Letitia's Message

Well, spring is around the corner, and we are out of the worst of winter. We hope everyone made it through without too many coughs and colds.

Certainly, here in Aotearoa whooping cough has been difficult for many of our tamariki and whānau, which is why we have a dedicated section on pages 16 and 17, so you can be aware of the symptoms and what to do. You can also find more information on our website under 'Your Health'.

Here at the Foundation, we have been busy with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) guidelines, new bronchiectasis resources and translating valuable asthma management plans into various languages including te reo Māori, Samoan, Tongan and Simplified Chinese. You can find our free downloadable resources on our website.

The community is a big part of the Foundation, and it is always such a lovely surprise when we hear from schools and organisations like the University of Auckland and Karaka Primary School who have dedicated time and energy to run fundraisers – every bit helps! You can find photos from these events on page 4.

As you know it was the Foundation’s 60th anniversary this year, and we celebrated with a beautiful lapel pin as seen on the back cover. If you or your organisation wishes to purchase one of these pins, you can do so on page 19. All proceeds go towards printing our various resources.

In the winter edition of our magazine, you will have read about four winners of our New Zealand Respiratory Achievers' Awards. In this edition, you can hear from the final four on pages 10 and 11.

A big thank you to G.J. Gardner Homes, our Platinum Friends of the Foundation sponsor, for supporting the Awards. If you are an organisation that wishes to be a Friend of the Foundation, then please contact Martin Boland or Annie Mallett, our wonderful Corporate Sponsorship and Engagement Advisors at friends@arfnz.org.nz.

Wednesday, November 20 is World COPD Day, and with around 15% of adults aged over 45 years living with COPD in New Zealand - and COPD being the fourth leading cause of death in Aotearoait deserves our attention. On page 6 you can read all about our plans to mark this day.

Just as the cooler months kicked in here, our wonderful ambassador Nick Ashill completed his epic run across Australia to raise awareness of respiratory illness such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Take a look at Nick's amazing Aussie challenge on page 14. Thank you so much Nick, you a really are a Better Breathing Hero.

You can also check out another of our amazing ambassadors, Josh Brodie - on page 18. This September, Josh will be raising funds for Breathe Better September (BBS) by running a half marathon every day for 30 days.

Don’t forget it is never too late to set yourself your own challenge for BBS by signing up for our Laps for Lungs fundraiser.

Help us ease the wheeze by moving this September to help Kiwis breathe easier. Choose your challenge, raise funds, and complete your laps – all in the fight against respiratory disease. Every lap counts! See how you can sign up on pages 12 and 13.

Of course, this message wouldn’t be complete without talking about what is happening in the youth vaping space. From the perspectives of our Āpiha Takawaenga (Māori Community Liaison vaping educators), our vaping education workshops are very much in hot demand, so we know there is real need on the ground for this mahi.

If you know of a kura/school who needs one of these workshops, contact Sharon (sharon@arfnz.org. nz) or Pene (pene@arfnz.org.nz) to find out more.

Remember, the Foundation receives no government funding, so all our work is made possible by the generous support from our community funding groups, our donor family, our Friends of the Foundation sponsors and New Zealanders who share our goal of improving respiratory health in Aotearoa.

The money we raise goes into our essential work providing resources, education, and advocacy on behalf of the 700,000 Kiwis with respiratory conditions.

Noho ora mai,

Letitia