How to Get Disability Funding NZ: Individualised Funding and the 2024/2026 Rules
The most common question families face when a disabled young person approaches adulthood is not about schools or careers — it is about money. How does the funding system work? Who controls it? What can it be spent on? And after the chaos of the 2024 purchasing rule changes, will it actually be there when needed?
This is a guide to navigating the adult disability funding system in New Zealand: what exists, how to access it, and what the 2026 reforms mean in practice.
The Funding Landscape: Who Controls What After the 2024 Restructure
Following a major government review, operational responsibility for Disability Support Services (DSS) transferred from Whaikaha to the Ministry of Social Development in late 2024. This restructure changed who you deal with:
MSD — Disability Support Services: Now the funder and commissioner for day services, Community Participation programmes, residential care, Individualised Funding, and Enhanced Individualised Funding.
Whaikaha — Ministry of Disabled People: Now a policy and advocacy agency only. Whaikaha no longer distributes direct funding to individuals. If you have been dealing with Whaikaha for funding, that contact has transferred to MSD.
Regional NASC: The mandatory gateway to all DSS funding. Your NASC assesses your needs and allocates support packages. You cannot access government disability funding without going through a NASC assessment first.
Step 1: Contact Your Regional NASC
The NASC (Needs Assessment and Service Coordination agency) is your entry point to the system. They assess the functional impact of a disability and determine what level of funded support is appropriate.
To access DSS funding, a person must:
- Be a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident
- Be under 65 years of age
- Have a physical, intellectual, or sensory disability, or autism, expected to last more than six months
- Require support with daily living that exceeds what family members can typically provide
You can self-refer to your local NASC — you do not need a GP referral, though documentation of the disability is essential. Key regional NASCs:
- Auckland: Kaikaranga (formerly Taikura Trust)
- Waikato / Taranaki / Whanganui / Otago: Your Way | Kia Roha
- Canterbury: LifeLinks
- Northland: NorthAble Matapuna Hauora
- Wellington and MidCentral: Contact Whaikaha for current EGL/NASC arrangements
Step 2: Understand the Funding Models
Individualised Funding (IF)
IF is a self-directed funding model. Rather than a government agency directly employing support workers, the disabled person (or their family/PPPR guardian) manages a funded budget to hire and direct their own support workers.
The budget is held by a registered IF Host Agency, which handles payroll, employment compliance, and administration. The family chooses the support workers, sets the hours, and determines how the support is used — within the parameters approved by the NASC.
IF is suited to families who have the capacity to manage an employment relationship and want control over who supports their family member and how.
Enhanced Individualised Funding (EIF)
EIF is a higher-tier flexible funding model for people with more complex needs. It offers greater budget flexibility and more autonomy over how support is arranged, including the ability to purchase a broader range of supports without prescriptive approval for each item.
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The 2024 Purchasing Rule Crisis — and the 2026 Fix
In March 2024, Whaikaha introduced revised purchasing rules that dramatically restricted how IF and EIF budgets could be spent. Overnight, families found that previously approved expenditures — respite care arrangements, specific equipment, therapy supports — were suddenly disallowed. Community testimony described the impact as devastating: one survey found 73% of caregivers reported severe emotional distress as a direct result of the changes.
The restrictions were widely criticised as undermining the Enabling Good Lives principle of self-determination.
From April 1, 2026, those restrictive guidelines are officially removed. People on IF and EIF will receive a fixed flexible budget calibrated against their historical spend from June 2023 to June 2025. They will regain the autonomy to purchase supports that align with their personal life goals without micro-management by officials.
This is a significant change for families. If your NASC assessment was conducted under the 2024 restrictive rules, it may be worth requesting a review once the April 2026 framework is in place.
From February/March 2026: DSS is rolling out a standardised national assessment tool across all NASC and EGL sites. This aims to eliminate the "postcode lottery" — the regional inconsistency that has meant identical needs receiving vastly different funding allocations depending on where in New Zealand a family lives.
From October 2026: Regular reassessments resume, with a focus on developing formalised "My DSS Funding Plans" that clearly outline the purpose and parameters of a person's allocated budget.
How to Prepare for the NASC Assessment
The NASC assessment determines your funding level. Preparation significantly affects outcomes.
Compile updated documentation: Medical reports, diagnostic assessments, ORS verification if applicable. These must be current — assessors cannot allocate funding based on outdated evidence.
Keep a "worst day diary" for at least two weeks before the assessment. List every task you perform for your disabled family member that goes beyond typical parenting or caring of an adult — showering prompts, medication management, 24/7 supervision, crisis de-escalation, feeding assistance. Record frequency and time. This documentation forms the evidence base for hours allocated.
Articulate goals, not just deficits. The EGL framework means assessors are supposed to fund toward outcomes, not just basic care needs. State clearly: what kind of life does your family member want? What would it take to achieve it? What specific supports would enable that?
Know your review rights. If the allocation is insufficient, you have the right to request an internal manager review or an independent NASC review. Do not accept a funding level that does not reflect your family member's genuine needs.
The Supported Living Payment: Financial Income Support
Separate from DSS support funding, the Supported Living Payment (SLP) is a weekly income from Work and Income for disabled adults who cannot work 15 hours or more per week in open employment. Eligibility opens at age 16. Applications require a Work Capacity Medical Certificate from a GP or specialist.
This is not the same as IF or EIF — the SLP is personal income support, while IF/EIF funds support services. Both can be received simultaneously.
The New Zealand Post-School Transition Roadmap includes a complete NASC preparation workbook, the SLP application checklist, and a year-by-year timeline for accessing every funding stream — from first contact at Year 10 through to the post-school adult support package.
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