Learn about Enabling Good Lives

Enabling Good Lives 

In 2011, members of the disability community developed the Enabling Good Lives (EGL) approach with the intent of increasing choice and control for disabled people and their families.

The EGL approach is a foundation and framework to guide positive change for disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori, whānau, families, communities and governance structures. The aim is to shift authority from ‘the system’ to regarding disabled people and their families as experts in their own lives, and leaders in their lives and communities.

• About Enabling Good Lives New Zealand external<
• Memorandum of Understanding with National Enabling Good Lives external

National Enabling Good Lives group

Learn about Enabling Good Lives from the community guardians of the EGL approach external, vision and principles.

Enabling Good Lives vision

The Vision for the future disability support system is that:

In the future, disabled children and adults and their families will have greater choice and control over their supports and lives, and make more use of natural and universally available supports.

• Read more about the Enabling Good Lives Vision external

Enabling Good Lives principles

The Enabling Good Lives principles are:

• Self-determination – Disabled people are in control of their lives.
• Beginning early – Invest early in families and whānau to support them; to be aspirational for their disabled child; to build community and natural supports; and to support disabled children to become independent, rather than waiting for a crisis before support is available.
• Mana enhancing – The abilities and contributions of disabled people and their families are recognised and respected.
• Person centred – Disabled people have supports that are tailored to their individual needs and goals, and that take a whole life approach rather than being split across programmes.
• Ordinary life outcomes – Disabled people are supported to live an everyday life in everyday places; and are regarded as citizens with opportunities for learning, employment, having a home and family, and social participation - like others at similar stages of life.
• Mainstream first – Disabled people are supported to access mainstream services before specialist disability services.
• Easy to use – Disabled people have supports that are simple to use and flexible.
• Relationship building – Supports build and strengthen relationships between disabled people, their whānau and community. 

The national EGL website has more information about EGL principles external.

If you'd like to find out more about the impact of EGL in the community, visit EGL Good Life Stories on the EGL website external. 

Current EGL sites

The EGL sites were developed as a result of partnership between government and community to demonstrate what the vision and principles could look like in practice.

This includes

• investing in disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori and whānau leadership
• having access to a connector / kaitūhono / tūhono, with an emphasis on enabling the disabled person, within the context of their whānau, to build a good life in a community who values who they are and what they have to offer
• a flexible personalised budget with a range of options about how this is managed 

The three current EGL sites are in Christchurch, Waikato, and MidCentral (Mana Whaikaha).

• Enabling Good Lives Christchurch external
• Enabling Good Lives Waikato external
• Mana Whaikaha - MidCentral external

Contact details for Mana Whaikaha

Email: MW_SMB_admin@msd.govt.nz | Phone: 0800 626 255 

575 Main Street, Palmerston North | Office hours 9am – 5pm

P O Box 5575, Manawatu Mail Centre, Palmerston North 4442