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. 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. Independent Facilitation is another short process where together we...

“This year is our ten-year anniversary since Tautoko Services and Options (in Community Living) joined forces. It has made me pause to reflect on the past 10 years from my perspective of starting up Options in 1997 and then being part of Tautoko.” Tautoko and Options started around the same time 27 years ago, voluntarily merging in 2014. We had pragmatic reasons for merging because as small organisations, determined to put people we support at the centre of everything we do, we were vulnerable to market forces. Our key driver to coming together was so we could be more effective, creating...

Last year 2023 I did a course at ITS where I learned lifestyle skills and earned NZQA credits. One part of the course was doing a Market Day at Allsorts Cafe, where some of us made barista coffees, and that lead to me being offered a job at the cafe. I did work experience in the cafe and the staff were really supportive of me. They helped me sell fry bread at markets, and after some experience offered me a job. Brenda was already supporting me at Options to look for a job when Allsorts Cafe offered me a job. Brenda and Karolynne helped me read over the employment...