Annual Report
ABI Rehabilitation is the leading Aotearoa provider of comprehensive, specialised rehabilitation services for people with an acquired brain injury (ABI) resulting from a traumatic brain injury or stroke.
Te Hekenga (The Journey)
Whakamarama
The kuaka (godwit) is featured prominently in Māori pūrākau (narratives). It was believed that the godwit passed through Hawaiki on its journey to Aotearoa (New Zealand) and Kupe, a great captain of the Matahorua waka, followed the path of the kuaka to Aotearoa.
This tohu is a taonga (treasure) gifted to ABI Rehabilitation that conveys the complexity of the journey following a brain injury. For some the journey may be months, but for many it is lifelong.
The design of the tohu shows the kuaka in flight with wings outstretched as it navigates the journey to wellbeing and recovery. The wings are askew as the journey is not straight forward. There are many twists and turns and ups and downs as no one person or whānau journey is the same. The koru (spirals) in the body of the kuaka represents the whānau/family at the centre. The mangopare (hammerhead) design on the front and back of the body reflect forward and backward movement as whānau navigate the ripples on their journey.
The koru on the wings are growth, movement and new beginnings as whānau navigate their new normal.
The Unaunahi (fish scale) design signify abundance and health while the Taratarakae (whale teeth) design represents sensitivity and strength. The koru in the feathers are the many staff of ABI Rehabilitation and other services or agencies who support the whānau on their journey to wellbeing and recovery. The raranga (weaving pattern) on the beak and tail feathers represent kotahitanga (unity) by weaving all involved in the journey from the beginning to the end on Te Hekenga-a-ora (journey to optimal wellbeing).
This tohu was designed and gifted by a māmā (mother) navigating the ripples of the journey after her son sustained a severe traumatic brain injury in 2007.
ABI Rehabilitation is incredibly grateful for this gifted taonga.
Foreword
Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa,
“Whiria te muka tangata” – Binding threads of people together”
It’s been 18 months since ABI Rehabilitation joined Evolution Healthcare and has quickly integrated within Te Korowai Oranga – Our Cloak of Wellbeing approach. Over this short period, the service has made a significant impression, becoming an important part of our specialist medical rehabilitation services. More importantly, ABI Rehabilitation maintains its vital role as the leading specialist brain injury rehabilitation service in New Zealand. Much has been achieved in the last year, and I’m proud of the work showcased in this report.
“Pae Tū - He Pae Ora Mō Aotearoa – Better Health and Healthy Futures”
Ngā mihi,
Simon Keating Group Chief Executive Officer Evolution Healthcare
Message from the Chief Executive Officer
ABI Rehabilitation is an important service within Evolution Healthcare with its focus on specialist neurorehabilitation services. Over the last year the service has achieved re-accreditation with CARF International maintaining world class recognition that standards for rehabilitation for kiritaki with sub-acute brain injuries are being met. Accreditation extends to its residential and community services including specialist neurorehabilitation supporting adults and tamariki.
Being integral to healthcare services, ABI Rehabilitation was audited as part of the Central Region Te Whatu Ora trauma service accreditation. This was a big milestone for the region showing the true benefits of an end-to-end trauma service of which rehabilitation is an important part.
One of the biggest achievements of 2024 has been establishing a further specialist inpatient service in Hamilton which serves the Midlands region alongside support from the Auckland and Wellington services. The Hamilton service works closely with Waikato public hospitals which unfortunately sees a disproportionately high number of road traffic accidents resulting in kiritaki sustaining serious brain injuries.
As part of sub-acute services, ABI Rehabilitation continues providing in-reach specialist health professionals visiting public hospitals in the North Island and down to Canterbury. These close relationships between services help get kiritaki to the right service at the right time so they can optimise their recovery following moderate and severe injuries.
It never fails to amaze me how well people can do with specialist rehabilitation alongside the brain’s natural ability to recover from a major injury. The services provided by ABI Rehabilitation are only as good as its kaimahi. Their commitment, conviction, knowledge and skill are exceptional. Working as a team, they continue to grow and improve our services with a range of initiatives and research programmes to further rehabilitation of those with what can be life changing injuries. I hope you find this annual report informative and join me in recognising exceptional results by our extraordinary kaimahi.
Christine Howard-Brown Chief Executive Officer Health and Wellbeing Evolution Healthcare
Year in Review
He taonga rongonui te aroha ki te tangata
Goodwill towards others is a precious treasure
WHO ARE OUR KIRITAKI?
Average Age = 48 years old Range = 15-89 years old
38 IN HAMILTON
Post-Traumatic Amnesia
Average length of stay:
Post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) duration refers to the time after a traumatic brain injury the person is disorientated, confused and struggles to hold onto new memory. PTA duration is a useful guide on the severity of the brain injury. Over an hour indicates mild, over 24 hours moderate, and over seven days is classified as a severe TBI.
Average PTA duration
30.8
Median = 31 Range = 2-274
*Of those who were out of PTA prior to discharge from ABI Rehabilitation
Length of PTA
Length of PTA
Kiritaki
Kiritaki length
Kiritaki length of stay - Intensive Only
Kiritaki
37 days
Kiritaki length of stay - Emerging Consciousness
Kiritaki
Kiritaki length of stay - Emerging Consciousness
Kiritaki length of stay - Emerging Consciousness
162 days Median
155 days
155
155 days
162
162
162 days
Relates to eight kiritaki who entered ABI Rehabilitation on the Emerging Consciousness (EC) contract
Summar y of Admissions
Summar y of Admissions
Referring Hospitals to ABI Intensive Services
The table below shows the referring hospital prior to admission to ABI Rehabilitation. Admissions from Te Whatu Ora (Health New Zealand) may not be that person’s area of domicile because they may have been seen at one of New Zealand's five regional neuroscience centres. In addition to the admissions from the public hospitals, ABI Rehabilitation has a small number of admissions from home or other residential services.
