In August, Andrew Wordsworth (Enliven Disability Service Manager) inspired Taradale High School students to give back. Seen here with Principal David Oliver (left).
In September, our Enliven Older People team connected with the community at the Active Ageing Expo. Left to right is Selmari Burger, Chantel Klopper, and Elizabeth Bernales.
In October, HB Technologies team 'The Wallys' took home The Big Brick Quiz trophy at our annual fundraising event.
3 Welcome from PSEC CEO
4 Supporting Independence Enliven Disability
6 Parenting in a changing world Family Works
8 Honouring Eamon Marshall A voice for change
10 Forty years of good lives Enliven Disability
12 Lifting the standard in Hawke's Bay Royston Health Trust
14 Barrel of laughs Enliven Older People
15 Meet PSEC people Anne (flatter) and Aana (staff)
16 Help build a better life Donate now. www.psec.org.nz/donate
Presbyterian Support East Coast Charities number CC10279
87 Te Mata Road Havelock North 4130 06 877 8193 magazine@psec.org.nz
ISSN: 2463 4956 (Print) 2463 4964 (Online)
Te Matakite
E nanaiore ana te pito mata o ngā hāpori. Te Kawenga
Me māia, me kumanu, me aroha, te arahanga i te panoni pāpori.
Lead social change with courage, care, and aroha Values
Guardianship | Connections | Unity
Sanja Majstorović
AROHA DO is what we
At PSEC, we’re proud of our history of delivering quality social services, but recently we took this a step deeper by including the word aroha in our Mission statement and bringing even more meaning to our work. This wasn’t about adding a word or ticking a box; it was about recognising the compassion, care, deep concern, and empathy in our hearts. Aroha is in the middle of everything we do.
This decision was inspired by Glenn Marshall, who experienced our services through his son, Eamon. Eamon's journey underscores the impact our team’s love and support has on the lives of those we serve. Glenn reminds us that people remember how you make them feel—and aroha aims to sum this up perfectly. Read Eamon’s story on page 8.
A powerful example of aroha in action is our commitment to build the much-needed accessible
Rowan Apartments. We’ve already supported disabled locals for over forty years, and now, with the backing of supporters like the Royston Health Trust, Enliven Disability is growing to support even more people to live a good life. Rowan Apartments is a symbol of our dedication to making every individual feel seen, heard, and valued no matter how complex their support needs.
Daily, our clients show us how every person adds value to our community. You’ll see stories in this issue—from resilient youth and families overcoming today’s challenges, to disabled people breaking barriers, to our fun and lively older community members— each demonstrating that life is truly better when we are all thriving. Today, I invite you to add value and give back. You can support our services to keep leading social change with courage, care, and aroha. Turn to page 16 now to see how easily you can help build a better life for everyone.
$15M cost of services provided by Family Works and Enliven teams volunteer hours at PSEC Charity Shops
9,000 disabled people, older people, and children and families supported with the help of 200 staff and 100 volunteers
1,000+
build a home for
Sanja Majstorović CEO, PSEC
MY OWNpath
Supporting independence:
How a story of breaking barriers is inspiring the need for change
"Don't assume that I don't understand or hear anything because I'm non-verbal. I'm dedicated, strong-minded, determined, creative, and have a communication skills strength," says Ngatamaine (Nga or Maine), who was born with cerebral palsy in Hastings. Her journey is one of perseverance and strength. “I have got a sense of humour from my family and my Cook Island community because they are hilariously funny as well.”
Life hasn’t been easy for Nga. “I'm a normal person. I understand extremely well. I get very frustrated because I can't talk and I have to use my alphabet chart that I created and my computer to talk, I can't join in conversation very easily. I can't eat, drink, toilet, shower, bath or dress myself. I have to rely on other people for everything.”
Living with disability has meant facing many obstacles. At just three years old, Nga was taken from her parents' home and then moved around a lot while growing up. “One of the places I had to stay at was because I had no equipment like a little wooden chair, commode, standing frame, manual wheelchair, electric wheelchair
and also, I had nowhere to live.”
One Christmas, with nowhere else to go, Nga was moved to aged care for six weeks. “I hated staying there because it is a home meant for old people. I felt sorry for my mate that lived there, they were only seventeen years old!” Despite challenges, Nga doesn't let her support needs define her. “A Social Worker wanted me to go to a normal school because he knew that I was a very clever child.” For example, Nga was way above her class level for Māori language.
