Altogether Autism

16/12/2025

🌟 We're Hiring! | Altogether Autism Manager - Hamilton or Wellington | 30 hours per week🌟

This is a meaningful leadership role where you’ll help guide our services, build strong partnerships, support community engagement, and ensure Autistic voices remain central to everything we do.

✨ Why join us?
✅ Purpose-driven mahi that makes a real difference.
✅ Work alongside a passionate, values-led team.
✅ Be part of a supportive, inclusive environment that values flexibility, wellbeing, and professional growth.
✅ Opportunity to lead and grow a nationally recognised service.

If you’re a compassionate leader with experience in disability, community services, or lived experience of autism, we’d love to hear from you.

👉 Apply via SEEK:
🔗 Hamilton - https://www.seek.co.nz/job/89164178
🔗 Wellington - https://www.seek.co.nz/job/89164403

Please share to help us reach the right person.

16/12/2025

The Government has announced updates to the Total Mobility scheme today, along with a consultation process for further changes.

The Total Mobility scheme currently subsidises 75% of taxi fares for elderly and disabled individuals who cannot access public transport (up to a set limit). This subsidy rate will decrease to 65% starting 1 July 2026. Additionally, the Government will allocate $10 million in immediate funding to support local councils.

The Ministry of Transport, responsible for managing the Total Mobility scheme, has launched a consultation exploring potential changes. Visit the Ministry's website for further details and to view a discussion document outlining various proposed options. The link can be found in the shared post below.

We know how vital the Total Mobility scheme is for independence and connection in our communities. The Government has confirmed that everyone who relies on this service will continue to get subsidised taxi fares, but with some essential changes to ensure the scheme’s long-term sustainability.
Key points:
• Subsidy changes from July 2026: The subsidy level will move from 75% to 65%. Fares will increase slightly, but the subsidy remains higher than it was before 2022.
• Immediate funding: $10 million is being invested now to support councils and keep the scheme operational.
📣We also want to hear from you
Consultation is open now on proposals to strengthen the scheme. You can provide your input on our website. Consultation closes 22 March 2026.
https://www.transport.govt.nz/consultations/proposals-to-strengthen-total-mobility

14/12/2025

🎄✨ Holiday break announcement ✨🎄
It’s that time of year again when the team at Altogether Autism takes a well-deserved break for the Christmas and New Year period.

We will be closed from 23 December 2025. Our team will be back on board on 12 January 2026.

Any information requests submitted after 9 December 2025 will be processed from 19 January 2026.

We look forward to reconnecting in 2026!

Wishing you all a safe, joyful, and restful holiday season. 🎁💛
Ngā mihi nui,
The team at Altogether Autism.

11/12/2025

Hey book lovers! 💖

10 recommended books by Autistic q***r authors have just landed for 2025. Reviewed by River Kingston, check out the full list and find your next read: https://altogetherautism.org.nz/autistic-and-q***r-a-summer-reading-list-2

Got a recommendation? Let us know your favourite read in the comments! 👇

08/12/2025

⏰ Just one week to go to sign up for this FREE workshop: Know Your Tenancy Rights and Responsibilities!

An NZSL interpreter will be available.

Secure your spot today by registering here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LNKKNKW

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to learn about your tenancy rights!

📣 Free online workshop | Know your tenancy rights and responsibilities

We’re excited to be partnering with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) to host a free Zoom workshop to help you understand your tenancy rights and responsibilities. We want to make sure this workshop is relevant and useful for you, so we encourage you to complete the short SurveyMonkey linked below to help shape the content around your interests and questions.

🗓️ Tuesday, 16 December
🕐 10am-11:30am
🔗 Register here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LNKKNKW

You’ll learn about:
✔️ Tenancy rights and responsibilities (understanding your entitlements).
✔️ Bond services - where your tenancy bond is kept.
✔️ Dispute resolution - where to get help for tenancy relationship issues.
✔️ The work of the Tenancy Compliance and Investigations Team.
✔️ Free help and support available to you.

04/12/2025

Did you miss our Social Stories and other front-loading strategies to support Autistic children workshop yesterday? We're excited to announce we are hosting two more next year.