Emerging Consciousness Programme
The assessment and treatment of kiritaki with disorders of consciousness, and the support of their whānau is a specialised area within brain injury rehabilitation.
Disorders of consciousness can generally be categorised into coma, vegetative state (VS), or minimally conscious state (MCS). Kiritaki may transition through one or more of these states as consciousness is regained, or plateau in any one of these states.
Since 2011, ABI Rehabilitation has an Emerging Consciousness Programme (ECP) that recognises that those in VS or MCS, with the objective of regaining consciousness and transitioning to participation in an intensive rehabilitation programme.
This programme recognises that those who have sustained a severe brain injury, and remain in a minimally conscious state, require specialised support, assessment and treatment to maximise positive outcomes.
Data from this year highlights the continued success of the programme:
• Six out of eight kiritaki emerged from a minimally conscious state
• Three kiritaki were discharged home.
Given the severity of their injuries, it is expected that kiritaki in the programme experience longer stays at ABI Rehabilitation compared to those who arrive fully conscious. Their recovery tends to follow a slower trajectory, requiring extended and specialised care.
Kiritaki Experience Highlights & Achievements
Ka pū te ruha, ka hao te rangatahi
As an old net withers, a new one is made
My Fragile Brain
A collaboration between ABI Rehabilitation, Attitude TV, kiritaki and whānau using ABI’s intensive inpatient rehabilitation in Auckland recently completed three episodes to be aired in August 2025.
Attitude has been making film content for over 20 years showcasing New Zealanders living with disability, including brain injury.
Over eight months, the Attitude crew became part of the ABI Rehabilitation team following kiritaki after their brain injury, participating in intensive inpatient rehabilitation and spending time in residential and community services.
This is the second time ABI Rehabilitation has partnered with Attitude TV and it has been another positive experience. The Attitude team ensured the stories were represented correctly by including ABI Rehabilitation kaimahi in the
editing suite, and hosted a prescreening event for kiritaki and whānau so they could be the first people to see the episodes they had contributed to before being launched.
Kaimahi also played a critical part of this project and really helped to showcase the complexities in brain injury rehabilitation.
The entire team were immensely proud of the kiritaki and their willingness to be part of this at a vulnerable point in their lives, and to see their progress over the course of filming. One kiritaki filmed came to ABI Rehabilitation eight years ago and it was great for him and his whānau to share their ongoing journey over the years.
CARF International accreditation for a further three years
A massive achievement this year was the successful CARF survey in December 2024. Six surveyors from Canada and the United States travelled to all three intensive services and over 4,000 CARF standards were reviewed over the week they spent in Auckland, Hamilton and Wellington. You can read more about this survey in the Quality Improvement Initatives section of this report.
Otago University Neuropsychology students
Twenty neuropsychology students studying the only post graduate neuropsychology training programme at Otago University spent time ABI Rehabilitation intensive services in July 2024, including two kaimahi who are part of this course. All students are practising Psychologists, wanting to gain further qualifications in Neuropsychology.
The students enjoyed a tour, meeting members of the Intensive and Community teams, some kiritaki and whānau, attend an IDT and a ward round. They were presentations from Dr Kath Murrell (National Psychology Advisor) and Joanna Young (Kāiarahi Kaupapa Māori) and ABI Rehabilitation received incredible feedback from the students and programme director, Associate Professor Paul Skirrow.
This visit was an educational and networking opportunity, but in turn there have been many students reaching out for more information about working at ABI Rehabilitation in the future. Otago University requested to run a session each year with a second successful session held in July 2025.
Hamilton service celebrates one year milestone
The doors of ABI Rehabilitation’s intensive inpatient service Hamilton opened in May 2024, having taken over the existing Evolve Rehabilitation premises, which is also part of the Health and Wellbeing Group.
Over the last 12 months, the team has grown to include a full multi-disciplinary team and was successful in passing its first CARF survey in December 2024.
Kiritaki numbers are steadily increasing each month as awareness of the service grows, and continous improvements to meet the needs of kiritaki and whānau in the Waitako region are ongoing.
Dr Seemann presents at Dutch International Congress on Insurance Medicine (DICIM)
Dutch International Congress on Insurance Medicine (DICIM) is an annual meeting of doctors that work in the insurance industry in Holland, based in Almere. Similar to doctors employed by ACC, the DICIM’s work includes assessments vocational rehabilitation reviews, fitness to work and permanent disability assessments that supports recovery from all sorts of illnesses, not just accidents.
Dr. Richard Seemann (Specialist in Rehabilitation Medicine – Community Services) met Dr. Monique Piegza, acclaimed insurance physician at the International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (ISPRM) 2024 annual conference in Sydney and spoke with her about how ACC operates in Aotearoa.
After their meeting in Sydney, Dr. Seemann was invited to present at the conference on the history and strategy of ACC as a universal, no fault, fully funded accident insurance Scheme, which appears to be unique in the world.