When Nga switched careers from computing to social services, she faced doubt. “Everybody just laughed at me. They said Nga you can’t because you are in a wheelchair, you can’t speak, you can’t type fast, how can you communicate with people, how can you do the presentations and writing? I listened to no one and I went my own way.”
After living independently for twenty-two years, Nga had to give up her home when her Support Workers retired and finding new help was difficult. “I loved living in my house. I wasn’t ready to give my house up because
I wanted to keep my independence.” Although Nga would prefer to be back in her own house, she now lives at Enliven Disability’s Havelock North site which she likes because it’s close to Flaxmere. Nga has support and freedom to live life as she wants to, “I still can go out and come home drunk in the weird hours of the morning which I love to do on Saturday night.”
Nga advocates for change and has been part of the Faiva Ora leadership group for nine years to enable Pasifika people with disabilities to advance and champion Pasifika disability issues by having their views represented at the highest levels in New Zealand. “I make sure that I still do things for myself and don’t let the Support Workers do everything for me, for example book the taxi, text Mobilities people if my equipment is broken, do the shopping online and do the online groceries for the whole house with a Support Worker, make my own appointments. I still do the interviews for Enliven Disability’s new staff process. I can do more things than any other flatters do.” Nga has joined the Hawke’s Bay Cook Island Committee to change people’s mind set about people with disability and making our community better.
Nga is saving up to visit the Cook Islands in three years. “When I want to do something that I want to, I just go for it and I don’t let anyone or anything let me down.” Over the years, Nga has achieved certificates in Te Reo Māori, Business Information Systems, Business Administration, Introduction to Social Services, and Mental Health and Addictions Support. Nga’s most proud of her first paid job as a Media Assistant for Kāpō Māori Aotearoa, where she’s worked for four years to support the blind and visually impaired. Everyone that meets Nga is inspired by her outlook on life, “I feel very proud that I’m being an inspiration to other people around me every day.”
Accessible homes are not a luxury but a necessity. Every brick you give will support younger disabled locals to thrive. Give your brick now at www.giveabrick.org.nz
Tōku Papa'anga - My Genealogy
(As written by Nga)
Kia Orana Tatou Katoataoa
Hello Everyone
Ko Ngāpuariki tōku Vaka
My Canoe is Ngāpuariki
Ko Maunga Pū tōku Maunga
My Mountain is Maunga Pū
Nō Aitutaki tōku Papa
Aitutaki is my Island on Dad’s side
Ko Tautu tōku Oire (Dad’s Village)
My Village is Tautu
Nō Mangaia tōku Mama
Mangaia is my Island on Mum’s side
Ko Tamarua tōku Oire (Mum’s Village)
My Village is Tamarua
Ko Te Autapu tōku Marae
My Marae is Te Autapu
E nō ana au i Havelock North
I live in Havelock North
Ko Ngatamaine (Ngata-maa-ee-ne)
Emma Kimiravenga Tauranga tōku ingoa (Nga)
My name is Ngatamaine (Ngata-maaee-ne) Emma Kimiravenga Tauranga (Nga)
Nō te Māori Kūki ‘Airani au I’m a Cook Islander Māori
SHINING A LIGHT FOR PARENTS in a changing world
Trigger warning - mentions suicide.
Our young people are resilient, but they deserve so much more. They deserve more of our time, to be heard, and to feel valued. We all want our Kiwi kids to have a carefree childhood. Our local kids are burdened by adult world problems which makes them grow up way too fast. The school students that Family Works support carry trauma, negative feedback, and lack proper emotional guidance. Kids absorb everything we say to them, so we must be careful! Neurodiverse students can hear 20,000 more negative comments than their peers before they turn ten, and they believe it. As a region, we can do better.
Hidden family struggles
Some parents face their own challenges, from financial stress to mental health concerns that were never addressed. Parenting today is totally different leaving some of our parents feeling lost. Family Works steps in to support families by simply teaching new parenting tools that are suited to the realities of today. Many students feel misunderstood and unheard, and we’ve seen how important it is to validate their feelings. A student's behaviour can be a way of communicating struggles. Our young people know themselves well and they know what they need. It’s our job to listen.
