Our Story

Empowering Good Lives

How it all started

In 2021, a group of parents came together to discuss the lack of services and opportunities for their disabled children in Wairarapa. Some of us looked over the hill to Manawatu where a new national initiative, Enabling Good Lives, had been introduced.

This new initiative seemed like a solution. It was a person-centred, mana-enhancing system of disability support that valued self-determination and recognised the importance of maximising participation in mainstream activities and building relationships within the wider community. It recognised that disabled people should have the same life outcomes as ordinary, non-disabled people.

We asked how do we bring this initiative to Wairarapa? We were told that government supports for a national rollout were just around the corner, no wait, will be delayed a bit due to lack of funding, oh darn, actually not coming your way any time soon. But you are welcome to run with it yourselves.

So that’s what we are doing.

    Community Garden
    Beach scene

    What We Do

    We are a family network that provides peer support and advocacy for disabled people and their families:

    • We offer a responsive platform for families to share emergent issues, concerns, and opportunities;
    • We aim to build capability within families to support disabled people, both in negotiating the changing funding landscape and in developing a person-centred aspirational vision;
    • We provide training for disabled people and their families to gain knowledge and advocacy skills to access the disability support they require
    • We provide recreational opportunities for disabled people to connect with others, build confidence and establish relationships;
    • We explore opportunities for social enterprises, community housing, coordination of support services;
    • In all our work, we collaborate with other local and national disability organisations.

    Enabling Good Lives

    We are a group of disabled people and their families who support and advocate for the Wairarapa disability community. We endorse the principles of Enabling Good Lives:

     

    • Self-determination – disabled people should have control over how they live their lives;
    • Person-centred – supports need to be tailored to individual needs and aspirations;
    • Mana enhancing – the abilities, knowledge and contribution of disabled people and their families are recognised;
    • Relationship building – supports should help to build strong relationships between disabled people, their families, and the wider community;
    • Mainstream first – disabled people are supported to access mainstream services, while recognising that specialist services still play an important role;
    • Ordinary life outcomes – disabled people are supported to lead everyday lives, with the same opportunities for learning, employment, and social participation as all citizens;
    • Beginning early – early investment in families will help them to build natural and community supports, build independence in their disabled children, and enable some really good lives.

    Our Team

    Board of Trustees:

    Committee members:

    • Shiree Chipp
    • Pauline Hedley
    Team meeting
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