Dr. Seemann's feedback on the DICIM conference:
"I presented my talk on ACC to an attentive audience of 500 doctors, with a lot of interest in the 50th anniversary of ACC this year, the changes to the ACC Scheme over time, anomalies in insurance cover, and how the Scheme remains financially afloat, despite some challenging cost containment problems in recent years. I pointed out that since mental injury was covered in 2001, there will likely be many claims added related to the recent release of the report of the Royal Commission on Abuse in Care and the associated Crown apology.
In addition to talking about ACC, I also presented two workshops on the same day, talking about diagnosis of concussion and the difficult issue of definition of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) after repeated concussions".
Dr. Richard elected as President of the Australasian Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine
The Australasian Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine (AFRM), a Faculty of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP), provides training and continuing education for Rehabilitation Medicine Fellows and trainees through all stages of their career.
Dr. Seemann has been a member of this faculty for over 30 years, and this year was elected as President at the Sydney Town Hall. He is the first Kiwi to hold this position, and the ceremony included the caping of hundreds of new medical specialists, including 11 new rehabilitation medicine doctors.
Chinese New Year
– The Year of the Wooden Snake
Chinese New Year is a significant celebration at ABI Rehabilitation intensive service (Auckland) where Clinical Nurse Leader, Jun leads the team to create a fun and delicious event for where kaimahi, kiritaki and whānau learn about Chinese culture and celebrate this milestone occasion together with the sharing of kai and stories.
In Chinese culture, the snake represents wisdom, elegance, and dexterity while wood symbolises growth, tolerance and adaptability. It is suggested that 2025 may be a year of significant personal and societal shifts. For babies born in 2025 these individuals will be recognised for their keen insight and extraordinary intelligence. The snake is the most tenacious of the 12 zodiac animals, so those born in the Year of the Wooden Snake are also believed to be particularly enigmatic and uncanny. Traditionally, the Chinese regard people born in the spring and summer of a snake year as the most powerful and positive, while those born in winter are seen as relatively quiet and submissive, as winter is the time for snakes to hibernate.
Round the Bays
Round the Bays in Wellington and Auckland is becoming a yearly tradition for kaimahi to walk or run the fun course and this year, the wider Evolution Healthcare Group joined together to form an impressive team. ABI Rehabilitation sponsors the entry for all kaimahi and the numbers are increasing year on year. It’s a fantastic opportunity for some out of work connections to be made, with movement and fun included too.
Psychology achievements
Intensive psychology services are at full staffing levels and thriving with the appointment of two clinical lead roles that combine Intensive and Community oversight. The team has grown from 11 psychologists in 2023 to 17 in 2024/25 which supports kiritaki continuity of care from intensive sites with referrals to TI (that include psychology), and external referrals coming directly to the psychology team for neuropsychological assessments.
Psychological and Behavioural Support Services referrals have increased across the year alongside an increase in services such as concussion. Development of centralised waitlists are ensuring optimised caseload management and enhancement within the structure for psychology input at intensive sites outlining our various roles within a kiritaki’s journey is showing positive results. Initial psychology assessments for all kiritaki at intensive sites is normal practice, as well as prioritisation criteria for neuropsychological screens during inpatient admission
CARF accreditors were complementary of ABI Rehabilitation's psychology workforce with three employees (and one long term contractor) enrolled in Post Graduate Diploma in Neuropsychology and two further recruited across the year, one commencing later in 2025.
ABI Rehabilitation's National Psychology Advisor attendance on committees has allowed a role in governance including policy reviews that relate to behaviour and risk.
Some of the psychology team at a workshop led by Dr. Josh Faulkner
Te Hekenga-a-ora
Kua hua te marama
Something has completed a full cycle
Te Hekenga-a-ora Evaluation Milestone
Te Hekenga-a-ora is ABI Rehabilitation’s Māori Development equity strategy designed by lived experiences of tangata whenua, kiritaki and whānau, incorporating principles from multiple hapū and iwi. This living document adapts to the needs of kiritaki and whānau prioritising cultural awareness, safety and competency, mediating inequity and enhancing rehabilitation experiences. This kaupapa delivered from 2022-2025 is now in the process of evaluation with a formal plan created to reflect and plan for the future. The initial data has provided rich insights into the positive impact it has had on kaimahi, kiritaki and whānau.
ABI Rehabilitation’s ngā mātāpono (guiding principles) have been embedded all areas of mahi including strategic planning, service design and delivery, leadership, engagement across teams and with kaimahi, kiritaki, whānau and other stakeholders.
All kaimahi have received training on ngā mātāpono to create a culturally safe environment for kaimahi, kiritaki and whānau. These principles form the foundation and outer layer of the Mauri Ora Framework.
Te Hekenga-a-ora has been a significant undertaking from all areas of ABI Rehabilitation, and the commitment to it has been worthwhile in so many areas of rehabilitation practices.
Te Hekenga-a-ora has delivered outcomes including:
• 95% of kaimahi reported increased confidence in cultural safety following Mauri Ora Training
• Māori self-discharge rates in intensive services reduced from 19.2% (2022) to 6.3% (2024)
• Te Kuaka Rehabilitation Folders and Welcome Booklets redesigned with mātauranga Māori and lived experience
• Mihi whakatau, waiata, karakia and cultural celebrations are now part of ABI Rehabilitation’s daily fabric
• Recognised as exemplary practice in CARF Accreditation that affirms ABI Rehabilitation’s transformation.
