Usually no. Electric riser recliner armchairs — what most people mean by a lift chair — are not on the funded equipment list used by Enable New Zealand and Accessable. The equipment manual treats ordinary chairs as general household equipment that the person or their family provides, alongside things like standard beds and appliances.
There are two things worth knowing before you give up on the idea:
- A powered "lift out" chair does appear on the funded list. It's a stand-assist chair, not a riser recliner — it lifts you toward standing but doesn't recline. If the assessed need is simply getting out of a chair safely, that item exists.
- Chair raisers are funded. A platform raiser that lifts your own existing armchair is a low-cost funded item, and for many people it solves the problem.
Either way, the decision isn't ours or yours — it rests with an assessor. Here's how the system actually works.
Who Enable and Accessable are
They aren't government departments. They're the two contracted equipment providers for Disability Support Services (DSS), which sits within the Ministry of Social Development. (DSS moved from Whaikaha to MSD in October 2024, so older articles calling this "Whaikaha funding" or "Ministry of Health funding" are out of date.)
The two providers split the country geographically:
- Accessable — Auckland and Northland. Freephone 0508 001 002.
- Enable New Zealand — everywhere else, meaning the North Island south of the Bombay Hills, plus the South Island, Stewart Island and the Chatham Islands. Freephone 0800 17 1981.
The service they run is called Equipment and Modification Services (EMS).
Why lift chairs generally aren't funded
Three reasons, in plain terms:
- Chairs are treated as household furniture. The EMS Equipment Manual lists the person's own responsibilities as including "general household equipment that is usually required for people to live in their own home", and gives standard beds, chairs, washing machines and fridges as the examples.
- Riser recliners aren't on the equipment list. We checked the live EMS equipment list in August 2026 — no riser recliner, no reclining armchair. (The list is regenerated daily, so it's worth an assessor checking the current version rather than taking our word for it.)
- For people 65 and over in aged residential care there's an explicit exclusion covering standard off-the-shelf equipment including "chairs or chair raisers" and "seating, including seat cushions which are not customised".
What EMS does fund on the seating side is specialised or custom-fabricated seating — pressure-relief cushions, back supports, custom seating systems — where there's a clinical need such as pressure injury risk, sitting tolerance or postural asymmetry. Generally only one option is provided.
What EMS will fund
Plenty of things, just not comfort recliners. Commonly funded items include:
- Wheelchairs, manual and powered
- Walking frames and rollators
- Shower stools, tilt-in-space shower chairs, raised toilet seats, over-toilet frames
- Adjustable and hi-lo beds, pressure care mattresses
- Hoists and transfer boards
- Chair raisers, bed blocks, over-bed tables, threshold ramps
- Specialised seating and pressure-relief cushions
- Communication devices, and visual or vibrating alert systems
Important: funded equipment is loaned, not given. It stays the property of Disability Support Services and comes back when it's no longer needed. There's no charge for the loan.
The process, and why a retailer can't do it for you
Only a credentialled EMS assessor can request funded equipment. That's an occupational therapist, physiotherapist, speech-language therapist, or another approved health professional. We can't apply on your behalf, and neither can you apply directly — the request has to come from the assessor.
- Get to an assessor. Ask your GP for a referral, or contact your local hospital's community health service and refer yourself.
- The assessment. The assessor looks at what you can and can't do, and what equipment would address it.
- The request. If you meet the funding criteria, the assessor submits the request to Enable or Accessable. Higher-value and complex items are prioritised against everyone else's needs, so there can be a wait.
- Supply. If approved, a purchase order goes to the supplier and the equipment is delivered on loan.
Two things that catch people out: equipment you've already bought yourself is generally not funded retrospectively (reimbursement requests go to a review panel and are the exception), and you're not eligible through EMS if the need is covered by ACC — that's a separate system, covered on our ACC mobility equipment page.
Eligibility for EMS in short
- A disability likely to last at least six months
- A need for specific equipment identified by an EMS assessor
- A need not already covered by ACC
- New Zealand resident, normally living in New Zealand, and in the country when you request and receive the equipment
So how do people actually pay for a lift chair?
