On 7 November, the Government announced a new fund was available to assist people with disabilities into employment.  The people that the Fund is designed to assist must not be able to access existing employment programmes and assistance from WINZ or ACC. The disabled people don’t need to be receiving a benefit.

The Innovation Fund is looking for innovative proposals from:

• Employers to retain current employees who have an existing disability or who have acquired a disability (including chronic health condition or mental health condition) while employed
• Employers to employ disabled people.
• NGOs and disabled people’s organisations, to support disabled people into self-employment.