Disability in New Zealand

The service is contracted to The Open Home Foundation (OHF) and started on 1 October 2006. OHF will continue to provide the Oasis service offered in their interim service contract and have increased capacity to do so. The service focuses on children and their families in the eastern region of South and Central Auckland.

The service is contracted to NZCare Group, a new provider to Auckland in this area. NZCare is a division of Healthcare New Zealand that has a Home Based Support Services contract in Auckland. In other regions, NZCare is an established provider of services to people with disabilities. The respite service is a regional service that will be based in West Auckland with a priority for people between 16 and 30 years of age. The service will start on 1 November 2006.

The service to young people with high needs relating to their physical disability is contracted to two providers, NZCare and Laura Fergusson Trust. The group for service priority is people between 16 and 30 years of age.

NZCare is contracted to provide a regional service with a focus on people resident in the southern part of the Auckland region. The service will start on 1 November 2006.

Laura Fergusson Trust is contracted to provide a regional service with a focus on the northern part of the Auckland region. Laura Fergusson Trust is a well known and established provider of services to people with physical disabilities. The service started on 1 October 2006.

All providers demonstrated to the Ministry the capacity to provide services that are appropriate and acceptable. In this respect the Ministry is appreciative of involvement in the developmental process of a range of stakeholders; parents, families, disabled people and in particular the 16+ Respite Group and the Eastern Corridor Group. The Ministry also acknowledges the positive contribution made by the providers that held the interim contracts, Open Home Foundation, Laura Fergusson Trust and Creative Abilities, and the NASC, Taikura Trust. Their input shaped a positive foundation for the new services.

The Ministry’s immediate priority is to support continuity of service to existing service users. In the case of The Open Home Foundation and Laura Fergusson Trust there should be no change for service users. The Ministry, Taikura Trust and NZCare are working closely so that the transfer of service to NZCare, in particular to young people with intellectual disability and/or autism spectrum disorder, is as smooth as possible. Families should expect to be contacted by Friday, 13 October by Taikura Trust followed closely by NZCare to discuss ongoing service arrangements.