Respite advice and other resources

A ‘respite option’ is any support or service that gives you a break from your caring responsibilities. This can be a break away or a break in your home.  It can be for a few hours, a day, overnight or longer.

A Needs Assessment and Service Coordination provider (NASC) in your region can help you get funding for respite and find respite options that will work best for you. Options include: 

Carer Support subsidy 

This is a subsidy that provides reimbursement of some of the costs of care and support for a disabled person while you, their Carer take a break. It's available for 'full-time' carers - people who provide more than 4 hours per day of unpaid care to a disabled person (for example, the parent of a disabled child). For more information on this, please visit our Carer Support page 

Individualised Funding (IF) 

This is a type of funding that gives disabled people a way of directly managing their disability supports. It can be used to purchase respite through support workers or other suitable things so that a full-time Carer can have a break. For more information, please visit our Individualised Funding page. 

Visit our Needs assessment services page to find a NASC to discuss respite options.

• Carers New Zealand website external provides support and ideas for carers including respite advice. external
• CareMatters external website has information on learning and wellbeing resources available for family and whānau carers
• Read the New Zealand Carers' Strategy external on the MSD website. This strategy was developed in partnership with government agencies and the NZ Carers' Alliance external  to better support carers and is supported by the Mahi Aroha Carers' Strategy Action Plan external. 

• The FirstPort website has advice, information and resources for carers seeking support for their wellbeing  external