Heartland Championships - North Otago

On Saturday 21 September our friends at North Otago Rugby Football Union (NORFU) hosted a special day of rugby at Weston Sports Ground to raise awareness and vital funds for MND. The day kicked off with a North Otago v Mid Canterbury match, with the NORFU team running out in special charity branded one-off jerseys, … Read more

Grandson Holding Grandpa's Hands

You’re invited to attend the new MND Support Group for the Auckland region, taking place at 12.30pm on Wednesday 2 October at the MND national office, 14 Erson Avenue, Royal Oak.  “The support group gathering is the result of several clients saying ‘It would be really good to have a support group’,” says Rachel Woodworth, … Read more

Bowling Fam Higher Rez

We’re Mat and Darren Bowling — brothers, fathers, partners, and sons. Last year, our dad became one of the many people in New Zealand taken by motor neurone disease (MND). It’s a cruel, unforgiving illness. Everyone diagnosed with MND faces the same devastating prognosis: there’re no truly effective treatment options, and no cure. When we … Read more

Norfu Rugby Event

Motor Neurone Disease New Zealand (MND NZ) is partnering up with North Otago Rugby Football Union (NORFU) and Bunnings Timaru to help increase acceptance and understanding of motor neurone disease (MND) in the community and raise vital funds for those impacted by MND. NORFU is hosting a special day of rugby on Saturday 21 September … Read more

Mother Daughter

Caring for a loved one who is dying can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re untrained and facing the unknown. To help carers navigate this difficult journey, Otago Community Hospice has launched a new podcast series, Ending Life Well, now available on all major podcast platforms. This first-of-its-kind series in New Zealand is designed specifically to … Read more

Ride for Ronnie

Ronnie Harris was diagnosed with MND in July 2022, whilst visiting his beloved birthplace, Scotland.  It was of course, a devastating blow to Ronnie and Jane, but the way in which they both dealt with the diagnosis and continued to make the very best of the time left together, was an inspiration to all.  Ronnie’s … Read more

Team MND at Auckland Marathon

Jodi Clouston lost her Mum to MND in 2011, a heart-wrenching experience that has driven her to make a difference in the lives of people affected by this devastating condition. In 2023, Jodi had the opportunity to run the New York Marathon as a member of Team ALS, the official charity partner for MND in … Read more

investigating the MND molecular crime scene

We are delighted to share that Dr Maize Cao has received a Neurological Foundation grant to study ALS. Dr Cao, an early career Research fellow at the University of Auckland, says: “what makes development of therapies difficult, is that there are many genes that can cause disease (‘suspects’ of ALS). Beyond that, at the molecular … Read more

Natalie Voice Banking

Voice banking is the recording of your natural voice while it is still natural and strong, for the possible eventuality of losing your speech. You can voice bank on a mobile phone, computer, or digital voice recorder. As long as the recordings are produced in MP3 format, they can be used later within a speech … Read more

Charity Bridge 2024

We warmly invite all bridge players to our annual charity bridge tournament on Sunday, 15 September 2024, at 1 pm. Hosted by The Royle Epsom Bridge Club, this event holds special significance as we raise funds for Motor Neurone Disease NZ. For many years, MND NZ Board member Estelle and her late husband Geoff led … Read more

Toni Foster

We love having Toni back in the office, and we’ve put a few questions to help get to know her better. What’s your favourite quality about yourself?Hmm that is a tough one! Probably that I am usually able to see/consider things from someone else’s perspective as well as my own. What are you most excited … Read more