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About Recreate NZ

Recreate NZ is a unique and innovative registered Charitable Trust established in 2002 in Auckland / Tāmaki Makaurau.

Our story

Empowering Young People with Disabilities

Recreate NZ is committed to enhancing the intellectual, social, emotional and physical development, and the independence of young people with intellectual disabilities.

Our main kaupapa is to serve our amazing community of young people with disabilities, and to act as a valuable support network to their whānau. We currently deliver over 5,500 opportunities across a range of 600 adventure, recreation, social, education and work-skills programmes in the Auckland, Waikato, Wellington, Bay of Plenty and Christchurch regions each year.

Our values

Recreate Values

We believe in fostering a safe, inclusive and positive environment to enable personal development opportunities for young people on our programmes.

Personal Growth

Recreate NZ focuses on experiential learning and meaningful personal growth opportunities for young people with disabilities.

Youth Leading Youth

Young people are supported by age-appropriate facilitators and volunteers. We encourage volunteerism, providing leadership skills and inspiring young people to engage in community-based initiatives.

Challenge

We follow social and rights-based models to challenge the status quo. We work to identify and remove barriers to enable full participation in society.

Social

All our programmes are group-based, where age-appropriate socialisation is a key factor for developing friendships.

Healthy Wellbeing

We foster healthy lifestyles including good food choices, being active and encouraging positive social relationships.

Self-determination

We are strengths-based and person-centred to encourage autonomy, where young people can make positive decisions for themselves.

Whānau

We support parents, caregivers, and whānau by offering valuable respite resulting in stronger and more connected communities.

Two participants are pictured smiling for a photo on a bridge surrounded by foliage. One is holding a cup of food to feed birds.
Inclusive Programmes

Community Inclusion

When disability is not viewed positively, it puts disabled people at high risk of social exclusion. Recreate NZ programmes and events are inclusive, utilising mainstream venues and activity providers, teaching the community to be more thoughtful about individual capabilities, and increasing acceptance of functional diversity in society.

Participants develop skills and connections on our programmes that enable greater community contribution, and at the same time barriers are broken down, creating more accessibility. Positive experiences promote achievement and elicit responses in other areas of life such as, further education, independent living, employment opportunities, increased socialisation and an active role in community life.

Our Team

The Recreate NZ Team

Recreate NZ is run by a team of dedicated staff who all bring different skills, interests and personalities to the table. Our Programme Coordinators are very talented in designing, organising and facilitating our programmes, while our operations team busily works behind the scenes in all things planning, fundraising, supporting and accounting.

Our team is driven to make the most engaging, fun, rewarding and safe programmes for our communities across the motu.

Brent Jenkin
General Manager
Sheridan Jackson Gouldstone
National Programmes Coordinator
Matt Alpe
Marketing and Communications Coordinator
Sarah Ferens
Head of Moxie
Emma Mudgway
Office Manager and Onboarding Coordinator
Kiralee Cooke
Lead Programme Coordinator
Lorna Browne
Programme Coordinator
Katie Burson
Funding Officer
Josephine McLeay
Moxie Employer Liaison and Accounts Lead
Rishikesh Venu
Accounts Officer
Jess Drumm
Programme Coordinator
Alex Saunders
Programme Coordinator
Ella Speight
ADSA Programme Coordinator
Kyle Ruby
Programme Coordinator
Cayleigh Torckler
Programme Facilitator
Alfie Ting
Programme Coordinator
Jess Protheroe
Horticulture Programme Leader
Mitchell Hartnett-Newlands
Horticulture Leader and Vehicle Valet
Nicholas Leggat
Vehicle Valet
Imogen Dobbs
Head Office Cleaner
William Eady
Head Office Cleaner
Sophie McLaughlan
Lead Programme Coordinator
Adam Barrett
Lead Programme Coordinator
Lou Swan
Programme Coordinator
Taylor Clarke
Programme Coordinator
Earl Fisher
Vehicle Valet
Ella Law
Lead Programme Coordinator
Jack Stewart-Ward
Programme Coordinator
Lily Wheeler
Programme Coordinator and Funding Officer
Samantha Waite
Programme Coordinator
Charlotte Hamilton
Programme Coordinator
Aron Harris
Office Cleaner
Sarah Stokes
Lead Programme Coordinator
Abbey Robinson
Programme Coordinator
Brandon Entwistle
Lead Programme Coordinator

Volunteer With Us

Interested in helping empower young people with disabilities?

Volunteer with us

Board of Trustees

Recreate NZ's volunteer Board of Trustees is made up of experienced leaders from the not-for-profit, corporate and education sectors, dedicated to expanding our mission of life-changing experiences for youth with disabilities.

Rob Byrne
Chair

As Chair, Rob brings over a decade of experience in creative leadership and marketing to Recreate NZ and has collaborated on campaigns for major national and international not-for-profits. His approach centres on creative problem-solving and strategic design, always putting his audiences first. Deeply committed to community service, Rob has volunteered in various governance roles and has worked with Recreate as a volunteer, employee and board member for over 15 years.

Sue Small
Secretary

Sue is passionate about supporting the extraordinary work of Recreate staff in positively changing the lives of our young people.

Carol Chouhfeh
Trustee

Carol was Recreates founding Chairperson and is now enjoying the journey as a regular Trustee.

