MISSION STATEMENT
Spinal Support NZ endeavours to empower and support people with a spinal cord injury or impairment (SCI) to optimise their health and well-being.
VISION
To educate and enable people with SCI and their whānau, to access the necessary supports and services to live well and have equal opportunities to participate in the social, economic and cultural life of the community.
VALUES
People-Centred
- We endeavour to understand, anticipate and respond to the needs and expectations of people with SCI
- We recognise and support the importance of whānau in the rehabilitation, development and ongoing wellness of those with SCI
- We provide information and resources to people in NZ with SCI.
Collaborative
- We provide a team of Peer volunteers and employees to share their experience and knowledge of SCI
- We are committed to honour and develop mutual relationships between the parties of Te Tiriti o Waitangi
- We consult and engage with relevant community and government organisations to deliver high quality services.
Integrity
- We safeguard the privacy of those we support and respect their culture, values and beliefs
- We uphold the highest standards and demonstrate responsible management of our available funds.
A brief history and introduction to Spinal Support NZ
Spinal Support NZ originally TASC was founded in 1991 by a group of high level spinal injured people. TASC gradually evolved into the present organization. Spinal Support NZ and became a registered charity in 2008 (CC23064) and has built up a vast network of volunteers. These volunteers have various experiences and are able to offer moral support, advice and information to patients in the Auckland Rehab Spinal Unit.
Spinal Support NZ covers the same geographical area as the Auckland Spinal Rehabilitation Unit, from New Plymouth, Taupo, across to the Eastern Bay of Plenty, up to Cape Reinga.
Spinal Support NZ is governed by a committee. They meet several times each year to advise and give direction to Society.
Office Staff
Hi, I am Georgia Cameron. My background for the past thirteen years was working for an organisation called ACC. I had multiple roles over these years, the last being working in Assisted Recovery. The best part of this role was being able to help my Community in hard times and explaining the following way forward to recovery/independence. My Passion in life is just to be able to help people; when someone is in a sticky situation, and we work together to problem solve, the joy on their face or in their voice as they know they have a better understanding of what is going on is just the best feeling.
I am very honoured to know to hold the position at Spinal Support as the Northern Regional Manager. I am sxcited to help get our newly funded pCommunity Peer Support programmeoff the ground and launched into our Community After hearing many stories about clients falling through the gaps, my goal is never to let this happen again no matter what level your injury or impairment is at. Please, if I can help in any way let me know, as I am here for you, and I would like to help you along your journey.
Mālō e Lelei,
Welcome to my story. I was born and raised in Tonga by my grandparents. I was born with dwarfism achondroplasia, a type of bone growth disorder due to genetic mutations cartilage does not convert into a bone during fetal development.
In 2007, I moved to ‘Aotearoa to be with my mother and sisters. Life was full of joy, happiness, and getting things ticked off my bucket list independently. I loved doing outdoor activities, church, and loved ones.
Fast forward to September 2014, my whole life changed. I had a spine operation (T11, L1) to straighten the bone, causing back pain and being unable to sit alone for a long time unless I was leaning on an object for support. The operation left me paralyzed from my waist down, which left the surgeon team in awe as they didn’t know what had caused me to lose my sensation and strength after surgery. 7 years later, I had another operation on the spine. It was from T1-T10 to expand the bones due to it becoming smaller and can cause more pain for long-term periods.
It was March 21st, 2007, and I lay motionless in the ICU at Auckland Hospital, staring at the plain white ceiling above. A fall just hours earlier onto a marble floor had caused multiple spinal fractures and what would later be categorised as a C6 incomplete spinal cord injury. While our spinal cord impairment (SCI) stories are different, I think it’s safe to say we all remember the moment we realised our lives had changed forever.
One of my most challenging afflictions following my accident has been severe chronic pain. It has been a long and often difficult process of cultivating resilience, acceptance, and gratitude to move forward, even in the presence of pain. Because of this, I am keenly interested in and passionate about minimising pain's impact on somebody’s life. As the Dalai Lama said - “pain is inevitable; suffering is optional.”
I used to play several sports before my injury, and trying to find something to fill that void eventually led me to sail. Sailing is such a great sport for those with a disability. There are a few gadgets to make it
Some Committee Members
Brendan Tourelle has rejoined the Spinal Support NZ committee as our President. He was previously a member starting in 2000 after a ladder fall in 1999 left him a T4 Para. He is also on the Sailability Auckland Committee, among many others. Brendan is a very keen sailor. Over the years, he has instructed many people living with a disability on the skills they need to learn to sail; many started their sport in the Sailing Simulator set up at the Spinal unit Gym. In 2012 he joined the Spinal Support NZ Art Class, which he really enjoys.
Dean has been involved with Spinal Support NZ since 2004; He won HNZ 2007 Open Garden award. He has been learning website design for some time and offered his help to develop our website.
Dean immigrated from the UK in 1990 and had an accident during a fight at home with a friend in 1997, making him a C4 Tetraplegic. He was a supervisor Gardner and volunteer fireman based at West Harbor, so he continued the need to be of some use. He is married to Eleanor and has 2 daughters,
Kia Orana, Ko toku ingoa Kramer Hoeflich.
I was born and raised in the beautiful Cook Islands on the island of Rarotonga till I was 15, and a spinal cord injury changed my life and brought me to New Zealand. During this time, I faced many challenges and overcame many barriers to become who I am today. This is where I found my passion for working alongside young people of all abilities, cultures and backgrounds, making a difference within the community. I wanted to be a Community Peer
I had a car accident near Taihape in April 1980 that resulted in paraplegia at T7/T8 level and dependent permanently on a wheelchair for mobility. Following my trauma, I was flown to Burwood spinal unit, Christchurch where I remained for eight or so weeks and then transferred to RNZAF Base Wigram for a short spell before moving to Auckland where I resided until 1995 moving back to my home town Ngongotaha where my wife and I purchased our home fully accessible for my needs.
I am aged 69 years, had my accident aged 27 years and have relied on a wheelchair and the life I endured for 42 years. I emphasise ‘endured’ because I’d be lying if I said I had coped with everything life has thrown at me. I’ve had my ‘ups and downs’ – still do and struggled on occasions believing that I have been hard done by BUT! At the end of the day what we do for