Meet Support Service Manager – 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 about right now?
We are heading off to Fiji as a family for my nephew’s wedding, our first overseas trip as a family.

Who/what inspires you?
I am inspired by people who are able to maintain a positive outlook in the face of adversity.

Who do you admire? Why?
My mum, she raised my brothers and I as a solo mum and not only worked hard to provide for us but also to encourage us to be the best people we could be and supported us to make the most of opportunities that came our way.

Tell us about your background.
I grew up in Auckland and currently live in west Auckland with my husband; our four young adult children; our eldest daughter’s partner; two boisterous dogs and two neurotic cats, and my mum lives on the same property, so needless to say life is not dull at our place!

I trained as a physiotherapist and spent most of my career working in the area of brain injury rehabilitation, firstly in the acute hospital setting then at rehabilitation units and in the community. I found it really rewarding to be able to work with clients and their families on a longer term and get to know them and help them work towards their goals.

Although I grew up in the city I am more of an outdoorsy person, I rode horses from a young age and owned my own horses until my early 30s when children came along. I still ride whenever I get the opportunity, although I do get a wee bit frustrated with not being able to ride as well as I used to!

These days my spare time is usually spent walking the dogs, watching hockey or camping with family and friends.

What appealed to you about this position and led you to join the team?
I was in this role from 2018 -2022 and really enjoyed the role then. I found working with the whole team at MND NZ to raise awareness of MND and to help make a positive difference for those impacted by MND rewarding. It is a privilege to be allowed to share the journey with our clients and their whanau and to hopefully make their journey a little easier.

I left MND NZ to take up another opportunity that I was offered and while I enjoyed that opportunity, the time away reinforced how rewarding this work was. When this role became available, I decided to apply.

Contact Toni, or another member of the support service team, here.