Brodie is an innovative and creative 20-year-old from rural Christchurch who has autism and anxiety. He attends special needs school three days a week and the YMCA 4C Centre once a week. The 4C Centre has a range of physical and digital tools such as 3D printers, laser cutters, CNC machines, computers as well as a recording studio set up for video, music, podcasting and streaming. When at home and in the school holidays, Brodie spends time doing projects as his days at school

13-year-old Kobe’s happy place is the ocean. He lives close to the beach in Gisborne and loves to swim, boogie board and surf with his family – Mum, Dad, and younger sister and brother. Kobe is a healthy young man with Down Syndrome. Being in and by the ocean is a place where Kobe’s anxiety levels are reduced, and he feels a sense of calm. No matter the season, Kobe will be in the ocean! He is very interested in surfing – and the rest of his family can all surf. Kobe can catc

Introducing Jeanie, a musician and music teacher who, after losing her sight, has lost the ability to read print music. Jeanie, when she was partially sighted, studied and gained a Bachelor of Music majoring in theory and arranging and following this, completed a Diploma of Teaching. Since then, music arranging played a large part in Jeanie’s life, she arranged many popular tunes for groups of string students and also led a youth band and a junior music mentoring program at h

Stephon is a caring and humble man with a beautiful 14-month-old baby daughter. He suffers from a rare bone disease – Multiple Hereditary Exostoses, resulting in 35 surgeries. His love for his daughter, music and helping others keep Stephon going. Stephon experiences high levels of pain daily and occasional limited mobility. Multiple Hereditary Exostoses means Stephon has different sized bony growths as well as a buckled arm and bowed legs. This makes it both painful and frus

Introducing Noah Penny, the roller-skater and skier extraordinaire. Noah has severe autism, dyspraxia, epilepsy and is non-verbal – however he does not let this stop him!With amazing balance and a determined attitude, Noah has previously taken part in the Special Olympics. His passion is skiing, and he loves the sense of freedom it gives him. The season is very short, with only 6 Special Olympic training days at SnowPlanet each year as well as ‘Snow Camp’ - a preparation week

As we eagerly await the announcement of the winners of Fund for Good, we are excited to share some of the inspirational milestones that Manawanui Fund for Good previous recipient Emma is achieving. Emma is an extremely hard worker who loves to be outdoors enjoying life with her sisters and was a Fund for Good winner back in 2021. Supported by parents Cindy and Nathan and sisters Lily-Anne and Chloe, Emma has been working tirelessly on her daily therapy programme to improve he

As we eagerly await the announcement of the winners of Fund for Good, we are excited to share some of the incredible things that Manawanui Fund for Good previous recipients Bradley is doing. Bradley is a Southland Entrepreneur who received a Manawanui Fund for Good grant back in 2020. He loves to bake and launched his business Bradley’s K9 Munchies where he sells homemade dog treats online, across the country and locally in Invercargill. This business is important to Bradley

As we eagerly await the announcement of the winners of Fund for Good, we are excited to share some of the incredible things that previous Manawanui Fund for Good recipient Connor is doing.  Connor is a motoring enthusiast who loves trucks and heavy vehicles. He received a Fund for Good grant in 2018 which helped him get his class-4 truck license.  Growing up while being on the Autism Spectrum, Connor struggled to complete qualifications at school and felt let down by the educ

Alex is a happy and outgoing 9-year-old boy with Angelman Syndrome which means he is unable to walk long distances independently. This can be quite frustrating when you want to keep up with your brother and join in with family adventures outside. While Alex does use a wheelchair, it limits him to short trips to places with smooth flat surfaces.   With the help of the Fund for Good, Alex now has a new all-terrain stroller that is able to travel over woodchips, gravel and grass

Emma loves to do whatever her big sisters are doing, and she’s on a mission to do just that in her new Corzino X Country Stroller with the help of the Fund For Good grant. Emma lives with her parents Cindy and Nathan, and big sisters Lily-Anne and Chloe. Together as a family they’ve worked tirelessly over the last 3.5 years helping Emma with her daily therapy programme. Emma has done so well she is now crawling, sitting independently, rolling, learning to pick things up, supp