In our experience, four ways.
1. Work and Income
Not through the Disability Allowance — that covers regular ongoing costs, and MSD policy is explicit that buying equipment is a one-off cost and can't be included. The routes that can apply to a purchase are a Special Needs Grant (usually capped at $500 for emergency medical equipment unless there are exceptional circumstances) or an Advance Payment of Benefit, which is repayable. Both usually require evidence that state funding was sought and wasn't available. See our WINZ mobility equipment page — we're a registered WINZ supplier and can provide the quote.
2. A chair raiser instead
If the real problem is standing up out of your own chair, a funded chair raiser may do the job for a fraction of the cost and effort. Worth raising with the assessor before anything else.
3. Hire first
If the need is temporary — recovery from surgery, a spell of illness — hiring a lift chair costs a great deal less than buying one, and lets you find out whether it genuinely helps.
4. Buying privately
Most of our lift chair customers buy privately. Prices in our range start under $2,000 including delivery and in-home set-up. If cost is the barrier, tell us — we also carry ex-hire and clearance chairs, and SuperGold cardholders get a discount. Before you choose one, read our guide to lift chair motors — paying for motors you don't need is the most common way people overspend.
For occupational therapists and case managers
We supply quotes for EMS, ACC, WINZ and privately funded clients, with itemised pricing, freight and specifications set out the way funders want to see them. If you need a quote for a non-list item to attach to a service request, email info@mobilityplus.co.nz or call 022 022 9956. We can also arrange trials on selected chairs.
Enable lift chair funding FAQs
Does Enable fund lift chairs?
Generally no. Electric riser recliner armchairs are not on the Equipment and Modification Services funded equipment list, and the EMS Equipment Manual treats ordinary chairs as general household equipment that the person provides themselves. A single-purpose powered "lift out" stand-assist chair does appear on the funded list, and chair raisers that lift your existing armchair are funded, so it's worth asking an assessor about both.
Who pays for Enable equipment in New Zealand?
Equipment and Modification Services is funded by Disability Support Services, which has sat within the Ministry of Social Development since October 2024. Enable New Zealand and Accessable are the contracted providers who supply and manage the equipment; they don't hold the money themselves. Equipment is loaned free of charge and remains the property of Disability Support Services.
Can I apply to Enable myself for equipment?
No. Requests must come from a credentialled EMS assessor — an occupational therapist, physiotherapist or other approved health professional. You can refer yourself to an assessor through your local hospital's community health service, or ask your GP for a referral, but the funding request itself has to be made by the assessor.
What is the difference between Enable and Accessable?
They do the same job in different parts of the country. Accessable covers Auckland and Northland; Enable New Zealand covers the rest of New Zealand, meaning the North Island south of the Bombay Hills plus the South Island, Stewart Island and the Chatham Islands.
Will Enable pay me back if I've already bought a lift chair?
Almost certainly not. Equipment already purchased is generally excluded from funding, and requests for reimbursement go to a review panel as an exception rather than a normal route. If funding is a possibility, speak to an assessor before you buy.
How long does Enable funding take?
It varies a lot. Simple low-cost items can move quickly, while higher-value and complex equipment goes through a prioritisation process and is ranked against other people's needs, which can mean months. Your assessor is the right person to ask about likely timeframes for your particular request.
Can Mobility Plus apply for funding on my behalf?
No — only a credentialled assessor can make a funding request. What we can do is provide a formal quote for your occupational therapist or case manager to attach to the request, supply the equipment against a purchase order, and give you honest advice about your options if funding isn't available.
This page explains publicly available funding information as at August 2026 and is general information, not advice about your situation. Funding decisions rest with the relevant agency and your assessor. Rules and equipment lists change — check with Enable, Accessable or your assessor for the current position.
Browse our lift chairs and electric recliners →
Questions about funding, quotes or which chair suits? Contact our NZ team — we deal with OTs, case managers and families every week.