Best positioned to help
Family Works operates two teams across nearly thirty local schools. Our Social Workers in Schools (SWIS) team works in primary and intermediate schools in
Hastings, Central Hawke’s Bay, and rural areas. They offer consistent support so that students and families know they have someone to turn to. Our community services team helps the entire family, often in high schools but also in homes and at our Hastings office. Our teams avoid the labels often placed on children and parents and instead see their potential.
The challenges we see in our young ones include anxiety, emotional regulation, trauma and neurodiversity. These children need help navigating support systems. With even a tiny bit of support, we see huge progress.
Someone to turn to
Schools and families praise our primary school programmes for improving social skills, behaviour, and anxiety. These groups connect children facing similar challenges, and we see their confidence grow. Even small steps, like speaking up in class or making friends, can make the biggest difference. Young students love working with our SWIS teams.
For high school students, the stakes are higher. We see them bravely overcome brutal issues like mental health struggles and family violence. A win can sometimes mean a student hasn’t attempted suicide in three months. Without our support, many would have nowhere to turn.
Need support? Family Works helps young people and families through dark times, showing them the light in themselves when they struggle to find it. If you or someone you know needs support, please call 06 876 2156 or visit us at Ngā Ararau, 104 Lyndon Road West, Hastings. We are here to listen.
Pictured above: Some of the dedicated Family Works team supporting through our local schools.
A VOICE FOR change
Eamon was more than his disabilities
In Eamon's twenty years, despite being non-verbal, he touched countless people by living a life beyond words. His cruisy nature and love for simple joys speaks volumes about living an enriched life, even when facing vast challenges.
“He was a real chilled-out sort of guy,” says his dad, Glenn. “He knew exactly what he liked and didn’t like, and even though he was non-verbal, he could absolutely communicate.”
Eamon’s world was never going to be easy. “He was diagnosed with disabilities at about six months old. We always knew that he was going to have a massively shortened lifespan,” Glenn explains. But that didn’t stop Eamon from teaching everyone around him the value of simplicity, patience, and aroha (a word with layers of meaning including concern, compassion, connection, and love). “It's almost like he knew—he was thinking, ‘I’m only going to be here for a short time, I’m just going to take it easy and chill out.’”
Bravery every day
Eamon’s brave journey was filled with immense health struggles. From birth, he needed full-time support
and he endured multiple hospital visits each year. His epilepsy caused daily seizures, and he had visual and other impairments. He was reliant on others for his every need.
“He was the highest grade five for cerebral palsy,” Glenn shares. “One of his disabilities alone would’ve been lifedefining for most, but he had multiple disabilities at the highest end. It was such a challenge navigating the medical system when he couldn’t be ‘fixed’ and didn’t fit the system.” His last five days on palliative sedation therapy were the hardest, “That’s the hardest thing in my life because obviously we had been trying to protect him for twenty years and then the final bit we couldn't protect him.”
Eamon moved into necessary full-time care at eighteen months old. “That was hard because society can be judgmental. It was never an issue that he had a disability—it was the profoundness of his disability. Having him at home meant neither of us parents could work. He had to be turned multiple times during the night. It wasn’t sustainable,” says Glenn. “But we visited him most days, he was always a big part of our lives.”
Despite incredible hardships, the family’s love and dedication has never wavered. The journey with Eamon wasn’t just his—it was theirs too. “As a parent, it breaks your heart because it’s a life sentence for Eamon, but it’s actually a life sentence for his brother and parents as well.”
The gift of simplicity
In the middle of the difficulties, there were moments of pure joy. Eamon’s love for the outdoors in spring and autumn brought him happiness. “He loved the sense of touch, the sun on his skin, and the feeling of motion when we walked with him around the neighbourhood,” Glenn fondly recalls. “He just lived in the moment.”
Eamon’s greatest joy was his beloved cup. “He was paralysed on one side and could hardly use the other, but he could hold that cup. It was his thing, it’s like it was just his Nirvana” Glenn says.
The family’s fondest memories of Eamon are connected to simple pleasures. His ability to drink from his own cup, his love of hot chocolate and Whittaker's milk chocolate, and the taste of pureed red meat brought him joy. “He had a nose on him like a bloodhound for food. Red meat was his favourite,” Glenn says. “In his last six months, that’s all he wanted, and it made him so happy. The greatest gift Eamon gave me by a country mile is simplicity, just to live a simple life. He was the most awesome person I’ve ever met. I just miss him every day.”
