Published on 15-Sep-2017
APPLICATIONS OPEN - 2018 ACADEMY PROGRAMME
Applications are now open for the 2018 ParaFed Canterbury Academy Programme.

Those selected in the Academy Programme will receive a funding grant, attend academy seminars (ie: drug free sport, nutrition, sponsorship), receive assistance with individual sports plans and have their achievements promoted throughout the year.

Applications must be received by ParaFed Canterbury by Friday 18th October 2017. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

The Academy Programme, Coach Scholarships and Graham Condon Scholarship recipients will be announced at the ParaFed Canterbury Awards Evening on Saturday 25th November.

For more information and applications click here.

Published 25-Aug-2017
50TH SERIES JUNIORS THROUGH THE YEARS
One of ParaFed Canterbury’s many strengths is their commitment for a platform and pathway for young people to achieve their goals.

In 1994, the Halberg Trust (now known as the Halberg Disability Sport Foundation) initiated an after-schools sports programme for young children with disabilities throughout the country. When the Halberg Trust ended the programme a few years later, ParaFed Canterbury took over the operation at a local level and rebranded it to the Junior Sports Club.

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Published 25-Jul-2017
50TH SERIES VOLUNTEERS THROUGH THE YEARS
Volunteers have been the backbone of ParaFed Canterbury for the past 50 years. Incredibly dedicated people have given their time to enable thousands of members to participate in sports and recreation programmes.

Over the years, volunteers have contributed across a range of different areas. The early volunteers set up and ran the committee. As ParaFed Canterbury started to grow, volunteers supported activities such as the after-schools programmes and youth camps.

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Published 25-Jun-2017
50TH SERIES GRAHAM THROUGH THE YEARS
No history of ParaFed Canterbury would be complete without highlighting the life of Graham Condon who was for many years the face of ParaFed Canterbury.

Born in 1949, Graham contracted polio as a child, but he never let this affect his passion and drive. Graham was a six-time New Zealand Paralympian, multiple Paralympic medallist and world record holder. He was a founding member of ParaFed Canterbury and worked for over a decade for both ParaFed Canterbury and ParaFed New Zealand (known today as Paralympics New Zealand).

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Published 25-May-2017
50TH SERIES LOCATIONS THROUGH THE YEARS
From a group of volunteers holding monthly meetings in their living rooms, ParaFed Canterbury has grown into an organisation with four staff and offering a range of programmes around the region.

In the early years, the committee shared their meetings between members’ living rooms and venues such as the Disabled Persons Centre on Worcester Street. In 1989, ParaFed Canterbury moved to the Marshland Community Hall, which coincided with the appointment of their first paid staff member. The Community Hall included offices and a small weights gym where members could train.

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Published 25-Apr-2017
50TH SERIES NATIONALS THROUGH THE YEARS
The National Games were the major focus for ParaFed Associations from the late 1960’s through until the final event in 2011. The first event was held in Auckland in 1968 and was attended by 29 competitors. Numbers grew each year and during the mid 1990’s, when the event was in its prime, was attended by over 200 competitors each year.

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Published 31-Mar-2017
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The ParaFed Canterbury Annual General Meeting was held at Melrose Kiwi Concept Chairs on Thursday 30th March 2017.

The meeting was presented the Annual Report as well as the Audited Accounts for 2016.

The board for the next 12 months was confirmed as:

Annette Melrose
Grant Philip
Sian Ruth (Chairperson)
James Sheehan
Ken Sowden (Staff Member)
Zara Taylor

The board also acknowledged Ben Lucas, who is retiring as a board member after 10 years of services.

Published 25-Mar-2017
50TH SERIES THE EARLY YEARS
The origins of ParaFed Canterbury date back to the mid 1960’s when Fr. Leo Close, an Irish priest and Irish Paralympian, visited Christchurch to talk to a group of local disabled people about the opportunities of rehabilitation through sport.

Inspired by the words of Fr. Leo Close, and following a few local sports days in the region, ParaFed Canterbury (known then as the Canterbury Paraplegic & Physically Disabled Association) was formed in 1967.

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Published 23-Feb-2017
NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The ParaFed Canterbury Annual General Meeting with take place on Thursday 30th March 2017 at 5:30pm. This will be held at the ParaFed Canterbury Offices in the Melrose Wheelchairs Building, 108 Sawyers Arms Road.

Board Nomination & Motion Form must be in the ParaFed Canterbury Office by 4.30pm on Tuesday the 21st March 2017.

Our Audited Accounts will also be available to be viewed from the 22nd March 2017 at the ParaFed Canterbury office or we can email you a copy.

