Season's Greetings from the HFNZ Team

For many Kiwis it's the opportunity for a break and to connect with friends and family that we look forward to at this time of year, however, it's important to remember that there are a number of other celebrations and religious festivals that go on across New Zealand and around the world. From the Buddhist Bohdi day, to the Jewish Hanukkah, the Islamic Milad un Nabi, the Hindu Pancha Ganapati, and the Christian Christmas, not to mention the good old secular summer holiday, there's plenty to love at this time of year.

At HFNZ we love this time of year as much as you do, and we'll be taking some time off to enjoy it too. That means the office will be closed from 2pm on December 22nd, and will reopen at 9am on January 4th. During this time you'll still be able to get hold of the duty Outreach Worker. Just call head office on 03 371 7477 and the answer-phone message will let you know who to call.

Whatever your reason for celebrating, the whole team here at HFNZ wish you all a happy, fun, and relaxing time this holiday season.

Nice Work Rorie!

Rorie Poff is one of our very enthusiastic HFNZ kids. He has severe haemophilia A, as well as cerebral palsy. In October Rorie attended the Junior Disability Games in Auckland. He competed in swimming. While he was there he tried a lot of different sports and enjoyed trying wheelchair basketball and rugby. This is a yearly event and Rorie is hoping to continue competing in swimming and other activities.

It's great to see our young people getting out and trying hard at the things they enjoy. Well done Rorie!

Host a French Family...

Our colleagues at the French Hemophilia Society (AFH) have advised us of a very special project being undertaken by one of their volunteer families.

Jean-Michel, Maika, and their son Sohan are traveling through Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia, New Zealand, Peru, and Ecuador over the course of six months. They plan to share daily life experiences, problems, ways of life, and culture living with multiple sclerosis and/or haemophilia. They want to meet people from local haemophilia organisations and help them in any way possible. That means joining in on any events that may be happening while they're about, or helping out in the local community.

They want to spread awareness of both haemophilia and multiple sclerosis, bring hope and positivity to the people they encounter, and create a blog to highlight the different challenges faced by members and organisations around the world.

They'll be in NZ sometime in late April to early May 2018. If you'd like to be in contact with them, to share your experiences, have them involved in an event with your group or whānau, or give them a place to stay, contact Karen at karen@haemophilia.org.nz to find out more.

HFNZ Shout Out…

HFNZ would like to take the opportunity to shout out to Quality Hotel Parnell, who continue to be very generous supporters of our programmes. We have run events at the Quality Hotel Parnell, and they are always happy to go the extra mile to make things work for us.

If you’re heading to Auckland, please consider Quality Hotel Parnell for your accommodation needs. You can find out more about this great venue here: http://www.theparnell.co.nz/

Keep your eyes peeled for...

2018 WFH World Congress

Remember, WFH World Congress next year is in beautiful Glasgow, Scotland. This is always a fantastic event, and a great way to meeting worldwide community members, and learn more about what's happening with bleeding disorder treatment and care.

If you're interested in info about getting yourself to Congress, drop Karen a line at karen@haemophilia.org.nz

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Piritoto Summer Noho

The Piritoto whānau are putting together a bit of fun in the sun, and they're looking at doing it away from their traditional Rotorua location. This noho is set for Feb 16 - 18 at the Kokiri Centre in Whaingaroa, Raglan. The kaupapa, or theme, is Para Kore, Zero Waste. We will be learning techniques and tools to take home and implement to help Papatūānuku in keeping with our Hau Ora Health model, Te Pae Mahutonga.

This will also be a fantastic opportunity to mix and mingle with some of the Piritoto crew, and to learn more about how haemophilia impacts on te tangata whenua.

For more info, or to register your interest, contact Karen at karen@haemophilia.org.nz

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Regional Children's Workshops

In 2018 we'll be running a series of Regional Children's Workshops in each of our four regions. We're looking at doing the Central and Midland workshops in the first and second week of the April school holidays respectively, and the Northern and Southern workshops in the first and second weeks of the July school holidays respectively.

Alongside the Children's Workshops, we'll also be providing the opportunity for parents and Outreach Workers to touch base while the children are enjoying the workshop. The idea would be for parents to drop their kids off, then head off to meet up for an hour or two, before going about their day until the workshop is finished.

Dates and venues:

Central - Wellington, Tuesday April 17
Midland - tba, Tuesday April 24
Northern - Auckland, Tuesday July 10
Southern - Christchurch, Tuesday July 17

More details as they become available...

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2018 Women's Weekend

Later in 2018 we're also looking at running a Women's Weekend. Following the success of previous women's events, we know how valuable, and rare, these opportunities are. Again, details are very thin on the ground, but we're currently looking September 8 & 9 in Wellington.

Keep your eye out for more details...

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For any of our events you can contact h ead office at any time to register your interest.