Te Hekenga o Ngā Kaimahi: Journey of ABI Rehabilitation staff
• Built a culturally safe, confident workforce through Mauri Ora Framework Training
• Established Kaiārahi and cultural champions across sites
• Integrated waiata, rongoā and karakia into daily routines, nurturing wairua and connection
• Created Te Puna (SharePoint for kaimahi) as a hub for cultural resources, learning, and reflection
• Kaimahi ora is the foundation of cultural safety, enabling ABI Rehabilitation to provide mana enhancing care for kiritaki and whānau.
Laying the foundation to enhancing cultural understanding and cultural safety
Recruitment
Interview questions
Position descriptions
Mihi Whakatau
Welcome new kaimahi to ABI Rehabilitation
Cultural Resources
Te Kuaha Intro
Te Puna TEDtalks
Basic Training
Specialised Training
Mauri Ora Framework
Training & Development
Te Tiriti o Waitangi
Understanding Bias
Practice Shift
IDT Meetings
Cultural engagement Waiata Groups Karakia
Te Whare Tapa Whā
Te Hekenga o Ngā Kiritaki me Whānau: Journey of our clients and families
• Embedded mātauranga Māori in the kiritaki journey, from whakatau to discharge
• Used Te Whare Tapa Whā in IDT meetings and in-room check-ins, centering wellbeing holistically
• Developed Te Kuaka, empowering whānau to actively participate in planning and care
• Increased trust, engagement, and satisfaction for Māori kiritaki and whānau
This mahi has created a culturally affirming rehabilitation experience, honouring identity and aspirations.
Whakamana Whānau – Empowering kiritaki & whānau to navigate their rehabilitation journey
Matauranga Mãori
Advisory Roopu
Position descriptions Whakatau Welcome new kaimahi to ABI Rehabilitation
Welcome Booklets
Position descriptions
Te Kuaka
Rongoā Māori
IDT Meetings
Te Whare Tapa Whā
Te Tiriti o Waitangi
Understanding Bias
Whanau Meetings
Kaimahi Training Whānau resources
Visual Protocols Tikanga protocols
Satisfaction Surveys IDT Meetings
Summary: The Journey Ahead
Te Hekenga-a-ora has shown what is possible when cultural transformation is led with integrity, whanaungatanga and commitment. While the three-year action plan concluded in June 2025, the kaupapa continues.
ABI Rehabilitation will continue to:
• Sustain the cultural safety embedded across services
• Continue to review and refine practices every six months
• Deepen mātauranga Māori integration to ensure equity and excellence in care.
Te Hekenga-a-ora is not just a plan that's been completed –it is who ABI Rehabilitation is becoming, together
“I fell in love with it during my time at ABI. I thought long and hard about the meaning behind it and based on the descriptions and my love of Te Kuaka, I sat down with my artist to create a version that represented my journey, and the journey of my friends and whānau. I was meant to see it during my stay at ABI and feel deeply connected to it.
Six months on from my injury I am sitting here blessed to have this taonga on my chest. I can't wait to do skin to skin connection against my tāmoko (tattoo) with my new pepi (baby) who is due any day now”.
Kiritaki Brad who was an inpatient at ABI Rehabilitation Wellington
Workforce Development
He rau ringa e oti ai
Many hands make light work
Workforce Development
The Workforce Development Group includes a range of senior leadership members that includes:
• Director of Nursing
• Director of Allied Health
• National Psychology Advisor
• Service Improvement Lead
• People and Culture Manager
• General Managers representing the various services across across the Health and Wellbeing Group.
The purpose of this group centres around improving the experience of kaimahi which includes developing and implementing key initiatives in the areas of kaimahi wellbeing, training and career development, diversity and inclusion, recruitment and cultural safety.
In 2025, the Workforce Development Group focused on integration of this work across the Health and Wellbeing Group and a number of priorities over the last year.
Some significant workstreams have included:
• Continued work to develop competencies and clinical fundamentals for various disciplines across all services to help support brain injury specific clinical learning to ensure kaimahi have a solid foundation of knowledge and skill on which to grow their expertise.
• Implementation of LEO leadership training with three intakes completed
• Developing organisational and people metrics so managers can more easily track the needs of their teams and now encompassing integration of data from multiple systems in the Health and Wellbeing Group
• Project initiated to identify learning platform across Health and Wellbeing Group with ELMO being explored. This platform includes all training materials, collate and store clinician completion and track when trainings are required
• Collation of wellbeing initiatives across Health and Wellbeing Group to allow sharing between individual services
• A revision and update of all Community induction training practices
• Creation of Group wide initiatives wherever possible for consistency and clarity
• Initiation of workforce survey for diversity information
For the latter part of 2025, the focus is to finalise the ELMO project, collect diversity information about the workforce group wide, kaimahi safety initiatives, development of career development plans and review of policy and procedures to create Group wide consistency.
Feedback
Whāia te mātauranga hei oranga mō koutou
Seek after learning for the sake of your wellbeing
Feedback is a critical part of ABI Rehabilitation's commitment to quality improvements and actively seeks feedback from kiritaki, whānau and ACC on their experience through quantitative and qualitative formats. The feedback below represents kiritaki and whānau reflections after their discharge from intensive ABI Rehabilitation, as well as ACC kaimahi who work with ABI Rehabilitation.
ABI Rehabilitation has had an overall increase in kiritaki satisfaction of 3% on last year, and whānau satisfaction has remained at 92%. ACC satisfaction has also increased by a percentage point on last year to 81%.
ACC Feedback
Your Story Matters.
