Your Way l Kia Roha

Fakafetai and welcome to Tuvalu Language Week! 🌺

This week marks Vaiaso o te 'Gana Tuvalu – Tuvalu Language Week, part of the 2026 Pacific Language Weeks.

📅 27 September – 3 October 2026

The 2026 theme is:
"Tuvalu, alofa ki tou fakavae, kae teugina tou iloga i tau kete fai malaga."
"Tuvalu, cherish your foundation, and carry your identity along your journey."

This year's theme is a reminder of the importance of language, culture and identity, and of carrying these connections with us throughout our lives.

Tuvalu Language Week is an opportunity to recognise and celebrate te 'Gana Tuvalu, and the language, culture and heritage of Tuvalu communities across Aotearoa.

🔗 To learn more and explore resources, visit the Ministry for Pacific Peoples: https://www.mpp.govt.nz/programmes-and-funding/pacific-languages/pacific-language-weeks/tuvalu-language-week/

🗳️ Accessible election information is now available

The Electoral Commission has brought accessible election resources together in one place, making it easier to find information about enrolling and voting.

Resources are available in a range of accessible formats, including:
🔹 Audio
🔹 Braille
🔹 Easy Read
🔹 Large Print
🔹 New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL)

Find accessible election information here: 👉 https://vote.nz/2026-general-election/resources/information-in-accessible-format

⏰ Daylight Saving Reminder – Sunday 27 September 2026 ⏰

At 2:00 am, don’t forget to set your clocks forward 1 hour!

🔥 Fire and Emergency New Zealand recommends testing your smoke alarms every daylight saving. Check out more tips here: www.escapemyhouse.co.nz/sorted

Daylight saving is also a great time to check if you can hear your smoke alarms, with or without hearing aids. You may qualify for government funding for specialised smoke alarm systems.

Hearing Therapists with Your Way | Kia Roha can assess your needs and help you access this equipment. Our service is free, independent, and here to support you with your individual hearing needs.

Visit here for more information: https://yourwaykiaroha.nz/hearing

On Friday 25 September, there is a planned system outage for Connections & Funding. This will impact people and teams in Hutt, Otago, Taranaki, Tairāwhiti and Whanganui. It means we will be unable to process or check information.

We are hopeful that this system outage will be completed by the end of Monday 28 September at the very latest.

Research opportunity: disabled parents' experiences of postnatal care

Are you disabled and have had a pēpi | baby in the last two years? Did you receive postnatal care from a Lead Maternity Carer (LMC) midwife?

Researchers want to hear from you.

Birthing Whānau: Experiences and Expectations of Postnatal LMC Midwifery Care in Aotearoa is a study by Ara Institute of Canterbury, Otago Polytechnic, the University of Waikato, the New Zealand College of Midwives, and a team of independent lived experience researchers and midwives. It's one of the first studies in Aotearoa's perinatal sector to intentionally seek out the experiences of disabled whānau, with accessibility and participant choice built in from the start.

You may be eligible if you:
• Identify as disabled, tangata whaikaha, Deaf, neurodivergent, chronically ill, or have another access need
• Had a baby within the last two years
• Received postnatal care from an LMC midwife in Aotearoa

Ways to take part:
Online, in-person, or wānanga-based interviews; written responses; voice messages; asynchronous participation; NZSL interpreters and other supports available on request.

Interested? Register here: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/MNtb5cZQHT

Please feel free to share with disabled parents, whānau, and communities who may want to take part.

🧠 MS Awareness Week – 14 to 20 September 2026 🎗️

Each year, Multiple Sclerosis New Zealand (MSNZ) runs a nationwide campaign to raise awareness of MS - a chronic condition affecting more than 5,000 people across Aotearoa.
This year's campaign, Time Matters in MS, is in its third year focusing on one simple but powerful message: recognising the early symptoms of MS and the importance of a timely diagnosis. ⏳

The campaign is about empowering people with knowledge - helping the public and health professionals alike recognise the signs earlier, take action sooner, and support people to live well with MS. 💪

📖 Every experience of MS is different. Real stories from real people show just how much early recognition, diagnosis, treatment and support can matter.

🔗 Read this year's stories and find out how to get involved:

Time Matters in MS — MS Awareness Week 2026 Know the Signs. Change the Story. Learn about early MS symptoms, hear real stories from people living with MS in Aotearoa, and add your voice to the community wall.

🌟 Calling Deaf entrepreneurs!

Dreaming of being self-employed? CCS Disability Action's My Business Starter Programme is back for Programme 16, starting Tuesday 29 September 2026.

NZSL interpreters will be attending, making it fully accessible for Deaf budding business owners.

Over nine weekly Zoom sessions (Tuesdays, 6:30–8:00pm), you'll walk away with:
✅ A short business plan
✅ Guidance on your product/service, finance, marketing and getting started
✅ Clarity on whether to “Do it or Drop it!”

You'll also get one year's membership to the Disability Business Network - connecting you with other disabled business owners across Aotearoa.

If you or someone in your whānau has a business idea, get in touch with CCS Disability Action to find out more:

📖 For more info or to register, contact programme coordinator Hamidah:
📧 [email protected]
📱 027 213 1820 (text or call)

🔬 Kia ora whānau! A Massey University researcher is looking to connect with parents of adults with developmental disabilities for a study on lifelong caregiving and psychological flexibility. 💛

If this sounds like something you'd be interested in- have a look.

Kōrero for Change: Total Mobility Scheme & Cost of Living Crisis 🚕♿

Access Matters Aotearoa is hosting the first webinar in their Kōrero for Change series, looking at how changes to the Total Mobility Scheme- alongside the cost-of-living crisis- are impacting disabled people across Aotearoa New Zealand.

The kōrero brings together disabled people, transport providers, policymakers and service organisations to talk through the real impacts on employment, healthcare access, and social connection, and to explore what a better Total Mobility Scheme could look like.
Guest speakers include Warren Quirke (Small Passenger Service Association) and Nick Ruane (Workbridge), with more panellists to be announced.

📅 Wednesday 16 September 2026
⏰ 9:00am - 11:00am
🌐 Via Zoom

Register now to secure your spot and receive access details straight to your inbox.

👉 Register here:

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Total Mobility Scheme & Cost of Living Crisis. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar. Welcome to the Kōrero for Change webinar series! Access Matters Aotearoa is facilitating courageous conversations about ableism in key areas of life where individuals in Aotearoa New Zealand face disabling experiences. This webinar explores how changes to the Total Mobility Scheme (TMS) during a ...

Last week, we attended a Hauora Provider Hui hosted by our friends at Te Tiratū.

Our national Manager, April Johnson, shared about the mahi Your Way | Kia Roha does, including our Waikato-based Community Programmes. You can find a link to our Waikato Community Programmes in the comments. 👇

We were also excited to hear about Te Tiratū’s new Rangatahi Māori Hauora Leadership Programme. The programme will strengthen rangatahi Māori connection to hauora and bring insights from the next generation to help shape the future of Māori health.

Ngā mihi nui to Te Tiratū for having us. We really enjoyed hearing from the amazing providers who shared their mahi.