Manawanui

What Manawanui does

Manawanui (legal entity Manawanui Support Limited) is a New Zealand social enterprise founded in 2004 and headquartered in Auckland that operates as the country's first and leading Individualised Funding (IF) host for people with disabilities. Its core service is administering government-allocated disability support funding on behalf of recipients, enabling customers to choose, employ, and pay their own support workers rather than relying on traditional agency-assigned care. Adjacent offerings include IF Respite (funding for carer breaks), a Self-Managing Service tier, Payroll Services (tax, KiwiSaver, ACC levies), Third Party Payments to contractors, an Employer Protection Package insurance product, and free Employer & Manufacturers Association (EMA) membership.

The technology layer is a web-based Customer Portal paired with iOS and Android mobile apps that allow customers to manage budgets in real time, submit timesheets and expense claims with receipt uploads, manage support worker records, and approve invoices. An accessibility audit completed in 2024 led to usability improvements, including changes to support screen reader users. Distribution is multi-channel: a Customer Experience Centre handles phone and email inquiries, in-person network meetings are held in more than 15 regional locations annually, and the organisation is active across Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Referrals originate from Needs Assessment and Service Coordination (NASC) agencies across New Zealand.

Revenue is generated from service fees embedded within individualized government funding allocations and a NZ$15 per fortnight payroll service fee. Profits are reinvested into the Fund for Good grants programme, which has awarded over NZ$200,000 to customers pursuing goals outside standard IF coverage. The company is privately held, has no disclosed parent or external investors, and does not publish financial figures.

Name

Manawanui

Legal name

Manawanui Support Limited

Website

https://manawanui.org.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Manawanui is a New Zealand social enterprise founded in 2004 that administers Individualised Funding for people with disabilities, acting as the country's leading IF host and providing payroll, portal, and coaching services to help recipients employ and manage their own support workers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Support Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (624310), Health and Welfare Funds (52512)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Assistive Solutions (Accessibility, Assistive Tech) (BPAGALAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGAEAG), Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG), Disability Benefits Administration (BPAIAKAC)

Keywords

• Individualised funding services
• Disability support funding
• Self-directed funding
• Support worker payroll
• Fund management platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individualised Funding Administration Services: Manawanui acts as an IF Host, providing services to manage government-allocated disability support funding. Revenue is derived from service fees within the funded support system. The company is a social enterprise that reinvests profits into customer initiatives like Fund for Good grants.
2. Payroll Services: Payroll processing for customers who employ support workers. Includes handling tax, KiwiSaver, ACC levies, and payslips. A fee of $15 per fortnight applies for payroll service users.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Manawanui acts as an Individualised Funding (IF) host, administering government-allocated disability support funding on behalf of New Zealanders with disabilities. Customers use the proprietary Customer Portal and mobile app to manage budgets in real-time, process timesheets and expense claims with receipt uploads, manage support worker records, and access payroll services including tax, KiwiSaver, and ACC levies. The company also provides complementary services such as IF Respite, Third Party Payments, Employer Protection Package insurance, and EMA Membership.

Product overview

Manawanui is a social enterprise offering Individualised Funding (IF) services for New Zealand's disability community since 2004. The core offering is Individualised Funding, a self-directed funding model that gives people control over their disability support. Additional services include IF Respite for caregiver breaks, Payroll Services, Third Party Payments, and the Employer Protection Package (EPP). Customers can manage their funding through a web-based Customer Portal and mobile app (iOS/Android), with services including free EMA membership. Fund for Good is a separate grants programme that awards innovation funding to help customers pursue dreams and projects outside standard IF coverage.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Individualised Funding (IF)

Quantifiable outcome

• 3-fold social return on investment
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• The New Zealand InitiativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndependent think tank that conducted research validating Individualised Funding, publishing 'The Power of Freedom' report combining international research with interviews from IF clients and providers including Manawanui. Report validates the positive impacts of IF on client wellbeing and support worker networks.
• Impact LabminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial impact measurement organization commissioned by Manawanui to conduct 'Good Measure' calculation analyzing the social return on investment of Individualised Funding. Calculated a 3-fold social ROI for IF programs.
• Waikato Maori Disability NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of representatives from health services supporting the Waikato/Bay of Plenty area including Waikato DSL, Te Whatu Ora, EGL, Whaikaha, and local iwi organizations. Manawanui presented on benefits of Self-Directed Funding at their hui.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• CCS Disability Action: Long-established New Zealand disability support organisation providing a broader range of disability services (information, advocacy, equipment, mobility) than Manawanui's IF-host specialty. Comparable as a similarly-mission-driven NZ disability provider serving overlapping customer populations.
• Spectrum Care: New Zealand disability support provider offering residential, respite, and community-based services for people with disabilities under the same government funding umbrella that Manawanui administers as an IF host. Comparable as a sibling NZ provider in the disability support ecosystem, though operating a traditional agency model rather than self-direction.

Direct peers

• Imagine Better: New Zealand organisation dedicated to supporting people with disabilities to live the lives they choose, with a strong focus on self-directed funding approaches. Operates in the same NZ self-direction space as Manawanui and shares the same target audience of disabled individuals and families seeking choice and control.
• GT Independence: US-based fiscal employer agent supporting self-directed home and community-based services for people with disabilities. Handles payroll, tax filings, and background checks for self-employed support workers, mirroring Manawanui's payroll and EPP offerings for IF customers.
• Consumer Direct Care Network: US-based financial management services (FMS) provider serving self-directed Medicaid and disability programs across multiple states. Operates as a fiscal/employer agent for individuals choosing their own support workers — the closest functional analogue to Manawanui's IF host role, just at US scale.
• Public Partnerships (PPL): Large US fiscal management services company that helps individuals with disabilities and elderly participants self-direct their Medicaid waiver funding, handling payroll, taxes, and compliance for support workers. Same business model as Manawanui — a financial intermediary between government funding and self-directed customers.
• Acumen Fiscal Agent: US-based fiscal agent providing financial management services for self-directed care programs across multiple states. Manawanui's IF host role (administering budgets, payroll, employer compliance) is functionally identical to Acumen's FEA role in the US self-direction ecosystem.
• Palco: US-based financial management services provider for self-directed disability, aged-care, and veterans' programs. Acts as a fiscal employer agent (FEA), processing payroll and vendor payments for individuals managing their own support budgets — directly comparable to Manawanui's IF host services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks3 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/manawanuiincharge
• Facebookfacebook.com/manawanuinz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/manawanui
• Instagraminstagram.com/manawanuinz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Manawanui