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Whaikaha Ministry of Disabled People View our
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Request for Proposals for building disabled person and whānau wellbeing facilitation services

Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People is requesting proposals from community agencies  to develop and deliver wellbeing facilitation services for disabled people and whānau in the Tairāwhiti Gisborne region, Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) and Te Tai Tokerau (Northland).

We are seeking proposals from community agencies whose activities and services are led and staffed by disabled people and/or tāngata whaikaha Māori and include family/whānau perspectives. 

Proposals must be submitted by 6 May 2024. 

Update 23 April

What is a Request for Proposals (RFP)?

Organisations send out an RFP, or Request for Proposals, when they want specific services to be supplied.

For this RFP, we are asking community agencies to submit their proposals detailing  how they would provide and deliver wellbeing facilitation services for disabled people and whānau within the funding allocated.

Learn about the background of this RFP

In September 2023 the Budget 2022 contingency was released to support transformation of the disability support system in line with the Enabling Good Lives approach.

This means that the money can only be used for projects that fit within the transformation work programme. It cannot be used to fund current disability supports, including Individualised Funding, Personal Budgets, or resourcing of new/existing respite facilities.

Transformation of the disability support system includes investments in facilitation and planning to support disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori and whānau to be hopeful about what life could look like, how to make a good life plan, and to connect with the people and resources to make that happen. 

What informed this RFP?

Whaikaha has listened to community concerns about the lack of access to respite services. 
This initial investment is for three locations where there is particular pressure on respite services because of prolonged lockdowns and/or weather events:

  • Tairāwhiti / Gisborne
  • Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland
  • Te Tai Tokerau / Northland

We have visited these communities to talk about how to make best use of this investment. We have adapted this RFP based on what disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori and whānau have told us is important to them and their local communities.

Through this RFP we are making an initial investment into the community to create supports and services for planning and facilitation to improve the wellbeing of disabled people and whānau.

Once these supports and services are in place in these three locations, we will carry out an evaluation to determine how best to extend the supports and services to more places across New Zealand. 

Who can apply?

We are asking for proposals from community agencies whose work aligns with the three Pou of Whaikaha (Enabling Good Lives vision and principles, Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities) and who are ambitious and passionate about making a difference alongside disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori, families, whānau and providers.

The activities and services of community agencies who are applying should be governed, led and staffed by disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori, whānau whaikaha and / or family members of disabled people.

Community agencies also cannot have conflicts of interest related to this service, more information is available in the full RFP document. (DOCX 155KB)

What kind of proposals will be considered?

We are asking community agencies to tell us how they would support disabled people and whānau to make and enact family wellbeing plans.

When filling out the RFP, community agencies should tell us what they would do to help disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori and whānau explore:

  • what would improve their family’s wellbeing
  • how to create a wellbeing plan
  • how to put that wellbeing plan into action
  • how to use disability funding confidently (including connecting with mainstream supports and opportunities)

We need to follow a process to choose the right community agency(ies) to provide good services at an appropriate cost.  

More information about what our requirements are and how to apply is in the full RFP document (DOCX 155KB).

How to apply

To apply for this RFP please read the full RFP document (DOCX 155KB) and follow the steps for developing and submitting your proposal in section 2.5.  

Section 1.2 is a key part of the document to focus on in terms of what the community has told us we should be investing in.

Response form

The Response form is where you can tell us:

  • What you intend to do to meet the RFP requirements
  • How this will assist disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori and whānau to build leadership in their lives and communities
  • How people will be supported to make a tangible difference in their lives
  • Your relationships, networks and connections that can support reach into the community
  • Your existing resources, workshops etc, that can quickly be implemented so the community can have support in place quickly.

If anything is unclear or you have a question, please email community_admin@whaikaha.govt.nz. 

Key documents and information

Online community agency briefings

Online community agency briefings were held on 15 April 2024 at 10am and 4pm. 

Questions and Answers  from the briefings are now available.

Timeline for the RFP

Activity Date
RFP released 9 April 2024
Community agency briefings 15 April 2024
Deadline for community agency questions 19 April 2024
Deadline for Whaikaha to answer questions 24 April 2024
Deadline for Proposals 6 May 2024
Option for Short listed community agency presentations (online) 21 May 2024
Due diligence and contract negotiation 14 June 2024
Notify respondents of outcome 17 June 2024
Contract start date 17 June 2024
Debrief unsuccessful respondents 30 June 2024

Is this information being made available in alternate formats?

The funding available for this initiative is time-limited, and we were keen to get it into the community as soon as possible.  

Please get in touch with us if you have specific accessibility needs by emailing   community_admin@whaikaha.govt.nz as soon as possible for support.

Has the community been consulted about this initiative?

We were privileged to consult with almost 200 community members on visits to Te Tai Tokerau (Northland), Tāmaki Makaurau(Auckland) and the Tairāwhiti Gisborne region about how to make best use of this investment.

We have adapted this RFP based on what disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori and whānau from these three regions have told us is important to them and their local communities. 

Thank you to everyone who contributed. Your insights and perspectives have made a difference in what we are investing in. 

Contact us

For any questions regarding this RFP you can contact us by emailing community_admin@whaikaha.govt.nz.

For general questions about Whaikaha please email contact@whaikaha.govt.nz, or visit our contact us page for other ways to get in touch or make a complaint.