Centre of Movement opens two NZ clinics for Kiwi kids with neurological disorders
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
If you build it, they will come.
This idea has certainly played out for the Centre of Movement (CoM) founders Stephen and Emily Pennisi who recently opened their first New Zealand clinics in Rotorua and Christchurch, in June and October respectively last year.
Demand for their Intensive Therapy Programme for children with neurological conditions and brain injuries already existed here but has quickly increased following the arrival of the permanent facilities.
The two NZ centres are an expansion of their offering, which started with the original CoM being established on the Gold Coast in 2019.
However, the CoM’s story starts much earlier – in the Far North about 15 years ago.
Emily, who is a trained occupational therapist, was working in a stroke rehabilitation unit at Whangārei Hospital and saw a gap in care for children, particularly babies.
“Adults with strokes were getting access to 12-week inpatient rehab programmes, from being in the intensive care unit all the way through to their rehabilitation stay. Then home visits and training the family for their care and mobility.
“They were just making such amazing progress,” she says.
“But then I saw babies with the same brain injuries, such as strokes, were getting sent home with no programme and no follow-up and would then come back into the hospital for their outpatient appointments. It just hurt too much.”
Emily later returned home to Australia, but this experience had left a mark.
It inspired Emily to launch the first CoM with her husband Stephen, who is a clinical exercise physiologist, supported by funding available through Australia's National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
An important point-of-difference has always been their intensive therapy. CoM's programme offers structured, one to three-week options, where children engage in daily sessions aimed at mastering essential motor skills such as rolling, sitting, crawling and walking.
By focusing on frequent repetitions within a condensed timeframe, the CoM therapists leverage the principles of neuroplasticity to foster significant improvements in functional movement.
Techniques include the TheraSuit Method, Therstogs, Dynamic Movement Intervention (DMI), Functional Gait training and the Trexo Robotic Walker.
Consequently, children at the CoM are able to make breakthroughs in their movement that had previously been thought of as unattainable.
Demand for its therapy was massive, not just in Australia but also NZ. And it wasn’t long before Kiwi families began contacting the clinic and travelling to the Gold Coast, often bringing extended family with them.
“Eventually, we had hundreds of families from NZ coming over,” Emily says.
This includes Christchurch girl and Manawanui client Kiara Milner, who has made significant breakthroughs at the CoM. You can read about Kiara here.
However, accessing therapy in Australia for Kiwi kids came with the added expense of the travel and accommodation. Not to mention a lot of children had conditions that were too medically complex to be able to travel.
So demand for the CoM from Kiwi families and the logistics they faced in accessing trans-Tasman care led Emily and Stephen to bring it to NZ, which also brought Emily’s journey full circle.
The first step was a series of temporary, pop-up CoM clinics here to reach families where there was a need for their services.
“We ran our first pop-up therapy in Rotorua in 2023. We flew equipment and our Australian staff over, who combined with staff we already had here in NZ.”
Unsurprisingly, there was a large waiting list.
“We were able to provide therapy to 14 Kiwi families at the first pop-up; they were the first to have CoM intensive therapy here in New Zealand,” Emily says.
A second pop-up in Christchurch followed the next year, confirming demand across both islands and leading to permanent clinics being set up in each location.
“We knew some of our children weren't able to fly between the islands, so rather than just building one major clinic in NZ, we wanted to make it more accessible with two central locations so it was drivable.
“As we know, when children with complex medical histories travel, they must bring all the equipment and supplies essential for daily living, which can make travel significantly more challenging and logistically demanding.”
The NZ CoM clinics are a similar size with a multidisciplinary team at each site.
The Rotorua clinic is a former childcare centre that was repurposed and refitted. The team there has access to the Polynesian Spa so that after their therapy children are able bath in the local geothermal waters for recovery.
Also, there's the Ronald McDonald Family Retreat on Lake Rotorua that offers families visiting the CoM one week of free accommodation when approved.
The Christchurch clinic has access to a brand-new aqua centre that is designed specifically for children and adults living with various disabilities and sensory needs. Also, it’s in the city centre making it super accessible for families there.
“Our permanent centres allow children to access consistent, ongoing therapy. Previously, we were limited by pop-up capacity and unable to offer regular sessions,” Emily says.
“Our Intensive Therapy Programme is delivered at the clinics by a multidisciplinary team comprising occupational therapists, physiotherapists, exercise physiologists, and speech pathologists.”
A defining part of the CoM model is the use of specialised equipment designed to support movement and functional independence as well as assist with posture, strength and sensory feedback.
CoM clinical exercise physiologist Nicole Adamson says the Trexo Robotic Walker provides robotic-assisted gait training with a level of precision that cannot be replicated by manual gait training.
This new and exciting piece of technology has been a big drawcard for all locations, she says.
“Essentially, it’s a robotic-assisted aid, and currently the only one in NZ being used in a clinical setting. The wearable robotic legs are specifically designed to mount onto a Rifton Dynamic Pacer Gait Trainer.”
The CoM team also utilises other exciting technologies and modalities, including whole body vibration therapy, Task Specific Electrical Stimulation, functional electrical stimulation, rezzimax and neurostim.
“Throughout our sessions, we use the universal exercise unit, also known as the spider cage. It’s a bungee cord system that helps give children extra support, reduce some of the gravity and provide them feedback.
“This allows for safer engagement of strength and conditioning exercises throughout sessions,” Nicole adds.
Different types of therapeutic suits and garments are also used across the clinics, including the TheraSuit, TheraTogs and Spio suits. These provide proprioceptive feedback and increased postural support and trunk alignment.
Plus the CoM uses orthotic sandals, also known as “My First Walkers”, which give children a lot more freedom of movement than they would typically have in an AFO (Ankle-Foot Orthosis) brace, but offer increased support and ankle stability compared to a standard sandal/shoe.
The CoM conducts regular objective assessments to evaluate the children's progress, both within intensive therapy blocks and longitudinally between programmes.
“Therapy is tailored to the individual child, taking into account their presentation, goals and current level of function. Typically, assessments are completed at the commencement and conclusion of an intensive programme to accurately measure and monitor change,” Nicole says.
“Regular reassessment enables the team to track progress over time, identify areas requiring further intervention and ensure ongoing, targeted support for children and their families as they work towards their goals.”
Families are already travelling from across NZ to access the new CoM Rotorua and Christchurch clinics, with awareness continuing to grow through community networks.
“Most of the families that know we're here have either been to Australia previously or heard about us by word-of-mouth from families who have visited us, or they've seen us on social media.”
Further centres are planned as the CoM continues to extend its reach, with a three-week pop-up planned for Wellington in June, with one, two and three-week programmes available.
The CoM team is also heading to Dunedin in July for a two-week intensive pop-up clinic.
“We're always looking at reducing some of the barriers associated with travelling to our permanent locations and being able to reach more families across the country,” Nicole says.
She adds, “If there is a community that is interested in a CoM pop-up coming to them, we are keen to make it happen.”