More than the sum of his parts
Though Eamon never spoke, his life is a loud voice for change. Through his lived experience, his family and others learned different perspectives and now advocate for greater disability support awareness. “People like Eamon often go unnoticed in society,” Glenn explains. “But he taught us all about kindness and that time is the most precious thing we’ve got. We all only have a limited amount of time on this planet.”
Eamon’s impact reaches far beyond his immediate family. His story has moved people in the disability sector, even reaching senior officials. “They came to Eamon’s send-off. They flew up to pay their respects. It’s incredible how much of an impact he had without saying a word.”
Eamon’s legacy lives on through the love he shared, the lessons he still teaches, and the continued efforts to improve the lives of disabled people. His family
remain passionate advocates for a more inclusive society. “Unless you’ve had a close family member who’s disabled, people don’t understand. People pity them or feel sorry for them, but their disability doesn’t define them. They're all greater than the sum of their parts. They all have strengths. Eamon’s strength was to teach us all to be more compassionate.”
Eamon’s life shows us the power of treating each other with kindness and highlights the chilled but mighty strength of those facing enormous challenges. It’s a call for our country to be more accepting and for us to each do our part to support others.
You can make a big difference today
Notice and include everyone. It’s essential for disabled people to engage with the community because it enriches not only their lives but the lives of everyone that meets them too. Eamon lived at Enliven Disability’s Rowan House for the eighteen months before he died. You can give a brick and help build the new accessible Rowan Apartments. “Whatever you give, you'll get back at least double,” says Glenn, “It doesn’t take much. The little changes that you can make a reality make a big difference to their life." Every brick means so much to younger people in our region with complex physical disabilities, and even more to their families who love them. Give your brick now at www.giveabrick.org.nz
Pictured above is Eamon Marshall with his dad Glenn, and left is Eamon with a cup that brought him complete joy.
GROWING f0r the future Supporting our community,
For over forty years we have proudly offered individual disability support with a local approach. Since the opening of our residential service Rowan House in 1983, we have kept expanding to meet the changing needs of our community. Other milestones in our disability residential service include adding the first Rowan cottages in 2005, moving Rowan House flatters to a new home in 2010, and the new cottage for a married couple in 2012. More recently, Enliven Disability added Middle Road (Havelock North) sites from 2021 and refurbished the Rowan cottages in 2023 following Cyclone Gabrielle flood damage. Now Enliven Disability is growing to
ROWAN Apartments
support even more people. We celebrated the start of the new accessible Rowan Apartments building project on 13 August 2024.
Flatter Eamon Marshall lived at Rowan House for the eighteen months before he died at age twenty. Please turn to page 8 to read about Eamon’s voice for change. Eamon’s dad Glenn comments on the service, “Enliven has not only retained its core not-for-profit philosophy and values but has also retained its local identity and autonomy. This has enabled Enliven to provide bespoke support that is tailored to our local community.”
Enliven Disability Service Manager Andrew Wordsworth says, “Our goal with Rowan Apartments is to increase the accessible housing stock in Hawke’s Bay. We want to get that real core fundamental basic thing, of shelter and appropriate housing, right for the people we serve so that they can go on and experience and explore their good life.” Glenn adds, “The building of the apartments at Rowan will take the support that Rowan offers to the next level by providing a more homely and individualised living environment.”
Construction of the state of the art accessible homes has started. Nick Ward from Proactive Management Ltd is engaged as Project Manager, and Julian Davis and his Davcon Construction team are on site. We aim to welcome new flatters by the end of 2025.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram
@EnlivenDisability for updates.
Pictured top left: Construction of the new Rowan Apartments has started. Pictured bottom left: Rowan Apartments Groundbreaking event 13 August 2024, from left to right is Catherine Wedd (MP for Tukituki), Evelyn Churchill (Rowan Apartments Project Committee), Andrew Wordsworth (Enliven Disability Service Manager), Chad Cooper and Geoffrey Edwards (Rowan flatters), Katie Nimon (MP for Napier and Northern Hawke’s Bay), and Kirsten Wise (Mayor of Napier).
Pictured above: Rowan House flatters moved to a new home in 2010.
