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Monday 9am - 4:30pm Tuesday 9am - 4:30pm Wednesday 9am - 4:30pm Thursday 9am - 4:30pm Friday 9am - 4:30pm

Disability Connect

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Disability Connect

Supporting the parents and families of children and young people with disabilities.

Formerly known as the Parent and Family Resource Centre, Disability Connect Inc provides information, advice and support for disabled people, their families and whanau based in Auckland, New Zealand.

25/09/2025

"Everything and more that you need to know about setting up properly. Thank you so much."

If you're planning for your child's future and want to know more about the legal framework around disability rights, come along to our last Planning for Adulthood webinar for the year.

Presented by legal expert Abilityworx - Nan Jensen, this incredibly popular webinar covers a range of topics, including:
• personal care, welfare and financial decision making
• supported decision-making
• welfare guardianship, power of attorney and property management
• estate planning
• wills, letters of wishes and advance directives
• managing and protecting assets
• and family trusts.

This webinar will be hosted on 23 October 2025 from 6:30pm to 9:30pm.

For more information, including how to register, check out our event page: https://www.facebook.com/share/177cp7jwaN/

Image description: A promotional poster for the Planning for Adulthood webinar. Text reads "Planning for Adulthood. Webinar for parents and whānau on the legal framework for disability rights. 23 October 2025, 6:30pm to 9:30pm, Online via Zoom." There's a photo of Nan Jensen in the bottom right quadrant, with the text "Nan Jensen. Legal Expert" below. In the middle of the poster is an image of a paper document with the text "Power of Attorney" printed on it, and a pen resting on top.

22/09/2025

Your voice matters. Do you know how to use it to effectively advocate for your family's rights and needs?

If you want to learn how to represent yourself or a disabled family member within New Zealand's disability system, we're running a free workshop series called Using Your Voice.

We've designed this series to help you understand your rights and equip you with the tools to advocate with confidence.

With a range of experts from the disability community, we'll explore different topics:
• Understanding your rights and being your own or a family member’s advocate
• Finding and using professional advocacy services
• Safeguarding, supported decision-making and legal options

Our first workshop kicks off on Thursday 2 October, led by our very own Cherie, Denise and Robyn!

You can join in person at Disability Connect in Penrose, or online via Zoom.

Using Your Voice is free for disabled people, their parents and whānau to attend - registration is essential.

Check out our event page for more information on this series, including how to register for each workshop: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Y55pgfjj1/

Image description: A promotional poster for the first Using Your Voice workshop. Text reads "Free workshop series for disabled people and families. Workshop 1: Understanding your rights and self-advocacy. Thursday, 2 October 2025, 6:30pm to 9pm. 3B Olive Road, Penrose, Auckland. Online via Zoom." There are photos of the panelists, Cherie, Denise and Robyn, in the middle of the poster.

19/09/2025

If you'd like to be part of our submission on the NZ Disability Strategy, please comment on this post!

We're developing a submission on behalf of disabled people and their families, which covers all of the priority areas - education, employment, health, housing, and justice.

In housing, we're advocating for two urgent actions:

1. Align New Zealand's Residential Building Code with Australia’s National Construction Code

These standards mandate cost-effective and ready modifications to suit a wide range of disabilities and long-term health conditions. This means all residential new builds will help people to age in place with dignity and independence.

2. A national rollout of Choice in Community Living (CiCL)

CiCL empowers disabled people to live independently with tailored support, rather than being limited to residential care or group settings for which they don’t qualify or are unsuited. The current strategy lacks any commitment to a national rollout, although CiCL has been reviewed, trialled in Auckland, and is ready to go.

Are these the right priorities? How will this impact your family? What barriers or opportunities do you see in implementing this?

Read our full draft submission on housing, as well as our views on the other priority areas, on our website: https://tinyurl.com/bdfr7fs2

Let us know what you'd like added/changed to our submission in the comments or via email to admin@disabilityconnect.org.nz by 5pm, Thursday 25 September, so we can consider it in our final edit.

Image description: Blue graphic with white text, with the heading "New Zealand’s Disability Strategy". There is a darker blue box below reading "Does the government have the right priorities for education, employment, health, housing and justice? What are your thoughts?". There is a question mark icon at the top of the image, and the Disability Connect logo at the bottom.

15/09/2025

Get ready to dance the night away at our final Parent Support Group for the year.

Mark your calendar for Wednesday 8 October and join us for a free Bollywood Dance Party. Bring your whole whānau for a fun evening of music, dance and tasty Indian food.

Feel free to come dressed in bright colours and sparkly accessories, or pick from our collection!

Our Parent Support Groups are a great way for families in the community to connect with each other - and remind us that we're not alone.

Registration to this free event is essential.

For more information, including how to register, check out our event page: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BMjqmvfxm/

Image description: Poster promoting Disability Connect's free Bollywood Dance Party for families. Main image is a close up of people in a row, holding their colourful Indian attire. Text reads "Free event. Parent Support Group. Bollywood Dance Party. Bring your whole whānau for a fun night of music, dance and tasty Indian food. Come wearing bright colours, or pick some accessories from us! Wednesday 8 October 2025 - 6PM to 8PM. Mt Richmond Special School, Ōtāhuhu."

11/09/2025

If you live on or near the North Shore, we're hosting a free information session on disability supports in Sunnynook next month.

At this event, you can find out what support your whānau might be able to access. Representatives from Work and Income NZ and Kaikaranga (formerly Taikura Trust) will share information on what they offer, and eligibility criteria.

For our new followers from Transition Expo: this event is highly rated by previous attendees. If you can attend, we'd love to see you.

Information empowers us and gives our disabled loved ones choices.