John Houston
Trustee

John is self-employed as an Education Consultant and is member of the New Appointments National Panel (appointed by the Minister of Education).

Helen Cussell
Trustee

Committed to seeing the disability sector maximise all of the financial opportunities available, Chartered Accountant Helen has recently joined Recreate as treasurer.

Dean Duckmanton
Trustee

A proud supporter of the disability sector, Dean hopes to add value to Recreate NZ with experiences in Government, Business & Construction wherever possible

Lachie McNae
Treasurer

Lachie originally hails from Nelson, South Island, and has recently graduated from the University of Auckland. Lachie was our National Accounts officer, and he has stayed on as Treasurer alongside his employment at Deloitte.

Youth Board

Recreate NZ highly values the input and contributions by our Youth Board. Established during the time of covid and lockdowns, our youth board is made up of young people who are a part of our community and attend our programmes regularly.

We have seen Youth Board members become more confident, visible and vocal on programmes. As a youth-focussed organisation, we have enjoyed the opportunity to include our young leaders in decision-making to make Recreate relevant, inclusive and enjoyable.

Megan Young
Chairperson

Jaimee Henshaw
Board Member

Liam Smith
Board Liaison Officer

Amber Rimmer
Board Member

Jeffrey MacLean
Board Member

Claire Wallace
Board Member

Ethan Hamilton-Currey
Board Member

Eirinn Moore
Board Member

Caitlin Fleming
Board Member

Earl Fisher
Deputy Chairperson

Aimee Bell
Board Member

Charlotte Aroa
Board Member

Nick Johnson
Board Member

FAQs

If you still have questions requiring answers, hopefully we have you covered here!

How do I register as a participant for Recreate NZ programmes?

Our participant guidelines are a great starting point, as Recreate NZ programmes have been designed to meet the needs of young people with disabilities or neurodiversity, and who have mild to moderate support needs.

Progressing from there, we request that a registration form is completed by the parent/caregiver. Someone from our team will then book an in-person meeting with you, and if all goes well, we can then look at booking half day or single day programmes, and finally overnight programmes.

How do I pay for programmes?

Payment for the whole programme can be made using Carer Support and various forms of Individualised Funding. If your young person does not have access to Carer Support or Individualised Funding, and you think you may be eligible, please get in touch with us at info@recreate.org.nz and we can have a chat.

If you do have access to those funding options, but they have been exhausted, cash payments are still accepted.

How do I make a booking request?

If you have completed the registration process, you are now ready to make booking requests for programmes in your region!

To make a booking request click on your region in the navigation bar and scroll down to our programmes. Have a look through and select the programmes that appeal to you and your whānau. The frequency is up to you, it could be a little or it could be a lot!

Our regional teams then get together and place people on programmes, ensuring that programmes are fairly distributed. We then send out booking confirmations via email. It is worth noting that many of our programmes have huge demand, so unfortunately you may not get on everything you request.

What if I can’t make the programme? What is your cancellation policy?

Please get in touch with our regional offices as soon as possible, so our teams can reach out to our waiting lists. Cancellation greater than 7 days notice has no fee attached, cancellation within 7 days (unless sickness) has 20% cancellation fee.

Do you provide 1:1 support work?

Every now and again we get asked if we can provide this service, however all our programmes are group-based with a ratio of 3 or 4 young people to 1 leader. See our participant guidelines for more information on who we can support.

If your young person requires 1:1 support they may still be able to attend certain Recreate programmes, accompanied by their own support person. Please get in touch with your regional branch to discuss the support needs of your young person.

When do you advertise Recreate NZ programmes?

We release our programmes on a termly basis (Term 1 / Summer, Term 2 / Autumn, Term 3 / Winter, Term 4 / Spring), typically a month before the school holiday period.

We inform our families of when our booking window is coming up through our newsletters and social media accounts. Our booking round will be open for one week, when everybody sends us their booking requests. Our teams then place people on programmes, followed by sending out booking confirmation emails.

You can still request programmes outside the booking window. Generally, our programmes will be full, but we will place you on the waiting list and get in touch if a spot opens up.

I like what Recreate is about, and I want to get involved as a volunteer. How can I do that?

Brilliant! Our programmes have great community involvement, and we love having volunteer support to create a fun, safe and engaging environment. If you are aged between 15-35 years, and you may have as little as one evening free every three months, we would love to hear from you! As part of onboarding with Recreate, all our volunteers are interviewed, police vetted, and are provided a great rundown of our programmes and values.

If this sounds like you, please email volunteering@recreate.org.nz.

I’m keen to intern at Recreate, how do I learn more?

Here at Recreate we have interns completing placements from local universities or from abroad. We’ve welcomed people from the U.S, Canada, Germany, Austria, China, Malaysia, Australia and more! Typically, our interns join us for anything from 6 weeks – 4 months and are mostly involved in supporting our staff and youth on our programmes. The majority of our interns are undertaking study in Sport and Recreation, Psychology or Youth Work.

To learn more email volunteering@recreate.org.nz.

How is Recreate NZ funded?

We are generously supported by an incredible group of national and local funders, including Foundation North, Simplicity Foundation, Lindsay Foundation, Lotteries, COGS, regional trusts and many more. With no funding from government agencies, we are constantly fundraising to top up the funds we receive programme payments.

Still have questions?

We're here to help — feel free to reach out!