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Learning together as people take the lead in their lives, creating new opportunities to connect within their communities.

Living My Life – aspirations and connection


October 9, 2024

For six years Tautoko Options has held a provider contract with ACC for the aspirational Living My Life suite of services. It is a valuable part of Tautoko Options, and we are adept at providing careful, thorough, and professional facilitated support with people who choose this programme.    

There are four services available.

  1. Facilitated Pathway Map. This is a fifteen-hour process where a facilitator works with a person together, to identify their aspirations and current life goals, and to create a plan to achieve these.
  2. Independent Facilitation is another short process where together we get to know and understand what is about in a person’s community and what resources may be available for a person’s goal choices.  
  3. Tailored supports is a year-long process. Together, a person works with a facilitator to activate their goals. It is one of our most common referral types.
  4. Coaching to self-manage is a supported process to learn and understand self-managing a person’s own ACC budget provisions that they choose.

Ambitions and Patience. Glazing handmade tiles, waiting for bisque firing Pottery 2024.

The benefits of Tailored Supports service for example, include the longer time frame available.  With this service, a facilitator works alongside a person, supporting their participation in goals step by step. There may be problem-solving to do, and unpacking issues that may arise is common. Together, we aim towards achieving the goals in a way that works best for the person. A potential benefit is the transfer of these newly gained skills into other areas of a person’s life. Time is essential to be effective.

We currently are a team of six facilitators. Our team members are diverse and have a wide depth of professional skills from Social Work, Occupational Therapy and Psychology. We have all worked for many years across social, disability and wellbeing sectors. Our services are currently based in Hawkes Bay, Palmerston North – Manawatu, and Nelson regions.  No day is the same for us with our work.

Referrals to us come directly from ACC case managers, so if Living My Life interests you or someone you know who receives ACC, please contact the case manager to discuss this suite of service options further.

Facilitators work with people who have varied and at times complex injuries often with associated wellbeing needs. If a person has lived with a long term physical and/or mental health, trauma injury and would like to explore further what is important to them, Living My Life may be a good fit.

Confidence and Leading the charge – cycle fitness 2023

Setting goals is centred around a person’s own aspirations and needs. It is an explorative process. For example, a person had difficulty sorting belongings from before their injury. These possessions mattered, they represented the things done, when and with who. However, a change was needed “It was stressful, but decluttering felt good. Making choices has been empowering. I didn’t believe I could bust though my blocks, but I did, a metaphoric moment to get through this, it’s been a beyond aspirations experience so far.”

For a facilitator too, this is an integral part of connecting with a person. “It’s all about the positive outcomes for people we serve. Helping them move barriers so they can live a good life. Mitigating the barriers and working on tools and empowering to do things for themselves, this motivates me across all my roles.”


Valuing concentration!
Tile cutting – mosaics 2023

Sometimes the trauma and realities of injury on a person’s life can make it difficult to navigate routines and valued activities. The aim is to lean into what’s achievable going forward. One person mentions “I’ve learnt to ask myself, what is doable?  I gave myself permission to keep going forward, even if going forward had its limits. And it’s ok to make decisions along the way. Someone once told me, if at first you don’t achieve it just try another time. I’ve learnt a lot of qualities which I didn’t think I had; I just needed someone to walk besides me and give guidance as I made my way through the goals.”  As a team member says, “I love the one-to-one work with people we support. Supporting them to get positive outcomes. These may not be dramatic, but little things that need to be ticked off in someone’s life. Ticking them off can make a big difference.”

At Tautoko Options, we work from our organisations’ Te Kauri values foundation.
It is a values– in-action foundation, and significant approaches such as person-centred thinking alongside compassionate communication tools also guide how we work.

Living your best life and using your skills – Sanding wood for making a patterned breadboard 2024

As facilitators we hold a focus on what’ s significant or not to you and encourage flexibility with what’s working or not working towards what’s next.  Connection and empathy are key.  “I have a strong professional relationship with the facilitator, and knowing the support is regular is motivating for me for sure, my routine is very important to me.”  It is an intentional way to work in partnership; Whakapapa, Whakapapa, Whanaungatanga, Manaakitanga, Whakaaroaro, and Āhurutanga provide a supportive foundation from which we can stand alongside each other.  One of our team members mentions the favourite part of his role is “Meeting the whānau for the first time and going through the process of a Facilitated Pathway Map or Tailored Support goals. Putting a plan in place together, it’s awesome. I love this part of my job, it’s so collaborative.”  

Recently, one person who participates in Tailored Supports reflected on his long journey with Tautoko Options, the Living My Life service and how his life had changed. “I love it. It’s peace for me. It’s the people, it’s everything.”   


What’s important – Nature walks with your dog. 2023

Gaining a new confidence to participate in other pursuits in the community has been central. A goal based on nature walks and fitness has extended into personally choosing to take regular bus trips to the beach for a refreshing walk. Joining a woodworking group has over time meant not only making things with support, but also gaining friendships and roles beyond the injuries, like manning the BBQ at club socials and meeting a genuine need for connection.


Over the years, Tautoko Options has worked with many people through ACC’s Living My Life service. This goal-based process can really make a difference to how a person finds quality in their own life.  

“For me, I’m meeting new people. I used to be quite anxious, now my strength is coming from somewhere, overall, it’s very comfortable.”  

For the Tautoko Options ACC team,

“It’s the positive stories that we are achieving with people and when people sign off and don’t actually need our services anymore because they’re in control of their own lives.”

 That’s a great feeling all-round.