Notice of AGM
2017 Nomination & Motion Forms

Published 13-Feb-2017
RENEW YOUR SUBSCRIPTION TODAY
ParaFed Canterbury subscriptions run from January through to December each year. If you are a user of any of ParaFed Canterbury’s facilities or services, or involved in any of our sports or activities, then please ensure you renew your membership.

We invite members to renew their subscriptions for 2017. Subscription is only $40 for the year.

Click here to download the subscription form.

Published 12-Feb-2017
PARAFED CANTERBURY TURNS 50
ParaFed Canterbury was established in 1967 and this year we are excited to be celebrating our 50th Anniversary.

We will celebrate in full on Saturday 25th November 2017 at our 50th Anniversary & Awards Function, however over the coming months we look forward to sharing with you some of our key memories from over the years.

To mark our 50th year we will be using this logo, in conjunction with our existing logo, throughout 2017.

Published 08-Feb-2017
JUNIOR SPORTS CLUB KICKS OFF IN STYLE
Our Junior Sports Club kicked off in style for 2017 with jet skiing at Lake Roto Kohatu. Activities are held on a Wednesday afternoon and this term promises to be an action packed 10 weeks.

To register your interest contact Charlotte

Published 05-Dec-2016
CHRISTMAS & NEW YEARS HOURS

ParaFed Canterbury Office
The ParaFed Canterbury Office will be closed from Wednesday 21st December 2016 and will reopen on Monday 16th January 2017.

Burwood Hospital Hydrotherapy Pool
The last Burwood Hydrotherapy Pool session will be Sunday 18th December 2016 and will restart on Wednesday 8th February 2017.

ParaFed Canterbury Gym
The last ParaFed Canterbury Gym session will be Friday 16th December 2016.

Published on 26-Nov-2016
2017 ACADEMY PROGRAMME ANNOUNCED
The 2017 ParaFed Canterbury Academy Programme recipients have just been announced. Congratulations to the 17 athletes and 4 coaches who have been named in the programme for next year.

To view the names of those athletes and coaches selected in the 2017 ParaFed Canterbury Academy Programme click here.

Published on 25-Nov-2016
PARAFED CANTERBURY AWARDS FUNCTION
The ParaFed Canterbury Awards Function was held on the evening of Friday 25th November 2016. And the winners were:

Sportsperson of the Year - Sophie Pascoe
Junior Sportsperson of the Year - William Stedman
Graham Condon Scholarship - Scott Martlew
JS Apparel & Biz Collection Emerging Talent of the Year - Ella Benn
Spirit in Sport Award - Amber Proudfoot
Most Valued Volunteer Award - The Chin Family

Boccia Club Player of the Year - Thomas Chin
Club Swimmer of the Year - Celyn Edwards
Shooting Club Ultimate Shot Award - Grant Philip
Canterbury Wheelchair Rugby MVP - Cody Everson

Published on 06-Oct-2016
CANTERBURY JUNIOR TEAM - EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
Represent CANTERBURY, compete, pursue sporting goals & have fun

2017 Halberg Junior Disability Games
6th - 8th October 2017
Kings College, Auckland

Canterbury team training and selections start in March 2017.

See the flyer for more details click here.

Register your interest with Charlotte by the end of October 2016 to receive more information cokeefe@parafedcanterbury.co.nz

Published on 27-Sep-2016
APPLICATIONS OPEN - 2017 ACADEMY PROGRAMME
Applications are now open for the 2017 ParaFed Canterbury Academy Programme.

Those selected in the Academy Programme will receive a funding grant, attend academy seminars (ie: drug free sport, nutrition, sponsorship), receive assistance with individual sports plans and have their achievements promoted throughout the year.

Applications must be received by ParaFed Canterbury by 4.00pm Friday 21st October 2016. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

The Academy Programme, Coach Scholarships and Graham Condon Scholarship recipients will be announced at the ParaFed Canterbury Awards Evening on Friday 25th November 2016.

For more information and applications click here.

Published on 26-Sep-2016
NZ PARALYMPIC TEAM RETURN
The New Zealand Paralympic team have returned from an extremely successful Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. The team won 21 medals (9 gold, 5 silver and 7 bronze), which ranked the team 13th overall on the medal table and the number 1 nation on medals per capita.

Of the 31 athletes in the team, 12 individuals secured medals including the following past and present Canterbury athletes:

Sophie Pascoe - Swimming - 3 Gold, 2 Silver
Liam Malone - Athletics - 2 Gold, 1 Silver
William Stedman - Athletics - 2 Bronze
Holly Robinson - Athletics - 1 Silver
Laura Thompson - Cycling - 1 Silver, 1 Bronze

Sophie Pascoe became New Zealand’s most successful Paralympian ever, now with a stunning 15 Paralympic medals (9 gold, 6 silver) from three Paralympic Games. While out of the medals, Scott Martlew (Canoe), Andrew May (Sailing) and Caitlin Dore (Athletics) also did the Canterbury region proud, with some outstanding performances.

