Gisborne East Coast covers the area in the north from Opotiki to Wairoa in the south.

If you are living in the Gisborne East Coast area and would like to know more about events and activites coming up in your region. Please call us toll free 0508 236 236 or email national@parent2parent.org.nz

Finding Help
We can provide up to date written information on your child or family members condition or issue in easy to understand language. This information can range from the initial diagnosis to starting school, leaving school and beyond.

Our matching service enables you to speak with a trained volunteer Support Parent who has a child with a similar condition, or has been in a similar situation as you. The Support Parent will make contact with you by telephone as they my not live in the same town as you, their experiences maybe a valuable source of information.

Training and Support
Parents sometimes want to share experiences and be supported from others who have had the same or similar experience to their own. They feel comforted when they can connect with someone else who understands their situation. Our Parent to Parent development courses provide an environment where parents can discover an awareness of their personal journey, develop their communication skills, review the resources available within the disability sector and feel accepted for who they are.

Personal Support , Support Parent Training and Navigating the System. There is a course to suit everyone. All courses are free of charge to any parent who has a child with a disability, health impairment or special need and who is interested in learning more for themselves, to support others and to refresh their skills.

The relationship a sibling has with their disabled brother or sister is one that is diverse. Our 2nd Generation Programme looks at the role siblings have in advancing a good life for their brother or sister as they get older.

Parent to Parent New Zealands Advocacy Support Course is for parents, family/whanau members, and those who work in the disability sector. Learning advocacy support skills helps make stronger self advocates as well as providing important skills for helping others. This course offers the chance for parents and support workers to work along side each other, learning together to improve relationships."

Sibling Support

This programme provides non-disabled siblings aged from eight to eighteen years with a opportunity which assists them to cope with the challenges and stresses of living with a brother or sister who has a disability or special need.

 - Weekend Programme:

Siblings are divided, according to age, into groups for formal  sessions.  facilitators are siblings themselves and are able to offer empathy, individual support and an emotionally safe environment for the young people. A variety of recreational activities are also part of the weekend. The recreational experience is fun and rewarding, and promotes informal sharing, with friendships continuing long after the weekend camp.

 Day Programme:

This is a busy interactive day for siblings. Issues are discussed and feelings shared in a  interspersed with team building games, theatre sports and lots of fun. The young people are supported by facilitators and leaders who also have brothers and sisters with special needs.