Image of Rachel with daughter Molly Whilst being a wheelchair user, Rachel Peterson has not only excelled as a mother of two but also as a successful entrepreneur and disability advisor.  Born with Muscular Dystrophy, Rachel is grateful for the approach her parents took from the moment she sat in a wheelchair. “Doctors told my parents I’d never lift my head off a pillow and that they should consider putting me in an institution. But they were having none of that,” she says. S

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

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

(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