investigating the MND molecular crime scene

In August, Dr Natalie Gauld, MND NZ’s Research Advisor travelled to Melbourne to attend the Australia and New Zealand MND Research Symposium.   Here, she shares her insights and highlights from the conference.   The Australia and New Zealand MND Research Symposium was a two-day jam-packed series of presentations by clever people working hard to find the … Read more

Karuna Cuppa Tea for MND

Meet Karuna, an inspiration with a ready smile showing us that #nothingisordinary. Despite the rapid progression of motor neurone disease, Karuna’s grace, humour, and positivity shine through. Supported by his loving children, Dee and Kriv, Karuna continues to embrace life with the help of remarkable technology like his iPad, which allows him to stay connected … Read more

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

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

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

New Support Advisor Appointed

We are delighted to let you know that Sarah Mathieson has joined our team as Support Advisor covering the Te Whatu Ora Southern district, starting from 2 September.  Sarah is an enrolled nurse and has worked in the acute hospital, hospice and residential care settings as well as in community teams. Sarah has lived in … Read more

Als Poetry

Hi, I’m Paul Kelly, a 32-year-old Tasmanian who has been living with motor neurone disease (MND) for the past nine years. I’m excited to announce a special project close to my heart: a poetry collection titled 100 Poems From People Affected by ALS. This anthology will bring together poems from those directly impacted by MND—whether … Read more