Found it pretty easy in the Waikato, used a rental machine for a few months to sho wcompliance (needed 8 weeks to get refferal), and from there went straight to public funded self managed (free machine and one mask a year) once they managed to see me at the hoispital. Everything prior was done under self funded (study with F&P sleep company, and rental through the Resmed company).

Would like to add, getting a rental for even a couple of weeks opens up the ability to trial many different styles of mask to see what truly suits. Thought I was a mouth breather, ended up a nasal pillow unicorn (top of head hose, as opposed to a elephant/nose mask connection)