Self Start is a grant that helps disabled people or people with ill health become self-employed.

What it can be used for?

Self Start grants help meet extra costs such as:

• workplace modifications
• physical support including on the job physiotherapy or attendant care
• mentoring
• special equipment needed because of the person’s disability or ill health
• additional costs of transport or parking

Who can get it?

You may get Self Start if you:

• have a disability or suffer from ill health that is likely to last for more than six months
• are a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident

You should also normally live in New Zealand and intend to stay here.

You can't get Self Start if you are getting weekly compensation under the Injury Prevention, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2001.

View the WINZ website for more information.

A Modification Grant is a payment which helps people with disabilities pay for workplace changes or equipment that makes it easier for them to stay in or get work.

What it can be used for

Visit the WINZ site for more information.

If you’re not able to work, or are working fewer hours because you’re sick, injured, disabled or pregnant, Work and Income (WINZ) may be able to help you with living costs.

View the WINZ site for more information.

If you currently use or are considering using a walking stick, the following guide on how to correctly use a walking stick may be useful.

A Guide to the Use of a Walking Stick

Measuring the Correct Height for a Stick:

It is important that your walking stick is at the correct height for you to gain maximum benefit and to allow your posture to remain symmetrical.  An incorrect height stick results in incorrect posture and can lead to physical injury, particularly to the shoulder.

To calculate the correct height of your walking stick:
• Stand with your arms relaxed by your side wearing your usual shoes
• Look in a mirror to locate the bump of bone on the little finger side of your wrist, or ask someone to help you
• The height of this bone is the location for the top of the walking stick handle
• This should allow for your elbow to be slightly bent (about 30 degrees of flexion) when holding the stick

Adjusting Your Stick:

• Wooden walking sticks will need to be cut to size after removing the rubber ferrule on the base of the stick.  Be careful not to cut too much off.
• For height adjustable aluminium walking sticks:
- Loosen the collar at the junction of the two sections of the stick (most sticks have a screw collar, if the collar is not a screw type, you do not need to loosen it)
- Push in the button on the top section of the stick and push/pull the bottom section until the button pops out into the next hole
- Recheck the height of the stick and adjust again if necessary
- When the stick is at the correct height, tighten the collar on the stick

Which Hand to Hold the Walking Stick?

To provide support for a weaker leg, hold the stick in the opposite hand to the weaker leg.  This will provide extra support for your weaker leg when taking a step.

If you are using the stick for balance, then try using the stick in either hand and make a decision based on what feels most comfortable.  A walking stick can be used in both hands to provide even more stability.

Walking Technique Using a Stick:

A normal walking pattern involves the opposite arm and leg moving forward at the same time.  This also happens when using a stick.  The arm with the walking stick and the weaker leg move forward together.  Your weight is then distributed over the weaker leg and the stick.

Initially you may have some difficulty coordinating walking with a stick.  If you do, slow your walking down and break it up into smaller parts, e.g., place the stick forward, step forward with the weaker leg, then bring the stronger leg through and then repeat the cycle until walking becomes rhythmical.

If you are using a stick in both hands the same principle applies – opposite arm and leg move together.

Check the Rubber Ferrule!

Check the rubber ferrule on the end of your walking stick regularly as it will wear with use and need replacing.  Once the base of the ferrule is worn, your walking stick will lose its grip and you will be at risk of sliding, particularly on smooth, wet surfaces – it is like driving a car with bald tyres!

Free Walking Stick Assessment and Safety Check …

You are welcome to come into our showroom or visit our Mobile Service vans when they are out in the community for a free assessment and safety check of your walking stick.  If necessary, we will adjust your walking stick to the correct height and advise you on its use.  We will also advise you on the condition of the rubber ferrule and if replacement is necessary (replacement ferrules cost around $5)

List of builders who do housing modifications in the Auckland area.

List of builders who install safety grab rails and do small jobs in the Auckland area.

A Monday - Friday service providing a twice daily door-to-door Shuttle Bus for all the community to: Botany Superclinic, Manukau Superclinic and Middlemore Hospital.

The service is open to all the community; patients, their companion and visitors to the hospital, may use the bus. Clients should be mobile enough to independently enter and exit Shuttle-bus with minimal help. Unfortunately, wheelchairs cannot be accommodated.

If you need to change your appointment time to fit the Shuttle timetable, please ring the Clinic or Hospital staff - their number is on your appointment letter. They will do their best to try and change your time.

Pickup Area:
Bucklands Beach Peninsula, Pakuranga, Howick, Dannemora to Flatbush (includes Harris Road, Springs Road, Ormiston Road, Murphys Road)
Bookings, Timetable and Fare Information:
Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm
Phone: 0800 637 284 or 0800 ME PATIENT

Manukau SuperClinic™ offer a free bus service for patients between Monday and Friday (not including public holidays).

See Manukau Superclinic website for bus timetable.