For more information, including how to register to this free event, check out our event page: https://www.facebook.com/share/1A8rFR3Yco/

Image description: Text reads "Understanding disability supports for your whānau. Free event for families! 7 October, 10:00am - 12:30pm. Sunnynook Community Centre." The image shows a yellow directions sign with the words 'Support, Assistance, Guidance'.

09/09/2025

Did you check out the awesome LEGO sculptures at Transition Expo?

If you loved those, you won’t want to miss the Auckland Brick Show later this month on 27 and 28 September. It'll be hosted at the Auckland Netball Centre - the same venue as our Expo!

Your family will be amazed by the incredible displays created by LEGO fanatics across Auckland. There’ll be creative builds of all sizes, and opportunities to get hands on with some LEGO yourself too!

We’re incredibly grateful to the Auckland LEGO Users Group, who are generously donating a portion of the event’s profits to support our mahi.

Grab your tickets and bring the whole whānau along for a fun family day!

For more information, including how to buy tickets, check out the website: https://www.aucklug.co.nz/shows/upcoming/auckland-brick-show

Image description: A lion character sculpture made with hundreds of pieces of LEGO at the Transition Expo. It's about one metre tall, and there are blue and grey helium balloons tied to it. Vaughan from the Auckland Brick Show is standing next to it with his hand propped on the lion's head.

07/09/2025

We wouldn't be able to pull off such a great Transition Expo without the help of our sponsors and volunteers.

A massive shout out to Mercury, our Community Innovation partner, for sending us a wonderful group of volunteers to help set up in the morning.

Thank you also to Clipboard our Imagination Partner for providing our Expo Bags and volunteering too.

And we simply couldn't do what we do without Rotary St Johns, Merkle, MPs Greg Fleming and Nancy Lu and their teams, Chorus, Beca, and family and friends who all provided volunteers to support us on the day.

Thank you so much!

If you supported us at Transition Expo, thank you for helping us make each year even better than the last.

Image description: Five Mercury team members smile together. They are standing at their bright yellow branded stall at the Transition Expo.

04/09/2025

Thank you so much to everyone who joined us this week for Transition Expo, it was definitely our biggest turnout yet!

We're already thinking about next year's event - we'd love to hear your feedback so we can make Transition Expo 2026 even better.

What did you love? What would you like to see more of? Do you have any new ideas we could consider? What would make your experience more enjoyable?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments, or in our short survey - it takes less than 5 minutes to do: https://forms.gle/uYpqJuG1YwiCqc848

Image description: Seven Disability Connect staff members smile together after packing down the Transition Expo 2025 event.

02/09/2025

Transition Expo is finally here! We're kicking off with our opening ceremony at 9am and will be here until 2pm.

If you're coming along and it's your first time, make sure to join us upstairs at 11am for our Transition Seminar: From School to Community and Beyond.

This was an absolute hit last year, so you won't want to miss it!

We're at Auckland Netball Centre – 7 Allison Ferguson Drive, St Johns, Auckland. Free parking on site.

See you soon!

Image description: Disability Connect staff members Cherie and Denise pulling up a Transition Expo banner.

02/09/2025

Introducing our new digital guidebook, so you can make the most of your day tomorrow at Transition Expo!

Our stallholders are grouped in categories, to make your experience easier:
- Transition Providers
- Government
- Individualised Funding Hosts
- Vocational / Living Options
- Leisure & Activities
- Information & Advocacy
- Employment & Small Business
- Universities & Training
- Sensory

A floor plan will be posted at the entrance of the event, so you can see exactly where each stall will be.

If you need any help, please ask our friendly Disability Connect team - our stall will be near the entrance of the venue.

We'd love to meet you tomorrow and chat about how we can help your family on your school to community journey.

Check out the guidebook on our website: https://disabilityconnect.org.nz/annual-transition-expo/

Image description: A high angle view of the Transition Expo floor, showing people exploring and interacting with several stalls.

31/08/2025

Just a few more sleeps until our biggest event of the year...are you ready?

Here’s what’s happening at Transition Expo so you can plan your day:

9:00am - Opening ceremony

9:00am to 12:30pm - Conversations with inclusive employers at the NZ Disability Employers Network (NZDEN) stand

10:30am and 12:30pm - Orchestral Bells at the Auckland Libraries activity space

11:00am to 12:00pm - Transition Seminar upstairs in the presentation room

All day from 9:00am to 2:00pm - over 150 other stalls, activities and services to explore!

Don't forget to bring cash if you'd like to buy products from the social enterprise stalls. And if you visit the café, check out our short film, Sasanka’s Journey to Employment.

With so much happening this year, we recommend arriving early so you have enough time to enjoy everything.

For more information on our free event for disabled students and their families preparing for life after school, head to our event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/449608898135132/

Image description: A sign on a glass door reads “Disability Connect, Transition Seminar, 11am - 12pm.” Through the glass, several people are visible sitting and watching a speaker, Cherie, presenting at the front of the room.

24/08/2025

Transition Expo is here in 11 days - who's excited?!

We sure are. Last year was big, this year is even bigger!

We'll have over 150 stalls covering job and study options, fun activities, legal advice, financial services, and so much more.

What's new this year?
- Westpac, Air New Zealand, and The D*List will have their own stalls
- Team Motive is bringing a real rally car
- and Groovekutz will be providing free haircuts!

What are you looking forward to most at Transition Expo this year?

For more information on this free event, check out our event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/449608898135132/

Image description: various stallholders at Transition Expo 2024, smiling at their stalls with branded banners and resources.

Address

3B Olive Road, Penrose
Auckland
1061

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 4:30pm
Tuesday	9am - 4:30pm
Wednesday	9am - 4:30pm
Thursday	9am - 4:30pm
Friday	9am - 4:30pm

Website

http://www.disabilityconnect.org.nz/

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