MND Action Month 2026: Tip a bucket. Pour a brew. Make time count.

June is MND Action Month — a time to act, raise awareness, and make time count for people in Aotearoa living with motor neurone disease (MND), and for the whānau who support them.

MND is a progressive, incurable, and ultimately terminal disease. It gradually takes away a person’s ability to walk, talk, eat — and eventually, to breathe.

Every week in New Zealand, two people die from MND, and two more are diagnosed. On average, people have just two to three years between diagnosis and death.

There’s no cure. No meaningful treatments. And no time to waste.

That’s why this June, we’re inviting people across the motu to take action. Host a Cuppa Tea for MND ☕. Take on the MND Ice Bucket Challenge 🧊. Or do both.

Whether you tip a bucket or pour a brew, every action helps make time count.

Why MND Action Month matters

MND Action Month is our opportunity to bring motor neurone disease into the national conscience — and into everyday conversations across Aotearoa.

It’s a time to raise visibility, spark understanding, and remind people that behind every diagnosis is a person. A whānau. A community.

More than 400 New Zealanders are living with MND right now. Many face rapidly changing needs, long waits for essential equipment, and systems that struggle to keep pace with a fast‑moving disease.

MND Action Month helps us shine a light on these realities — and build the support, advocacy, and momentum needed to change them.

Make time count

When there’s no cure, time becomes one of the most precious — and precarious — resources.

People living with MND often face:

• delays accessing vital equipment and support
• high out‑of‑pocket costs for basic needs
• physical, emotional, and financial strain on carers and family members

At Motor Neurone Disease NZ, we work alongside people affected by MND to help ease these pressures. We provide personalised support, advocate for timely access to services, and fund research that brings us closer to answers.

Your support during MND Action Month helps us meet people where they are — and make the most of the time they have.

Three ways to take part

1. Host a Cuppa Tea for MND ☕

Bring people together over a cuppa — at home, at work, at school, or in your community — and ask for a donation to support people living with MND.

It can be as simple as a morning tea in the staff room or something more elaborate like a high tea. Every conversation helps raise awareness, and every cuppa poured helps make time count.

2. Take on the MND Ice Bucket Challenge 🧊

Tip a bucket. Start a conversation.
The Ice Bucket Challenge is a bold, visible way to stop people scrolling and start talking about a disease that doesn’t wait.

Nominate a friend, colleague, team leader, or community champion — and use the moment to share why MND Action Month matters to you.

3. Tip and Pour 💙

Why choose one when you can do both?

Combine a warm cuppa with a cold splash to double your impact. Tip a bucket, pour a brew, and show your support in every way that counts.

Get involved

Visit www.mndmonth.org.nz to:

• sign up
• download your fundraising toolkit
• find ideas, resources, and inspiration

If you’re sharing your action online, tag @MND_NZ and use the campaign hashtags: #MNDActionMonth | #TipOrPour | #MakeTimeCount | #IceBucketChallenge | #CuppaTeaforMND

Together, let’s tip a bucket, pour a brew, and make time count — for those we love, those we remember, and the people living with MND today.