ABI Rehabilitation actively seeks feedback and stories from kiritaki and whānau with posters placed in each service
Overall, how satisfied are you with the relationship you have with ABI Rehabilitation?
Comments included:
"Good communication and updates regarding clients rehabilitation and progress"
"It is great that the next meeting is booked at the conclusion of a meeting so it can go in the calendar right away"
"These were well organised, meeting minutes were taken and were provided promptly afterwards. Family liked having the full team their including the medical doctor"
"Always provided adequate timeframe to arrange attendance"
"Good understanding of what ABI team are working on with clients"
"My client made major gains in ABI and was very well looked after"
Kiritaki Feedback
ABI Rehabilitation asked kiritaki to provide feedback on their satisfaction with the service.
Comments included:
"The staff were enthusiastic, responsible and helpful to me in my recovery. Especially rehabilitation with vision and brain memory, logical ability rehabilitation"
"Staff were fantastic. Had a good relationship with staff and management. Going to miss this place, like a second home"
"Everyone was so helpful, patient, kind and very good at understanding my questions and explaining. Thank you ABI for your kind service"
"Thank you all very much in my healing process, everything you have done for me helped and worked very well for me"
"Everything I participated in I felt helped my needs"
"The people are so nice, the food is so good, the specialists are really good and have been really nice"
"The one-to-one work was amazing with the various therapists. Liked being welcomed with a smile every time I went to the front desk ladies"
"Your staff are amazing, friendly and supportive"
"I like the fact that everything is centralised in this facility. Care staff, chef, laundry, all the therapists, caretaker and management. Excellent admin ladies. Good team. Great facility"
"I think my whole experience at ABI was incredible. The care, the therapy, the positive attitudes of all, the clear pathway and journey of rehabilitation, the holistic/wide ranging support, the food, the different types of units I have been able to stay......all of the above were fantastic. Genuinely incredible"
"All relevant staff knowing my name! Also, all relevant staff offering to help with issues and getting answers to questions in a timely fashion. And an extremely positive attitude from most staff at ABI in general"
"I felt like the staff take their jobs seriously and the emotional as well as knowledgeable side of things is taken into big consideration"
Whānau Feedback
ABI Rehabilitation asked whānau to provide feedback on their satisfaction with the service.
Satisfied 12%
Comments included:
"I believe all staff worked hard to assist Christine's recovery"
"Involving Vicki in extracurricular activities stimulated her and made her interact with strangers"
"Loved the family/community support atmosphere"
"The staff treated Joel with respect and tried to accommodate his needs. I felt comfortable to leave him each night"
"ABI used all the specialists to assess Hunter, then implement their plan to give Hunter the best chance to rehabilitate himself"
"What an amazing facility, with amazing staff"
"We feel very blessed to have had Aiden here for this time. His recovery has gone so well, so thank you to everyone involved"
"Great helpful staff"
"The programme and staff engagement were excellent"
"The range of rehab activities have been well planned and it has been very good to see the improvement in Eddie week by week"
"Everything works well, everyone knows their part in the whole rehab service. Amazing what can be achieved against the odds and watching other clients progressing over the weeks"
Very Satisfied 80%
"Professionalism and care from medical have impressed us. Also the rehab assistant team provided great support to us especially everyone's kindness towards us. We really appreciate everything"
"I find ABI staff to be incredibly kind, caring people, and was very happy. Jack had support and care here. I cannot say how much I appreciated that"
"Overall I felt reassured and settled with everything done for Sally"
"Really impressed with the balance of empathy and professionalism. Great interactions with staff at all levels. Made me feel very included"
"My husband and I can't speak highly enough of our experience at ABI. From warm, caring, empathetic Vicki at Auckland Hospital to the incredible care the team and staff across all areas and roles have provided, the support and care has been exemplary. The facilities are fabulous"
"As James' parents, we are so grateful! We feel so very fortunate that James was given the opportunity to complete his rehab at ABI Ranui"
"His progress has been amazing, exceeding our expectations. The folder and information provided was excellent"
"Great experience. Whole staff treated us like whānau. Staff were caring and considerate. A great experience overall"
Brad’s story
Bradley Aldridge is no stranger to pushing himself outside of his comfort zone, but his severe brain injury in December 2024 took him on a journey that wasn’t anything he experienced in his 29 years.
A career firefighter, ultramarathoner, CrossFit competitor, and technical mountaineer, Brad fell from his roof at home a few days before Christmas while painting. Initially admitted to Whanganui hospital, after a CT scan and discussions with a Wellington based neurosurgeon, it was determined he needed to be airlifted to Wellington hospital.
Wind, fog and wet conditions delayed the transfer but thankfully a temporary break in the weather allowed for a safe delivery. Following medical treatment and surgery, Brad was then transferred to ABI Rehabilitation’s intensive service in Porirua, Wellington.
"My surgeons told my whānau the statistics and the recovery path I could be on, and this information was passed on to me by my whānau. I wondered at that point whether I would be myself again”
Brad spent 30 days at ABI Rehabilitation, working with an interdisciplinary team including nursing, neuropsychology, social work, occupational therapy, SLTs and physiotherapy. Brad spent tireless hours in the gym, working on balance, coordination and proprioception (sense of body position), as well as psychology support working through the guilt Brad felt about the impact of his injury on his whānau, particularly his fiancé, Tori.
The intensive rehabilitation and coming to terms with his injury was challenging but Brad is made of tougher stuff than most and kept his mind focussed on becoming well and doing it as quickly as possible.