The shuttle service provides transport for people attending outpatient appointments at North Shore, Waitakere or Greenlane hospitals. The shuttle provides an 'on demand' service only, so bookings are essential and should be made at least two working days in advance of when transport is required.

To reserve a seat phone: 0800 809 342

Conditions do apply, so read their shuttle brochure first to find out if you are eligible to use the Hospital Shuttle service.

DRC has a list of builders in the Auckland area that can assist you with modifying your house to make life easier.

• Auckland Builders who do Housing Modifications
• Auckland Builders who install Safety Grab Rails and do Small Jobs

If you have a long-term disability and require housing modifications you may be eligible for government-funded services following a needs assessment from Taikura Trust Auckland’s needs assessment and service coordination (NASC) agency if you are under the age of 65; or your local District Health Board (DHB) if you are over 65.

Housing NZ offers advice through its Suitable Homes division.

Builders wishing to know more about making buildings and facilities accessible can source information from the NZ Standards 4121 book available from DRC.

DRC retails the book: Homes without barriers, a guide to accessible houses (a BRANZ publication). This book provides diagrams and advice to builders and others involved in the design or alteration of houses for disabled and older people. View the book on our Product Catalogue.

DRC has a range of grab rails to keep you safe in your home – ideal for bathrooms, stairways, or entrances. View our range.

Wet area showers are becoming necessary as our population matures. For the inside story on how to go about transforming an inaccessible bathroom into a wet area shower contact us. We also have a booklet for purchase detailing the construction of wet area showers.

The Mobility Parking Permit Scheme is an officially recognised concession-parking scheme owned and administered by CCS Disability Action with the cooperation of local GP’s and all city and district councils.

A Mobility Parking Permit enables the permit holder to park in accessible reserved parking spaces or park longer than the stated time in some standard car parks and metered spaces.

Who is eligible for a mobility parking permit?

To qualify for a mobility permit, you must:
■ Be unable to walk and be reliant on a wheelchair for mobility, or
■ Rely on mobility devices (eg. crutches, walking sticks, walking frames), or
■ Be unable to walk more than 200 metres unassisted because of the nature / severity of your condition

If you have a temporary disability (e.g. a broken leg) you may also be eligible.

To obtain a permit all applications have to be certified by a doctor. Contact your doctor or your local CCS Disability Action office for an application form.

Short-term permits, valid for up to 12 months: cost $35.00 incl GST
Long-term permits, last for a five-year term: cost $50.00 incl GST
Prices are subject to change.

Travelling Overseas
New Zealand issued mobility permits may not be accepted in other countries.
Before leaving New Zealand, you should establish if your permit is accepted in the country you are visiting.

The CCS Disability Action website has a list of contacts for disability parking in other countries.

CCS Disability Action administers the Mobility Parking Permit Scheme but the provision and enforcement of car parks is the responsibility of local councils and private parking providers.

Overseas visitors are recommended to obtain a short-term permit while in New Zealand as some local councils and private parking enforcement agencies will issue traffic tickets to vehicles displaying permits issued in other countries.

Contact the nearest CCS Disability Action office once you have arrived in New Zealand to arrange for a short-term permit for your visit. A fee will apply.

The Total Mobility is a nationwide scheme is aimed at providing a subsidised taxi service to people with serious mobility impairments by way of taxi vouchers that provide a discount of (usually) 50 percent off the normal taxi fare.

Although the scheme is provided throughout New Zealand, it is usually limited to urban areas. In most regions, local authorities (usually regional councils) manage and operate the Scheme. There are currently many regional variants, distinguished by specific town boundaries and the application of slightly different rules.

You will need to contact one of the Total Mobility agencies for your area and undergo an eligibility assessment to ensure you meet the national eligibility requirements, as detailed by Land Transport NZ. There may be a charge for this.

Your local council may have a list of local agents. Many local Age Concerns are Total Mobility agents and can help members with the scheme, including mobility assessments and the required ID.

In the Auckland region, the Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA) administers the scheme. For further information on eligibility and the application process in the Auckland Region, phone the MAXX Contact Centre on  (09) 366  6400.

To be eligible, an individual must have an impairment that prevents them from doing any one or more of the following five components of a journey unaccompanied, on a bus, train or ferry, in a safe and dignified manner:

• Getting to the place from where the transport departs (assumed to be approximately 500m)
• Getting onto the transport
• Riding securely
• Getting off the transport
• Getting to the final destination point (assumed to be approximately 500m)

The impairment may be physical, sensory, neurological, intellectual, psychiatric / psychological, or another impairment type. The impairment may be permanent, fluctuating, or temporary, but must have lasted, or be expected to last, for a minimum of six months.

It must be the individual’s impairment, not the absence of a bus, train or ferry service in the area, that prevents the individual from using conventional public transport.

The Auckland Regional Transport Authority oversees the Total Mobility Scheme – a discount taxi voucher scheme for disabled people. Contact us for further information

You can view our Directory a list of taxis.