A Guide for Carers - He Aratohu mā ngā Kaitiaki
This Guide lets you know about a range of help available for people who care for and support family, whānau, āiga or friends with a physical or mental health condition, a disability, an injury or an illness.
Are you a carer?
Whether you’re new to caring or have years of experience looking after a family or whānau member or someone close to you, this Guide will show you what support and services are available, how they might help you and how to get in touch with them.
Depending on your situation, caring can mean different things. Caring is looking after or helping someone close to you (such as a friend or family member) who needs help with everyday living because of a disability, health condition, illness or injury. You could be a parent of a disabled child, an older person caring for a sick partner, a younger person supporting a friend with a mental health condition, or a neighbour supporting someone affected by drug misuse.
The care you give could be needed suddenly because of an unforeseen injury or illness, or gradually as the needs of the person you support increase over time (for instance, caring for a parent or grandparent).
The time you spend caring may be for a few hours, a week or take up most or all of your time, like a full-time job. Many carers spend much of their time caring and the work they do and the contribution they make is invaluable.
Caring can be challenging at times and take up a lot of your time, but there is information, support and services available to help.
Important information and disclaimer
Caring situations and circumstances vary widely. While the material in this Guide provides general information on the range of supports and assistance available, it is not intended to address specific circumstances of any individual or organisation.
Different government agencies have different eligibility criteria for support, as well as different definitions for the term “full-time carer” and potentially other terms. If you need to make queries or find out how the information applies to your situation, please contact the government agencies listed
in the Directory.
We have taken reasonable measures in our capacity to ensure the quality and accuracy of the information. The information in this Guide will be reviewed on an ongoing basis, however if you notice that there is content out of date, please email carers.strategy@msd.govt.nz