Brad in Wellington hospital soon after his injury
Tori and whānau made frequent trips from Whanganui to Wellington to spend time with Brad and he’s so grateful to have such wonderful people around him.
“They know what they have done in my journey and they are all close to my heart. They helped me to get where I am today and I can’t thank everyone enough. My whole whānau and Tori have been amazing".
Brad made great strides during his intensive rehab at ABI Rehabilitation and was discharged home on Valentine’s Day 2025.
Brad was assigned community therapies at home to help his return to work, something he was keen to do as soon as possible. His employer Fire and Emergency NZ, were amazing at supporting Brad through this, particularly his rehabiliation coordinator Hannah who works as part of their Injury Management Unit (IMU). He’s now close to returning to his role as a firefighter in full capacity with only one last assessment to complete.
Brad and Tori are expecting a baby and are excited for the next
chapter of their lives. In addition to everything Brad has achieved, he’s got ambitious adventures planned including a trip to Nepal in 2026 and a bucket list dream of scaling K2 soon after.
“It’s a honour to be in a position to share my story. After such a horrific time, I want people to know there is a chance of making a recovery”.
Brad and Tori standing outside ABI Rehabilitation in Wellington on his discharge day, 14 February 2025.
Follow Brad’s journey
Quality Improvements Initiatives
Mā mua ka kite a muri, mā muri ka
ora a mua
Those who lead give sight to those who follow, those who follow give life to those who lead
The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) Trauma Verification Programme
The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) Trauma Verification Programme provides an independent external review of trauma services, including those within the Central Region Trauma Network to benchmark and improve quality of care.
Hospitals are assessed against a standard developed by trauma experts, focusing on all aspects of trauma care from pre-hospital to rehabilitation. The process involves site visits, review of medical records and policies and discussions with kaimahi to identify strengths and weaknesses. A detailed report with areas for improvement is provided after the programme.
ABI Rehabilitation’s intensive service in Wellington contributed to the Central Region Trauma Verification process in 2024. The final verification report included many positive comments about ABI Rehabilitation including excellent kaimahi, facilities, in-reach services and the role medical staff play in supporting the trauma system.
“The reviewers toured the excellent rehabilitation facilities for acquired brain injury (ABI) at Porirua.”
ABI Rehabilitation plays an integral part of the healthcare system, and this verification programme supports further opportunities for improvement, partnerships and connection between services supporting kiritaki and whānau following a brain injury.
ABI Rehabilitation will support Auckland City Hospital later in 2025 to prepare for their upcoming verification review. ABI Rehabilitation will share information on how it supports injured kiritaki across their journey to recovery from trauma which almost always includes traumatic or acquired brain injuries.
CARF International
CARF (Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities) is an independent, not-for-profit organisation that assesses the facilities and services of a wide range of rehabilitation providers globally. CARF accreditation is a prestigious and internationally recognised quality mark, signalling that services provided meet or exceed international best practice.
The highest level of accreditation is achieved for a three-year cycle. In 2011, ABI Rehabilitation became the first service provider in Australasia to achieve accreditation and has successfully renewed it during every cycle since, remaining the only service provider to do so since then.
Following the most recent survey conducted in December 2024, the organisation has been issued gold standard accreditation for a further three years across its intensive, residential and community services.
In addition, this is the first year ABI Rehabilitation Hamilton has been included in the survey and received three-year accreditation for the first time. This is a significant milestone, reflecting the effectiveness and success of the service to date.
“This achievement is an indication of your organisation’s dedication and commitment to improving the quality of the lives of the persons served. Services, personnel and documentation clearly indicate an established pattern of conformance to standards”.
— Brian J. Boon, Ph.D., President/CEO CARF
A rare occurrence in a CARF survey is an ‘exemplary’ conformance accreditation, where a particular area of practice meets a very high threshold. ABI Rehabilitation has been issued this exemplary award for the integration of Te Hekenga-a-ora (Māori Development Plan) into strategic planning, operational management and service delivery.
“ABI Rehabilitation’s leadership is commended on its commitment to the development and implementation of the Māori Development Plan, which focuses on the delivery of inclusive and culturally appropriate brain injury specialty programmes in the areas of home and community, concussion, residential and comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation services and is implemented from strategic planning to programme planning with kiritaki".
— Brian J. Boon, Ph.D., President/CEO CARF
“This accreditation provides our kiritaki and whānau with reassurance that our service meets international standards delivered with care and has been such a mammoth effort by all our wonderful kaimahi (workforce). Thank you to everyone for their willingness to participate in this survey – we appreciate you all so much”.
— Dr. Christine Howard-Brown, Chief Executive, Health &
Wellbeing Group, Evolution Healthcare
Clinical Governance Structure
ABI Rehabilitation's clinical governance structure continues to be instrumental in supporting best practice brain injury rehabilitation and integration and collaboration across the teams, services and sites. Continuing to focus on improving and using insights will assist ABI Rehabilitation to continuously improve the service, kiritaki and whānau outcomes and experience and equitable services.
External Audits
The past year has seen significant achievements with CARF accreditation in November 2024 and positive feedback from the Surveillance Audit against the Nga Paewera Standards in February 2025.
Quality Tools
ABI Rehabilitation continues to embed tools within clinical governance systems and structures and uses tools such as Riskman for incident and risk management, Power BI for insights and a SMART DMS to automatically manage policies, clinical guidelines, procedures and other resources to support kaimahi in their roles.
