Strong Voices

Thirty-four-year-old Tessa Haanen is the first female member of the Downright Dragons to gain her black belt. The Downright Dragons is an inclusive karate programme for young people with intellectual disability that’s been running for 17 years at Wellington’s Seido Dojo.

Lachlan Oakes and Joel Forman are dance teachers with Ōtautahi-based inclusive dance company Jolt Dance. In November last year they travelled to Korea for a residency with Korean inclusive dance company ‘Light Sound Friends’. Here is their travel diary.

Dianne Pelvin, from Ōtautahi Christchurch, is a member of the Chief Executive’s Advisory Group. She is also a member of IDEA Services Christchurch/North Canterbury Kapa Haka rōpū and is a National Student Volunteer Army (SVA) Ambassador.

After years of disciplined training and with the support of an inclusive dojo, Downright Dragons Jevon and Dan have earned their karate black belts.

Joel Forman is a dance teacher with Jolt Dance in Ōtautahi. He presents Jolt Dance on IHC Media, Monday mornings at 11am.

Eighteen-year-old Xervier Doney made waves – literally and figuratively – when he won two world titles at the 2025 Para Sailing International Championships in Sydney in February of this year.

Taimahi Trust has come a long way from a coffee cart with four guys on the side of the road to a group of micro-enterprises providing great food and eco-products to Whangārei and beyond.

It’s hard to be patient when there’s a lot of talk about improving lives for people with intellectual disabilities, but the better times still feel out of reach.

On a summer day in January, Caitlin Fleming built a large sandcastle on the beach in the remote Te Kainga Bay in Queen Charlotte Sound. She sat in it, looked out across the sea and told a story – “it’s about a beautiful Queen Elizabeth”.

‍

This summer Trudy and Paul Masters are expecting their first banana harvest from their rural block near Whangārei. But there is more at stake for the couple than wanting to join Northland’s recent enthusiasm for growing the fruit.