Tiaho Trust delivers Disability Empowerment and Advisory Support Services within the Northland region and is based in Whangarei, Northland.

Tiaho Trust supports and works alongside service providers in the health and disability area, local businesses and government agencies to provide practical, culturally appropriate, quality services aimed at improving the wellbeing of disabled people within Northland

• Accessible Tourism Northland

  Giving everybody a ‘fair go’ is one of the core values of the New Zealand society.  It reflects a long standing ambition for a society that promotes the equal enjoyment of human rights. 

  Disabled people and thier families seek a society in which they can all feel that they have that ‘fair go’, an inclusive and non-disabling society, which is good for all New Zealanders. (New Zealand Disability Strategy)

  Tiaho Trust is seeking to develop Northland into the premier disability friendly tourism destination in the southern hemisphere.  Generally speaking, this is a tourism initiative to develop Northland into an accessible tourist site. 

  The concept involves adapting accommodation outlets, food and beverage outlets, activity providers, shopping outlets, professional service providers, transport providers and religious agencies into accessible domains.  This in turn will attract disabled tourist (and their families) from around the globe to New Zealand which will in turn provide a more inclusive society for all New Zealanders with disability. 

• Improving Responsiveness to Disability

  How health professionals, including your GP think about and talk to disabled people matters.

  You may expect health professionals to know what support networks are available in your community and be able to refer you to a specialist disability information provider if there is one available. This is ‘not’ always the case.

  Tiaho Trust is working alongside Manaia Health PHO general practices to increase their knowledge and responsiveness to people with impairment. This will be done through training and information that increases their understanding of the issues they, as a provider of primary health care, need to consider when working with disabled service users.

  One of the key outcomes of this Project is that health professionals will be better equipped with the tools they need to perform this role ensuring that you are better supported in your community.

• Spork - A Social Network for our community

  Would you like to go onto the internet and meet your friends and make new ones? 

  Would you like to be able to talk to other people or organisations who have an experience of disability and who may be able to offer you support and advice?

  If the answer is yes then you may be interested in a social network that Tiaho Trust has developed called Spork.

• Support Options Website

  Support Options is a guide to disability resources in Northland and Auckland

  Do you know what supports are available if you or someone you know lives with a disability or acquires a disability some time in their lives?

  www.SupportOptions.co.nz  provides answers to questions like these.

  It is a navigational tool to information about disability support services and the processes by which you can access them.

• Cost of Disability Research Project

  In 2005, the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) and the Health Research Council (HRC) commissioned a two year research project (completing late 2007) that would estimate the cost of disability in New Zealand and enhance Government’s knowledge about the costs associated with disability.

  This Summary Report and budget is now available at the end of this article.