LIFTING THE STANDARD FOR EVERYONE
Partnering for a healthier Hawke' s Bay:
$1 million commitment to help build accessible Rowan Apartments
The Royston Health Trust has committed $1 million to an exciting new project in Hawke’s Bay – the construction of Enliven Disability’s Rowan Apartments designed for younger locals living with complex physical disabilities. These new accessible homes will not only provide a healthy and supportive environment for those who will live there but also offer life-long benefits to their families and our wider community.
Jacqui Gray, Chair of the Trust, shares her thoughts: “Royston Health Trust is a very satisfying organisation to be a part of, having the ability to assist the local community and support our locals’ health needs. We’re looking forward to working with Enliven Disability on this much needed build. We will continue to support projects like the building of Rowan Apartments to reduce inequities in access to health services and assist in improving the health of the people of Hawke’s Bay.”
Building a healthier future for everyone
The Rowan Apartments project is about more than just bricks and mortar. It’s about delivering long-term, lifechanging outcomes for the individuals who will call these apartments home. The ripple effect of this project will be felt across the community, benefiting families and strengthening the Hawke’s Bay wider community. As Ms. Gray points out, “Our vision is for improved health outcomes for the people of Hawkes Bay.”
The Trust's decision to commit to this project stems from its drive to achieve this vision. By supporting Enliven Disability which has a trusted history spanning over forty years of supporting local people and their families, the Trust ensures that younger disabled people in Hawke’s Bay are getting the best possible support. Enliven
Disability is a service of PSEC that has been leading East Coast social change since 1946.
“We all share the vision of a healthier Hawke’s Bay and are driven by the desire to support projects that make a real difference to our region and benefit our communities. The Royston Health Trust's vision is for a healthier Hawke’s Bay for everyone who lives here.”
“This development is one the Trust is happy to be involved in,” says Ms. Gray. “Not only is it a compelling and viable project with improved health outcomes for locals, but we also know the organisation delivering the project is sustainable with a good track record and long history in our region.”
Who exactly is the Royston Health Trust?
Originally the Trust owned and operated a private hospital, but following the sale of its hospital interests in 2016, the Trust shifted its focus to broader health-related community funding. The substantial funds from the sale now enable the Trust to support a wide range of projects aimed at improving the overall health and well-being of Hawke’s Bay residents.
Over the years, The Trust has contributed to significant local health related capital projects that include helping to establish a community fitness centre at the
Hawke’s Bay Regional Sports Park, supporting the purchase of a new home for Cancer Society in Hawke’s Bay and contributing to a new ambulance centre in Greenmeadows. Important community initiatives include providing significant financial support for suicide awareness training and children’s learn to swim programmes, dental initiatives in Wairoa in collaboration with Te Whatu Ora and practitioners and in-school health training. The Trust’s funding focus is twofold: through considering applications for annual donations up to $25,000 and supporting unique, longer-term projects that provide sustainable benefits. Whether it is facilities, programmes, research or education, the Trust is dedicated to their goal of lifting health standards in Hawke’s Bay by backing projects that make a tangible difference for locals.
"We have a huge opportunity to make a positive impact on the health of the Hawke’s
Bay community. The funding support the Royston Health Trust can provide for a wide range
of health-related
initiatives not funded by the public system is very rewarding.”
Let’s lift the standard together
Now you too can join the Trust and Enliven Disability to become a part of this transformative local project. Whether you’re a long-time supporter or someone learning about Enliven Disability for the first time, you can contribute to help build a healthier future in Hawke’s Bay. Visit www.giveabrick.org.nz to find out how you can also give a brick to help build the new lifechanging homes.
By supporting today, you are helping to create a region where everyone, regardless of their health or support needs, has access to the home and support they deserve. Together, with you and committed supporters like the Royston Health Trust, we can proudly lift the health standard for everyone in Hawke’s Bay.
Pictured above: Royston Health Trustees Denise Primrose, Rochelle Robertson, and Murray Cowan join flatters and PSEC Board and staff at the Rowan Apartments Groundbreaking Event. The Trust’s Board also includes Chair Jacqui Gray and Trustees Rhod Murray, Jessica O’Sullivan, Stuart Signal, and John Lockie.
