values, “We deliver delight” “People are really important to us”, “We challenge ourselves to go beyond” and “We make it easy”.  The introduction of the new role of Community Relations Advisor further enhances those values for our newest customers.   Patcharee (Patch) Waters has been with Manawanui for just over 2 years, starting as a Cus

Kaupapa (Project Purpose): To strengthen Tainui Service Providers in the Māori Disability Sector through whanaungatanga, the sharing of information and working collaboratively together, to achieve the best outcome possible for whanau. In May, members of the Manawanui Relationships team were invited to present to the Waikato Māori Disability Network Hui. The network consists of representatives from the various health services that support the wider Waikato/Bay of Plenty area s

Image: Maude Maxwell second from left Opotiki born and bred, Maude Maxwell is a Relationship Manager at Manawanui. Her role is to support the disability referral community of NASCs, DHBs and conditions organisations, and help them understand that various options available to those organisations customers.Maude spends her time running community workshops, training sessions, and fielding calls from assessors and counsellors unsure of the best approach for a customer. Maude is a

With financial support now available for NZQA training, there’s never been a better time for support workers to upskill and get qualifications that really count. Getting a Certificate in Health and Wellbeing is a really useful qualification for support workers who are focused on self-directed support. There is a shortage of qualified support workers in New Zealand, but more people are starting to see the advantage of a job which is meaningful, rewarding and can be undertaken