Strong Voices

James Normile, a youthful, 50-year-old Ngāti Porou man from the East Coast of Aotearoa, lives with an intellectual disability and receives full-time support from staff in an IDEA Services home. He is also a founding member of the Marlborough kapa haka roopu, Ngā Whaikaha Hinengaro o Wairau.

The 2024 festival was the biggest yet, with 26 roopū from Invercargill to the Far North coming together to showcase their kapa haka talents on the stage at Tākina Wellington Convention & Exhibition Centre.

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Nothing About Us Without Us is an exhibition to mark IHC’s 75th anniversary. It tells the story of IHC’s formation and evolution through remarkable photographic portraits, still-life images and archival material.

The success of IHC’s foray into big data with the 2023 publication of From Data to Dignity: Health and Wellbeing Indicators for New Zealanders with Intellectual Disability, has led the IHC Board to approve funding for six additional research projects.

Maureen Wood, a courageous, committed and intelligent leader in IHC and beyond, died in October. Ralph Jones, IHC Group Chief Executive, paid tribute.

IHC Chief Executive Ralph Jones retired at the end of 2024 after 33 years at IHC and more than two decades as Chief Executive.

2024’s AGM, held in Wellington on 1 November, was a special event. We celebrated 75 years of IHC with seven of our IHC New Zealand Life Members, and we named another three.

It's a Friday feast every week at the Kai Kitchen for locals looking to share food and company.

Despite facing one of the biggest tests of her life, dairy farmer Kaye Quinlan will be on the road again this winter raising money for families living with intellectual disability.

More than 370 volunteers from 26 IDEA Services areas are now signed up to serve their communities as part of the Student Volunteer Army (SVA) Service Award.