Barrel of laughs
We're lucky to have remarkable people join us at our Enliven Community Day Programmes — they’re someone’s parent, sibling, whānau, and friend. They are former pharmacists, doctors, and nurses to accountants, financial advisors, business owners, curtain makers, teachers, shepherds, rugby players, and even veterans from the army. They’ve lived full lives and continue to give so much to our community and each other.
"One of our oldest clients has the most beautiful gentle heart, and one of our regulars always brings a naughty joke. Every individual contributes something special to the group, whether it’s a shared laugh, a life lesson, or just a caring presence. “I love the twinkles in their eyes and when they have a good belly laugh,” one of our team shares.
At Enliven Havelock North, everyone gets a chance to feel connected, even if some are normally isolated at home. Each week, they have a lovely meal, enjoy some fellowship, and participate in activities that sometimes take them right out of their comfort zones. Recently we’ve been ‘travelling the world’ together, with passports in hand, visiting places like Morocco and India. “Some people may look reserved, but we’ve seen how they have fun from the moment they walk in the door. We start our activities and they’re the life of the party!”
Our staff love making a difference, “I’ve never had this much fun at work; it doesn’t feel like a job! This work is just so fulfilling” says one.
“You may think older people are no longer fun. We see the complete opposite – we see the joy, enthusiasm, and energy of their twenties and thirties. It doesn’t matter how bad it’s been at home that day, when they arrive they just leave it behind and come and have fun," another adds.
If you or your family would like to find out more, ask your GP about Enliven Older People services, call a Needs Assessment Service Coordinator (NASC) directly on 06 834 1871, or call our friendly Enliven Older People team on freephone 0800 436 548.
Please help us to keep bringing a little extra joy into older people’s lives. Your donation ensures these valued community members continue to connect, share, and laugh together.
Donate today at www.psec.org.nz/donate, call 0800 002 953, or we can come to you with a mobile EFTPOS terminal in Napier or Hastings.
Pictured above: Some of the locals having a laugh at our Community Day Programmes.
PSEC people
ANNE | ROWAN FLATTER
Anne, 47, has been through a lot recently. She lost her dad in 2012, and this year, she lost her young mum unexpectedly. “Mum had a soft heart, like all mums,” she remembers. Despite her losses, Anne’s warm personality, contagious smile, and big heart brightens up Rowan House for everyone around her.
Anne moved from Wellington to Hawke’s Bay where her mum and dad found apple jobs. She has one sister and three brothers, the youngest is 21. Before moving to Rowan around nine years ago, Anne lived in a Napier rest home meant for older people. “It wasn’t doing any good for me because I was doing the same old thing— just sitting around, eating, sitting,” she says. Moving to Rowan offered something different. Now, Anne lives with people closer to her age and can do more. Anne loves getting out and walking around the block, especially on hot days. She laughs about not missing the wind in Wellington! Anne studied at EIT, went to get a job at WINZ, and has worked at Taradale Service Centre.
Though her family doesn’t visit often, Anne feels supported. “I miss my family. I feel left out,” she shares, but the “Rowan people and especially the staff” help Anne to feel at home.
Give a brick to help build much needed accessible housing in Hawke's Bay. Give your brick now at www.giveabrick.org.nz
AANA | DISABILITY RESIDENTIAL SERVICES
After a finance and insurance career, Aana made a surprising change eight years ago moving from corporate life to disability work. “I was watching a support worker with clients in town and thought, ‘I could do that, that’d be a great job,’” Aana says.
Since starting as a Support Worker at Enliven Disability two years ago, Aana has completed leadership training and taken on the Acting House Coordinator role at Middle Road. Her days are varied and involve leading the hands-on team, administrative tasks, and helping the Team Leader run the house. “Half of my role is on the floor, and the other half is admin,” she explains.
Reflecting on her work, Aana adds, “It’s without a doubt challenging but also so rewarding. It’s opened my eyes to things I took for granted, it makes you look at life differently.” Aana shares that generally her clients are some of the happiest people she has ever worked with, “I love this job, it’s something I feel very passionate about.” Pictured left is Aana with a flatter, Nga. Read Nga's story on page 4.
Working at Enliven Disability gives you an opportunity to make a meaningful difference every day. Join us if you’re patient, observant, and ready for a paid or volunteer job that will change your perspective. Visit www.psec.org.nz/careers
