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

Simon presents at a Manawanui Meets community meeting Simon Anderson started life at Manawanui as an IT Project Manager, and then a move to Marketing Team Manager. But this role has rapidly expanded, and he recently assumed additional responsibility for Business Development, with both the Relationships team and the Projects team reporting to him. However, Simon is probably most famous for his weekly appearances on the Manawanui Facebook Livestreams, where literally hundreds o

Introducing Noah Penny, the roller-skater and skier extraordinaire. Noah has severe autism, dyspraxia, epilepsy and is non-verbal – however he does not let this stop him!With amazing balance and a determined attitude, Noah has previously taken part in the Special Olympics. His passion is skiing, and he loves the sense of freedom it gives him. The season is very short, with only 6 Special Olympic training days at SnowPlanet each year as well as ‘Snow Camp’ - a preparation week

Rebecca McPhail on left, Sharla King Centre and Simon Anderson on right Introducing the Manawanui Projects Team I recently sat down with Simon Anderson who heads the Project Team at Manawanui – a team tasked with looking at ways Manawanui can improve their service offering to both current and new customers. Their mandate covers everything from products and services, through to Pilot projects with new customer bases who could benefit from Manawanui services. It also includes p

Manawanui is passionate about making a difference in the lives of disabled people, through providing the resources to control their own funding and hiring of who supports them. But what about older people – who also require home support and the ability to manage their funding? Manawanui has been running a long-term trial with The Bay of Plenty District Health Board and a Papamoa retirement village to assess how older people either living at home or in a retirement village set

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