🌟 Join us as we explore Social Stories and other front-loading strategies - practical tools that can support Autistic children by helping to reduce anxiety and create positive, inclusive environments.

📅 Monday, 26 January 2026
🕒 10am - 11:30am
💻 via Zoom
🔗 Register here: https://www.yourwaykiaroha.nz/events/social-stories-and-other-frontloading-strategies-to-support-autistic-children-26-01-2026/

📅 Wednesday, 11 February 2026
🕒 5:30pm - 7pm
💻 via Zoom
🔗 Register here: https://www.yourwaykiaroha.nz/events/social-stories-and-other-frontloading-strategies-to-support-autistic-children-11-02-2026/

02/12/2025

Check out this new national programme from our friends at Your Way l Kia Roha 👇

We’re excited to share that today, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, our new national programme for disabled people and their allies, Changemakers, is now live and open for registrations.

Following the disestablishment of the Local Disability Leadership Groups in June, we've spent the past few months developing Changemakers to continue supporting disabled leadership across Aotearoa.

The programme is fully online and runs for ten weeks, with the first intake in February 2026. The aim is for disabled people and their allies to grow as changemakers, grounded in who they are, confident in their voice, and ready to lead change that matters to them and their communities.

Each intake is limited to 30 participants, so if you or someone you know might be interested, now is the time to register!

To find out more information, head to our website: https://www.yourwaykiaroha.nz/supports/supports-programmes/changemakers/

02/12/2025

New bilingual resource: A Māori-led resource on autism | He Rauemi Māori mō te Takiwātanga

We’re proud to share a bilingual resource, co-created with Autistic Māori and available in te reo Māori and English, that shares key insights from a national study on autism identification among Māori aged 0-24 years.

The research speaks to the systemic barriers many individuals and whānau face, the impacts of colonisation and racism, and the importance of approaches that are grounded in te ao Māori. This resource is about supporting whānau, practitioners, and communities to understand autism in ways that uphold mana, celebrate identity, and centre belonging.

You can view this on our resources page here: https://www.altogetherautism.org.nz/resources

You can read about the study here: https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613251380927

25/11/2025

🌺 Calling Pacific Autistic adults, parents & professionals! Researchers at Victoria University of Wellington want to hear from you - share your voice!

Calling Pacific Autistic adults, parents, and professionals! 🌺

Researchers Dr Rochelle Nafatali, Dr Hannah Waddington and Sophie Coffey from Victoria University of Wellington want to hear from you.
They’re exploring what successful outcomes look like for Pacific Autistic children, their families in Aotearoa and how autism supports can better meet Pacific communities’ needs.

Who can take part?
•Pacific Autistic adults (18+).
•Family members of Pacific Autistic children (aged 0–21).
•Pacific professionals working with Pacific Autistic children.

For more information and to take the survey: https://vuw.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1FCYR4XT6sL8dSe

For more information, contact:
📧 Dr Rochelle Nafatali - rochelle.nafatali@vuw.ac.nz
📧 Dr Hannah Waddington - hannah.waddington@vuw.ac.nz
📧 Sophie Coffey - sophie.coffey@vuw.ac.nz

24/11/2025

🚨An NZSL interpreter will be available for these workshops. Only 2 days to go!

🚨 Have you registered for our upcoming free workshops with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment?

Know your employment rights and responsibilities
🗓️ Thursday, 27 November
🕐 10am-11:30am
🔗 Register here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2RFMWRV

Know your tenancy rights and responsibilities
🗓️ Tuesday, 16 December
🕐 10am-11:30am
🔗 Register here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LNKKNKW

Don’t miss out, spots are limited!

20/11/2025

Active Coping and Self-Advocacy Strategies for Autistic People

Living with chronic health conditions can affect every part of life. For Autistic people, these experiences often bring unique challenges.

In this article, author Luella Wheeler reflects on the shifts in thinking, habits, and self-advocacy that have supported her wellbeing over time. She shares what has worked in her own context, while acknowledging that everyone’s needs and experiences are different.

Read more here 👇

Living with a chronic health condition means experiencing impacts on many, if not every, part of life. These experiences can have unique features for Autistic people because of the ways we sense ourselves and navigate our worlds. Living with a health condition means developing coping strategies.