http://www.mckenziecentre.org.nz/blog/ The latest Blog feeds from www.mckenziecentre.org.nz en-us Mon, 20 Apr 2026 06:11:49 +1200 Rocketspark http://www.mckenziecentre.org.nz/blog/post/136454/mckenzie-centre-celebrates-40-years/ McKenzie Centre was officially opened on 27 September 1984 by His Excellency the Governor General, The Hon Sir David Beattie. Speaking at the ceremony was McKenzie Education Foundation chair Roy McKenzie speaking to the umbrella-sheltering spectators with Sir David and Norma, Lady Beattie.... Sat, 19 Oct 2024 15:53:15 +1300 http://www.mckenziecentre.org.nz/blog/#post136454 http://www.mckenziecentre.org.nz/blog/post/109191/centre-wraps-emery-in-love-and-support/ Emery Cooper has been a regular at McKenzie Centre in Hamilton for nearly a year and her progress has given parents Kathleen and Stefan hope for their daughter’s future.Born in October 2020, Emery is the Te Awamutu couple’s third child after Myla, 10, and Arlo, 7.When she was about a year old, she was still not crawling or rolling so Kathleen took her to a physiotherapist.“Around 14 months old she regressed in her speech and social skills. She stopped babbling, she no longer looked anyone ... Thu, 31 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.mckenziecentre.org.nz/blog/#post109191 http://www.mckenziecentre.org.nz/blog/post/108083/how-the-tidd-foundation-supports-assistive-technology/ THE TIDD FOUNDATION has supported McKenzie Centre since 1996. Every year we have received funds from the foundation and we have used these to support our social worker, playgroups and in particular Assistive Technology at the centre.Assistive Technologies (AT) include specialised access to computers such as touch screens, switch interfaces to enable scanning, switch adapted mice, large customised mice and big keyboards. Specialised software and apps loaded on hardware assist children with fine a... Fri, 28 Jul 2023 10:58:28 +1200 http://www.mckenziecentre.org.nz/blog/#post108083 http://www.mckenziecentre.org.nz/blog/post/105124/parent-led-playgroup-initiative/ The increasing number of children needing support in the early years is leading to longer waiting lists for assessment and intervention. Intervening at the earliest stage provides the child and family with greater opportunities for positive outcomes. In order to address the larger number of referrals to McKenzie Centre and to be responsive to our mission we began a weekly parent led playgroup in December 2022. This playgroup is facilitated by Linda Depledge Brooker, tuakana, with the support of... Mon, 29 May 2023 15:50:08 +1200 http://www.mckenziecentre.org.nz/blog/#post105124 http://www.mckenziecentre.org.nz/blog/post/101881/elijahs-learning-journey/ ... Thu, 23 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +1300 http://www.mckenziecentre.org.nz/blog/#post101881 http://www.mckenziecentre.org.nz/blog/post/100046/website-revamped/ We now have a gallery of beautiful photos on our newly relaunched website thanks to our physiotherapist Susie Nyika and Stacey Baker, one of our past parents and team members. View here.Our McKenzie Centre website is the primary way we communicate with our community of whānau and supporters so using photos and videos is an essential part of that communication.The front page now features a stunning photo of Oliver and we hope to rotate other photos of our children regularly.Another new feature o... Wed, 08 Feb 2023 10:19:17 +1300 http://www.mckenziecentre.org.nz/blog/#post100046 http://www.mckenziecentre.org.nz/blog/post/100013/centre-roof-gets-painting-boost/ When the McKenzie Centre roof gets a much needed repaint in April, a donation from the Legacy Trust will help pay for it.Legacy Funerals Hamilton branch manager Jordan Goss confirmed the $1500 grant before Christmas and visited McKenzie Centre, when the first term started last week, to congratulate them and have a tour of the centre.It has been more than 15 years since McKenzie Centre’s roof in Hamilton has been painted and Business Support coordinator Lillian Martin knows how important it is ... Tue, 07 Feb 2023 14:35:23 +1300 http://www.mckenziecentre.org.nz/blog/#post100013 http://www.mckenziecentre.org.nz/blog/post/94690/matariki-night-2022/ McKenzie Centre came together as a community to celebrate Matariki on Thursday 16 June. Matariki is a good time to remember that it’s a time to connect. Events included music, craft table, toy/clothes swap table, wish tree, photo booth and most importantly, kai.About 50 people attended. It was lovely for the families who attend to meet families who attend on other days.It was also nice to have families come in with siblings (of the children who attend) for them to see where their brother or si... Thu, 23 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.mckenziecentre.org.nz/blog/#post94690 http://www.mckenziecentre.org.nz/blog/post/95171/a-safe-place-for-all/ When Kuljeet Singh and Maia Kawana first took their sons Carlos and Ashwin to McKenzie Centre in Hamilton, they knew they had finally found a safe place for their boys. After a speech and language therapist assessed the boys, paediatrician David Newman diagnosed them with autism and told Kuljeet and Maia about McKenzie Centre. Carlos was 3½ and Ashwin was 2. “We were just typical new parents trying to find answers; we thought Carlos had hearing problems because he had speech delays,” said M... Tue, 05 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.mckenziecentre.org.nz/blog/#post95171 http://www.mckenziecentre.org.nz/blog/post/95173/quiz-nights-a-family-affair/ Leanne Moyes wanted to do something special for the McKenzie Centre when her granddaughter Tanner Thomson started at Glenview School four years ago. “Because they did such a lot for Tanner, I was thinking of buying something for the centre and (daughter) Megan said she was thinking along the same lines but then suggested organising a quiz night instead.” When Leanne said that sounded like a good idea, Megan gave her the job of getting the prizes and so every year since, Leanne has pounded th... Tue, 05 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.mckenziecentre.org.nz/blog/#post95173