When to apply

You can apply for the School High Health Needs Fund (SHHNF) for ākonga | students at any time.

For a tamaiti | child not yet enrolled at school, it is best to apply 2 months before their planned first day at school.

Apply to extend the SHHNF

If you are applying for a student who has had the SHHNF and continues to meet eligibility criteria, you will need to apply to extend it. You must provide up-to-date information about the support the student needs to manage their health condition.

Follow the link below for full instructions on how to apply for an extension.

Apply to extend School High Health Needs Fund

How to apply

To apply for the SHHNF, schools or educators need to fill in an application form alongside mātua | parents and caregivers.

A medical specialist must also fill in the medical statement included in the application form. This could instead be a letter about the health needs of the student written by a medical specialist within the last 6 months.

If the student has type 1 diabetes, complete this application form.

For all other health needs, complete this application form.

When the form is completed, send it to us.

Email: [email protected]

What happens after you apply

You will get formal acknowledgement of your application within 5 working days.

Your application is then assessed by our team of verifiers. This normally takes 30 working days. It can be longer if we need more information from you.

How applications are verified

Applications are seen by 3 verifiers. They have expertise, post-graduate qualifications and leadership experience in learning support in early childhood, primary and secondary education.

Each verifier considers the application independently. They report their decision to the Manager Assurance and Eligibility. The decisions are then discussed together until a consensus is reached.

If a decision cannot be reached, the application goes to a full panel of verifiers for consideration. We may ask you for more information.

Our final decision is sent in writing to the school, parents and caregivers and regional office.

If the application is approved

Parents and schools are told of the outcome of their applications on Mondays. The school's enrolment system (ENROL) is updated with this information. The school can contact their regional office or fundholder to have a conversation about the level of resourcing needed to support the student.

To check if SHHNF is in place for a student, view their details in ENROL.

If the application is declined

You will receive a letter explaining why the application was declined and your next steps. 

You can request a review of our decision. You will usually need to provide more information supporting the application. Our verifiers will review your request and the new information you provide.

To request a review, contact us.

Email: [email protected]