Connect 10

Golden Retriever, Luna the therapy dog is now a regular member in one of our Tuesday programmes at the Champion Centre. She is proving to be very popular with children, caregivers and staff. 

Luna's owner/trainer, Martina, is a speech and language therapy student. When she approached the Centre to see if we were interested in having Luna join one of our programmes we were very excited. After checking with all families we said a big 'yes'! Luna is currently training with the KURI dog training centre. 

Luna plays an important role in sessions. She can be a calming presence, as well as helping to motivate children in their activities. She's also a lot of fun. 

Gifted All Blacks memorabilia hits the mark

When we were donated an awesome 'signed 2007 All Blacks jersey' recently, we wanted to make sure we scored 'big time'. Luckily, a call to former All Blacks captain, Reuben Thorne, to help promote it, meant our jersey auction reached an audience far and wide.

With Jonty, one of our champions, joining Reuben in a photoshoot, we knew we were on to

a winner!

Huge numbers supported the social media post and the auction attracted lots of interest. A successful bid of $2,110 won this iconic piece of NZ history.

Special thanks to our donor, to Reuben and Jonty, and to all our Champion community for making this such an exciting way to raise both funds, and awareness, to realise the potential of every young kiwi.

Welcoming kirsten aumua

We are pleased to introduce Kirsten Aumua, who has recently joined the Champion Centre as our Kaiwhakapuāwai in the Family Support Team. Kirsten is Ngāi Tahu and has a background in social services and education. She is mother to two adult tamariki (children) and taua (nana) to her mokopuna.

​Kirsten’s role is to support whānau, walking alongside them on their journey at the Champion Centre. Kirsten primarily supports Māori and Pacific Island whānau, as well as other families.

As part of the team, Kirsten is available to support whānau to access community resources/services and provide support at specialist appointments, if required.

Kirsten is passionate about sharing her knowledge of Te Reo Māori (Māori language) and Tikanga Māori (culture and customs), whilst pursuing her own Te Ao Māori journey.’ Kirsten is working within most of the centre programmes, so if you see her around the Centre feel free to say ‘Kia Ora’.

‘Poipoia te kākano kia puāwai’ – Nurture the seed and it will blossom.

Callum's perceptive eye

Callum loves calendars (and dates in general), brown seagulls, rainbows, music and capturing photographs of the world around him. Callum is 22 years old, lives in Christchurch and is on the autism spectrum. He is a graduate of The Champion Centre and both he and his whānau hold this place close in their hearts.

Callum is an avid photographer and his photos are an expression of who he is and what he loves. They give us a glimpse into how he sees the world. He loves taking photos of sunrises and sunsets, as he says, ‘they are what music looks like’.

After leaving school, Callum set up his own business, The Offbeat Lens. He plans to use his

photographs to create prints, calendars and art pieces. 

For Callum’s whānau, the Centre is more than an early intervention provider, it is a place that provides connection, and the people who work there give their all to ‘hold space’ for the children and their whānau. Callum is kindly donating 50% of profits from the sale of his cards to the Champion Centre. Packs of cards are available at the Centre or here on Trade Me

Sign language sessions are a hit

Liz Townshend works as a Communication Facilitator at the Champion Centre. With her husband James, she recently ran Sign Language sessions for caregivers, early childhood and Champion Centre staff. These packed sessions were both interactive and practical; geared towards beginner and intermediate learners. James and Liz discussed how to include features of Sign Language into songs and books as well as how to integrate visual communication into everyday interactions. 

Feedback from the sessions has been fantastic, and Liz and James were delighted to have such enthusiastic participants!

James' first language is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) and he is well-respected in the field of Deaf Education. Liz and James have raised their daughter with Down syndrome in both English and NZSL.