NEWS & UPDATES
The Cerebral Palsy Society’s latest news – we’ve got a busy month coming up
30 Sep 2026
Tomorrow marks the start of October – one of the busiest months of the year for the Cerebral Palsy Society. Be Green & Be Seen kicks off tomorrow, our Annual Impact Report will be published this month, and our AGM is happening on October 18.
We look forward to your involvement and support in everything that is going on in the coming month.
Be Green & Be Seen
What are you doing to get behind Be Green & Be Seen and World Cerebral Palsy Day?
Be Green & Be Seen, our annual fundraising and awareness campaign, kicks off tomorrow and we’d love to see you get involved.
There’s already been a great amount of support and donations coming through so we’re really excited to see what October holds – especially with World CP Day being held on October 6.
There are plenty of ways for you, your whānau, friends, workplace, ECEs and schools to get involved. You could:
– Share your story as part of This is Cerebral Palsy and go in the draw to win a $50 Z Energy voucher
– Send us a photo of your Be Green & Be Seen support and go in the draw to win a $50 Z Energy voucher
– Get your workplace involved by hosting a green-themed morning tea
– Encourage your Early Childhood Centre or school to enter one of our competitions – they could win a $250 voucher for Creative Classrooms or a visit from Paralympian Danielle Aitchison!
– Use our resources to inform and inspire those around you
– Share our Givealittle page and encourage your whānau and friends to donate
– Share, like or comment on our social media posts
– Invite your whānau or friends over for a green-themed morning tea.
Everything you need to know about getting involved is here:
We’re looking forward to seeing you all get involved in Be Green & Be Seen and World CP Day this year!
Annual General Meeting
Our Annual General Meeting is being held on Sunday, October 18 at 2pm.
Members are invited to join us online or in person in Grafton, Auckland.
Please RSVP by 4pm on October 16 via 0800 503 603 or cpsociety@cpsociety.ord.nz letting us know if you are attending online or in person.
Cerebral Palsy / Hōkai Nukurangi Education Day
We know the lived experience of people with CP in Aotearoa is unique – and that’s why we want to hear from you!
Your everyday experience, the appointments, the wins, the frustrations, the things you wish someone had told you – that’s exactly what we want to hear about at the upcoming Cerebral Palsy / Hōkai Nukurangi Education Day – Aotearoa NZ.
It’s being held on Saturday, November 14 in Wellington and virtually, and is being hosted by the New Zealand Cerebral Palsy Register and the Cerebral Palsy Society.
We’d love for you to join us for all or part of the day!
e-card Tips
We’ve got some useful tips to help you make the most of your e-card.
The greatest tip the CP Society team can offer is “be sure to check your e-Card balance before you go shopping”.
To check your balance:
– Go to https://ecardsolutions.nz/portal/cps/
– Check your last receipt
– Or go to www.cerebralpalsy.org.nz, click the Dashboard button, sign in and click the “Check Your E-Card Balance” button.
If you’ve got any questions about using your e-card phone 0800 503 603 between 9am and 3pm, or send an email to cpsociety@cpsociety.org.nz
Thanks to Rahil!
We wanted to say a huge “thank you” to CP Society member Rahil Patel.
Rahil is completing the Auckland Half Marathon on November 1 and is fundraising for the Society in the lead up to it.
“The Society has supported my physical activities for about 10 years, and I am incredibly grateful for that.
“I know the funds raised will help the Society continue supporting people with Cerebral Palsy in different ways, just as they have supported me.”
We really appreciate Rahil’s efforts to raise awareness of, and funds for, the Society – and we are very grateful to everyone who donates to his fundraising page. Thank you!
Coffee group updates
We’re encouraging everyone who attends a coffee group in the month of October to dress in green clothes and take a group photo to share with us! We’d love to see our members lighting up the cafes they attend for Be Green & Be Seen!
Our coffee groups are held in Auckland, Whanganui, Masterton, Wellington and Christchurch.