Health and Safety
The development of the Evolution Healthcare Health and Safety Strategy has increased and supported ABI Rehabilitation's focus on ensuring kaimahi work in a supportive, safe and healthy work environment. ABI Rehabilitation has increased representation across the Group and works collaboratively to continue to raise the profile of health and safety across services.
L-R: Tony Young (General Manager ABI), Graham Barnett (Audit Advisor DAA Group), Lisa Hess (Quality Manager), Judy Garriock (Auditor DAA Group), Helena Lister (Rehab Therapy Manager), Himani Khajuria (Quality Coordinator) Pictured following the DAA Audits earlier this year
Research
E koekoe te kōkō, e ketekete te kākā, e kūkū te kererū The parson bird chatters, the parrot gabbles, the wood pigeon coos
Research
ABI has initiated and partnered on the following research project in the past year, with ABI initiating two of these and partnering on a further two. Research forms a critical part of ABI Rehabilitation's best practice approach to brain injury rehabilitation and regularly seeks out opportunities for further research when possible.
Initiated ABI Rehabilitation projects:
• Implementation and evaluation of the NZA Nurse Coaching Program in rehabilitation (ABI Rehabilitation, AUT University, Royal Rehab, Sydney)
To evaluate a Nurse Coaching practice development program in five rehabilitation units across New Zealand and Australia.
• Evaluation of a Biopsychosocial Education Resource for Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Concussion Services in New Zealand (Victoria University)
Exploring the useability of an education video in concussion services.
Research partnerships with ABI Rehabilitation:
• Validity testing of brain injury prognostic calculators (Waikato Hospital)
Testing two calculators which predict long term outcomes in kiritaki with TBI.
• Making the roles and contributions of rehabilitation nurses visible and measurable through nurse sensitive indicators (AUT University)
PhD project to inform development of nurse sensitive indicators specific to rehabilitation nursing in NZ.
Kiritaki Experience Residential Service Snapshot
Whatungarongaro te tangata, toitū te whenua
As people disappear from sight, the land remains
Residential Service Snapshot
ABI Rehabilitation’s residential service supports kiritaki rehabilitating from either a traumatic or acquired brain injury range in age from 18 to 65 who are unable to return home after their injury.
ABI Rehabilitation currently has 36 residents across four different Auckland locations:
• Swanson House 1 – These are medically fragile complex care kiritaki with profound disability and/or high neuro-nursing needs
• Swanson House 2 – Medically fragile and female only house
• Farm House – Young male kiritaki undergoing neurorehabilitation
• Glenburn – Male only service with nine kiritaki with ongoing cognitive/ behavioural impairment as result of brain injury
• Tirimoana – Long term residential care placement for older male kiritaki
In the last year, ABI Rehabilitation has had ten discharges from a residential service including:
• Three kiritaki discharged home
• Two kiritaki transferred to other residential facilities closer to their whānau
• One kiritaki transferred to a lower acuity service (Evolve West Auckland)
• One kiritaki returned to Department of Corrections
• One kiritaki discharged to rest home
• Two kiritaki deceased (expected deaths or following a period of palliative care)
Highlights of the three kiritaki discharged home:
1. One young male returned home to his own home after stroke rehabilitation
2. Young male returned home internationally after traumatic brain injury rehabilitation
3. One young kiritaki returned home after traumatic brain injury rehabilitation and ACC funded housing modifications were completed
Other Service Highlights:
• Development of a meditation garden for our kiritaki, whānau and kaimahi to use at Glenburn
• Redevelopment of one residential service with installation of a new specialised kitchen
Residential discharges are less frequent than intensive or community services, so ABI Rehabilitation takes great delight in seeing residential kiritaki return to independence in their homes and community.
Residential service supporting Evolve Rehabilitation
By improving clinical support and rehabilitation driven by kiritaki centred outcomes, the ABI Rehabilitation Residential Clinical Team (OTs, PT, SLT and senior nurses) are now supporting Evolve Rehabilitation with clinical management of their kiritaki. This sharing of knowledge and resources has already shown great outcomes and allows kiritaki to transition across each of the services without interruptions once the kiritaki needs are stable, and long term residential placement is more appropriate. In addition, ABI Rehabilitation is clinically supporting other Evolve Rehabilitation facilities by providing nursing and allied support to each of their regional services.
Kiritaki Experience
Community Service Snapshot
Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini
Success is not the work of an individual, but the work of many
Community Service Snapshot
During this last year, ABI Rehabilitation Community services have supported over 3,500 kiritaki across a wide range of rehabilitation assessments and services. The teams have been busy onboarding new kaimahi to the ABI Rehabilitation whānau to support more kiritaki and accept referrals.
Kiritaki have ranged in age from babies right through to 101 years of age! There has been a lot of service improvements developed by the teams in order to help get new clinicans (employees and contractors) up and running quickly to see more kiritaki. These include:
• Client Management System (CMS) updates to modernise the platform and reduce administrative inefficiencies. Read more about this below.
• Refreshing the welcome to ABI Rehabilitation Community services kaimahi onboarding programme
• Developing group kiritaki education sessions for kiritaki accessing Concussion services. Read more about this below.
