CEO Message
This year has been one of both challenge and transformation. Across Aotearoa, the disability sector has undergone significant change, with new funding models, shifting government priorities, and increasing demand on services. Despite this evolving landscape, NorthAble Matapuna Hauora has continued to demonstrate strength, innovation, and deep commitment to the people and whānau of Te Taitokerau.
What stands out most in 2025 is the calibre, resilience, and heart of our team. Their work has not only remained steady through change, it has grown in scope, quality, and impact. We have deliberately focused on strengthening our internal capability, ensuring our kaimahi are supported, skilled, and empowered to deliver their best. This investment is clearly showing results. Our quality of practice is improving, our reach is expanding, and our work is increasingly recognized, both regionally and nationally, as leading and innovative.
A significant development this year has been our expansion into areas of high unmet need, such as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Working alongside Ember Innovations, Te Hauora o Ngāpuhi, and other valued partners, we are helping shine a light on this often-overlooked disability and co-designing solutions with communities. This has opened new pathways for collective impact, strengthening our identity as both a disability support organisation and a regional systems-change partner.
Our regional reach has also grown. Through our LYNKZ service and links outreach initiatives with partners such as Hokianga Health and GoodLife Trust, we are increasingly able to connect with isolated whānau who traditionally struggle to access services. These partnerships enable us to walk alongside people in their own communities, not expecting them to come to us, but instead taking the service to them.
EQ+ continues to go from strength to strength, enabling more people with disabilities across the region to access essential equipment, assistive technology, and adaptive supports. Through our partnership with Take My Hands, we’ve been able to support individuals and families in genuine need, sometimes with life-changing outcomes.
Our relationships with our suppliers have also been instrumental in making this possible. The November Black Friday event was a powerful example of this, with the generosity of Pride Mobility Scooters and the collaboration of EQ+ suppliers enabling us to gift a scooter to a deserving community member, Mr T. These are the moments that remind us of the importance of our mission: to enable independence, dignity, and belonging.
We have also continued our commitment to working where disability intersects with other forms of vulnerability, such as family harm. Our partnership with ANCAD and our involvement in the Safer North Family Harm Initiative reflects our belief that disability must be part of the wider conversation about wellbeing, safety, and social equity.
Looking ahead, our organisation is poised for significant growth. In 2026, we will open a new hub in Dargaville, expanding access for communities across Kaipara who often face greater geographic and service barriers than other parts of Te Taitokerau. We are also proud to be launching the new Attendance Service across the region from January 2026. This service will grow our team and deepen our impact, ensuring that tamariki, rangatahi, and whānau with barriers to attendance are supported through a wraparound, collaborative model.
These achievements have been made possible through the dedication of our staff, the trust of our whānau, the leadership of our Board, and the strength of our partnerships across government, iwi, NGOs, and community organisations.
NorthAble Matapuna Hauora is not just a provider of services, we are a partner, a connector, a champion, and a catalyst for change.
Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa
Thank you to everyone who has journeyed alongside us this year. Together, we are shaping a stronger, more inclusive, and more connected Te Taitokerau, where everyone can live, learn, and participate, on their terms.
Janette Searle
Chief Executive
NorthAble Matapuna Hauora
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