Each Cerebral Palsy Society member who attends is welcome to bring a companion, support worker, or whānau member with them. The Cerebral Palsy Society will provide up to $15 worth of refreshments for each member and for one of their guests.
There are a few Ts & Cs members need to be aware of when attending coffee group, so please check the info on our website:
PLEASE NOTE
The details for the Christchurch coffee group hosted by Michael for this month are:
Tuesday 6th October
Venue: The Clubhouse Cafe
Address: Waimairi Beach Golf Club, 460 Bower Ave, Parklands
Time: 12pm to 1.30pm (Please note the earlier start time)
New e-card suppliers
We’re delighted to welcome the companies and service providers that have come on board as e-Card suppliers in the last month.
getThis&That
– Central Orthotics – Palmerston North
Thank you for the support
The Cerebral Palsy Society relies on donations and grants to help us do the mahi we do for Kiwis living with Cerebral Palsy – Hōkai Nukurangi.
With that in mind, we want to say a massive thank you to the Trusts, Foundations and friends that support us. Most recently:
– One Foundation
Living with CP articles
Have you checked out the Living with CP page on our website?
It features a collection of helpful articles on topics from parenting when you live with CP, oral health tips, recovering from surgery, employment, flying with a wheelchair and preparing for an emergency.
The latest articles are about:
- Swallowing impairments and how swallowing rehabilitation and early intervention can help
- Peke Waihanga Peer Support Service which connects parents with trained volunteers who have experience raising a child with Cerebral Palsy.
Research opportunities
Here are some research projects that you might like to take part in.
– The Australasian Cerebral Palsy Musculoskeletal Health Network is looking at muscle and bone health in children living with CP.
The project aims to find out whether identifying musculoskeletal problems earlier can lead to more timely treatments and reduce the chance of these problems getting worse.
This research is for Auckland-based 4-12 year olds who are GMFCS III, IV or V and involves four annual visits to Starship hospital.
– Oral health tips for people with Cerebral Palsy. Students studying towards a Bachelor of Dental Surgery at the University of Otago Auckland Dental Clinic have created a questionnaire to see what you know about caring for the oral health of someone who lives with CP. After you’ve completed the questionnaire there is an informative PDF and podcast series providing parents and caregivers with more tips.
What’s On
Discover Para Sport Find Your Community
Boccia New Zealand, Wheelchair Basketball New Zealand, and New Zealand Wheelchair Rugby are bringing together three Para sports for a two-day event.
Participants can try boccia, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby. Whānau, friends and support people are encouraged to attend, participate and experience Para sport alongside them.
When: November 7 and 8, 10am-4pm
Where: Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre, Christchurch. The event is open to people from around the country.
Register here
PHAB Online Club
PHAB, which provides weekly social experiences for people with disabilities aged 16 and over from Warkworth to Papakura, is offering PHAB Online for those that can’t make their face-to-face clubs.
Join them online for a fun, relaxed evening of games, chats, and connection with the PHAB community.
Free to attend and prizes to be won each time.
Every second Tuesday (next one is Oct 6), 6pm–8pm
Simply click the Zoom link to join:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89949193099
Wellness Riders – free adaptive skate event
Join the Wellness Riders for Skate & Beats – a relaxed, inclusive session of skateboarding, music, connection and good vibes.
This free adaptive session is for all ages and abilities, including neurodivergent and disabled participants, or anyone who may benefit from a little extra support or a more adapted approach to learning.
It’s a relaxed drop-in style event, so you’re welcome to arrive anytime during the session. Gear provided.
Where: Silo Park, Auckland Waterfront
When: Saturday, October 3, 11am-1pm
Register here
Sessions are also being held in Auckland at Orewa on October 5, 10am-12pm and Mt Roskill on October 24 and November 7.
As always, please remember to reach out to our Member Support team if you need anything – Peter and Matt are here to answer your phone calls and emails. Phone 0800 503 603 or cpsociety@cpsociety.org.nz
Ngā mihi,
The Cerebral Palsy Society team