• Reviewing and improving psychology triage and referrals management
• Supporting growth of the neuropsychology workforce with six Clincial Psychologists completing Post Graduate Diploma in Neuropsychology
• Successfully being one of the first five international organisations to gain accreditation to the new International CARF Concussion Standards
• Developing a Contractor Te Puna (SharePoint for kaimahi) site so contractors have specific information and education on ABI Rehabilitation practices
• Establishing the National Lead Vocational Rehabilitation Service to support consistent national approaches to Vocational Rehabilitation
• Growing the Wellington and Northland Community Services
• Renovating Auckland sites in order to have more therapy and kiritaki clinic rooms
Michelle Wilkinson, (General Manager, ABI Rehabilitation Community Services) has been working as a member of the Brain Injury Screening Tool (BIST) Development Group to further refine the tool. The community rehabilitation perspectives have been helpful for the Group as the tool was initially developed to be used at the time of injury.
The BIST is now being used in primary care, within ACC’S Concussion Service and also internationally as an option to SCAT and Rivermead.
ABI Rehabilitation continues its partnership with AUT and Victoria University to analyse outcomes achieved within ABI Rehabilitation’s Concussion Service to help inform service delivery approaches. Specific research is evaluating the effectiveness of the education programme, outcomes achieved over the episode of service and psychological risk factors. This research will support ABI Rehabilitation to tell more stories about concussion rehabilitation outcomes.
Community Client Management System
The Community service embarked on a significant project over the last year to improve the client management system (CMS). This project was originally initiated as part of a plan to continue to meet technology shifts and has provided an opportunity to look at improving ease of use, boosting team productivity and providing managers with advanced tools to support modern workflows. This initiative emerged in response to user feedback and operational inefficiencies observed across community services.
The ABI Rehabilitation Community project teams conducted user feedback sessions and analysed historical data on system use, calendar clashes, missed appointments, manual billing delays and ACC reporting inefficiencies. This helped prioritise areas needing improvement.
The project began in September 2024 with feedback gathered and system planning. After testing and refinements, it was rolled out in a staggered approach in December 2024 and March 2025.
A key outcome was the development of CMS dashboards that boost productivity, streamline therapist scheduling and simplify daily tasks. The dashboards serve as a central hub to manage appointments, send SMS reminders, schedule group sessions, record notes, complete billing and sync with Outlook. The CMS improvements also enhanced funder report security and efficiency with a cloud-based system that protects data and reduces licensing costs.
The project led to significant improvements in productivity and user satisfaction.
Observations and preliminary data show:
• An improvement in time taken to complete admin tasks
• Improved therapist scheduling with fewer appointment overlaps
• A reduction in local report saving, enhancing data security by 100%
• Positive feedback from clinicians citing ease of use and convenience.
Group Concussion Education Sessions
Concussion services have seen an increase in referral volume due to increased public and GP awareness, fluctuating rehabilitation staffing capacity, increasing wait times and complexities with funding clinician travel. Additionally, the annual cost of treating concussion continues to rise, placing financial pressure on funders and providers.
Best practice evidence states that early management of concussion services can improve kiritaki outcomes, however kiritaki are experiencing increased wait times for concussion services due to lack of clinical capacity. Clinicians are overwhelmed due to high referral volumes and caseloads, impacting on timely service delivery and ACC contracted timeframes attainment.
Group education rehabilitation commenced in December 2024 and is now standard business practice. Ongoing adjustments to the group programme continues to increase the number of group participants.
Different interventions were tested and implemented including;
• The use of the Clarity video to standardise concussion education
• Use of paper-based handouts to support the video
• Booking kiritaki into the group at the time of the initial assessment.
Weekly initial concussion education groups have been implemented in two sites across the Auckland region. The use of a concussion education video (developed by Neuropsychologist, Dr Josh Faulkner) is now standard practice in groups, in some 1:1 sessions and as an additional resource via email.
Initial qualitative data shows kiritaki benefit from receiving group-based concussion education and clinician time is released. More work needs to be completed making the groups accessible to more kiritaki including those who are unable to travel to clinics. Clinicians report reduced pressure to see kiritaki as soon as possible for concussion education and that kiritaki have a good understanding of concussion and are already implementing self-management strategies at their first scheduled follow up. Kiritaki report feeling supported and not alone.
Watch the 'Clarity' video by scanning the QR code
Glossary of Terms
Te reo Māori
English
Kaimahi Staff/workers
Kaiārahi Kaupapa Māori (KKM) Māori cultural lead/guide
Karakia Prayer, incantation
Kōrero Conversation, discussion
Kaimahi Staff/workers
Mātauranga Māori Māori knowledge
Mauri Life force, essence
Mauri ora
Mihi whakatau
Ngā Mātāpono
Wellbeing, thriving life force
Formal welcome ceremony
The principles
Pepi baby or infant
Tamariki Children
Te ao Māori
Te Hekenga-a-ora
The Māori world, Māori worldview
The Māori Development Plan at ABI Rehabilitation
Te reo Māori
Te Kuaka
Te Puna
Te Reo Māori
Te Tiriti o Waitangi
Te Whare Tapa Whā
English
The godwit (and ABI’s client rehab resource)
The wellspring (SharePoint site)
The Māori language
The Treaty of Waitangi
Māori health framework with four dimensions
Tikanga Customs, protocols
Taonga a treasure or prized object or gift
Unaunahi
Fish scale design (symbolising abundance and health)
Waiata Song
Wai ora
Water of life, wellness
Wairua Spirit, spirituality
Waka hourua
Whakawhanaungatanga
Double-hulled canoe (metaphor for dual frameworks)
Building relationships, connection
Whānau Family
PROUDLY PART OF