Regional Focus
Our group at Whangārei Academy of Gymnastics
NORTHLAND COMMUNITY GOING STRONG Since its inception in the 1990s, Northland Down Syndrome Support Group’s kaupapa has been able to fill the gaps and meet the needs of people with Down syndrome and their whānau across Tai Tokerau/Northland. Started by parents who wanted to connect themselves and their families with others in similar situations, the group has grown over the decades. Those original children are now in their late twenties and thirties; they and their families are now experienced guides for the new whānau who join our community each year.
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Each edition, CHAT 21 focuses on one region and this time Jo Morrison from the Northland Down Syndrome Support Group tells us what’s happening in the Far North. After many years as a charity, Northland Down Syndrome Support Group became a charitable trust in 2017. Its Board of Trustees currently comprises four mums who organise and run all events and activities as unpaid volunteers. O u r C h a i r p e r s o n a n d N Z DSA Co m m i t te e Representative is Bev Smith. She is part of the community nursing service and mum to Erin who has Down syndrome and is in her 30s, works for Northland DHB and is a member of STRIVE. Our Secretary and Coordinator is Kathryn Sadgrove. She has a background in transition and
