Strong Voices

There aren’t too many corners of New Zealand that IHC’s Chief Executive Andrew Crisp hasn’t found himself in over the past nine months.

Visiting IHC houses, hubs and offices has given Andrew the opportunity to really get to know many of the people we support, their whānau and our staff.

“I’ve loved seeing people really engaged and connecting with others and doing things they enjoy,” he says.

“I’ve also been struck by the calibre of our frontline staff. They care deeply, they’re committed and they often do very challenging work.”

At the same time, Andrew says it’s clear that some of our properties need attention. “We need to be proud of every one of our homes – and that means upgrading or redeveloping a number of them.”

In the Hutt Valley, Andrew joined more than 200 people at the Glitz & Glam Dance. At Grey Street Studio in Hamilton, he met artists whose works tells powerful stories of identity, resilience and pride. In Christchurch, he helped celebrate the Student Volunteer Army Service Awards, recognising young people making a real difference in their communities.

Across the country, kapa haka groups have welcomed him with waiata and haka, grounding each visit in the warmth and strength of te ao Māori.

For Andrew, the most significant moments of his travels have been the times he’s been welcomed into people’s homes.

“That made the importance of what we do very real for me.”

There have been a few travel misadventures along the way too, including one particularly rough flight.

“The flight attendant said it was the worst she’d had in 15 years. We did get to Wellington but barely touched the tarmac before heading straight back to Christchurch.  

“On our second attempt, four hours later, lightning struck as we landed and we had to wait half an hour to get off the plane safely.”

There’ve been other, less frightening, almost comedic moments including missing three turn offs on the way from Tauranga to Auckland and inadvertently picking up someone else’s bag from a baggage carousel, but Andrew remains keen to keep traveling.

“It’s given me a deeper understanding of the lives, hopes and challenges of the people at the heart of IHC and strengthened my commitment to making a real difference for them.”

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Caption: Map showing the locations visited by Andrew Crisp in 2025.