Published on 30-Aug-2016
MARTLEW ADDED TO THE NZ PARALYMPIC TEAM
Canterbury Para Canoeist Scott Martlew is one of two athletes who have been added to the New Zealand Paralympic team for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

The addition of Scott, and Para Cyclist, Fraser Sharp from Tauranga, means that New Zealand will send 31 Para-Athletes and now contest six different Para-Sports in Rio 2016.

The decision was made after the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) re-allocated a further two Para Athlete slots to Paralympics New Zealand late last week following the suspension of the Russian team from the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

Scott will join fellow Christchurch based athletes, Sophie Pascoe and William Stedman, in the team, along with a long list of ParaFed Canterbury alumni athletes who are now training outside of the region, including Andrew May, Holly Robinson, Caitlin Dore and Liam Malone.

Published on 27-Aug-2016
FAIRHALL TO BE INDUCTED TO PARALYMPIC HALL OF FAME
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has announced the late Neroli Fairhall as one of five individuals who will be inducted into the Visa Paralympic Hall of Fame during the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

The ever-talented Fairhall will be inducted posthumously. She competed in athletics and archery in her first two Paralympic Games in 1972 and 1980. But it was archery where she excelled the most, taking the gold at Arnhem 1980. Four years later, she became the first athlete with an impairment to compete in the Olympics, finishing 35th at the Los Angeles Olympic Games.

Published on 16-Aug-2016
HOW TO WATCH THE RIO 2016 PARALYMPIC GAMES
There will be coverage of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games between the 8-19 September on TV ONE, DUKE, TVNZ OnDemand and Attitude Live!

Coverage will include:

• Daily highlights on TV ONE

• LIVE and delayed coverage on DUKE

• Online: TVNZ OnDemand & AttitudeLive.com

To watch the trailer visit www.tvnz.co.nz/paralympics2016

Published on 12-Aug-2016
CANTERBURY PARALYMPIANS OF THE PAST
As we countdown to the start of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, ParaFed Canterbury will profile some of our Canterbury Paralympians of the past. Every two days we will share with you a different story on our Facebook page. We encourage you to like and share these stories with your friends and family.

We will also be updating these profiles to our website. Click here for more profiles

Published on 14-Jul-2016
CHRISTCHURCH HOSTS INAUGURAL PARAFED SPORTS FORUM
ParaFed Canterbury has successfully hosted the first ParaFed Sports Forum in Christchurch, bringing together 14 representatives from various organisations to discuss the delivery of quality sports opportunities to physically disabled people.

The two day Forum was held on the 5– 6 July at the YMCA Bishopdale and attended by eight regional ParaFeds, Paralympics New Zealand and the Halberg Disability Sport Foundation.

A variety of topics were covered, from how to set up grassroots programmes at a local level to what is happening in high performance at the elite level.

The ParaFed Network would like to acknowledge the support of the Sport New Zealand ‘No Exceptions’ Fund which enabled the Forum to be able to deliver a professional and effective two days for all attendees.

Published on 07-Jul-2016
DORE NAMED IN NEW ZEALAND PARALYMPIC TEAM
Caitlin Dore and Jacob Phillips are the latest two athletes to be selected in the New Zealand Paralympic Team for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

Both have been added to the Para Athletics Team, which is now at eight athletes, and is part of the larger 29 strong New Zealand Paralympic Team that will compete across five sports.

The full Para Athletics Team is: Caitlin Dore, Anna Grimaldi, Jessica Hamill, Liam Malone, Rory McSweeney, Jacob Phillips, Holly Robinson and William Stedman.

Published on 06-Jun-2016
KEN SOWDEN AWARDED QUEENS BIRTHDAY HONOUR
Ken Sowden who has been awarded a Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for services to Paralympic Sport in the Queen's Birthday Honours.

Ken's contribution to Paralympic Sport has included 21 years working for ParaFed Canterbury, attending the past 5 Paralympic Games with the New Zealand Paralympic Team (in various staff/management roles) and an outstanding contribution to the game of Wheelchair Rugby.

For the full description of Ken's achievements click here

Published on 23-May-2016
STEDMAN NAMED IN NEW ZEALAND PARALYMPIC TEAM
Canterbury's William Stedman has been named in the New Zealand Para Athletics Team for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. Stedman is part of a six-strong team that includes past ParaFed Canterbury members, Holly Robinson and Liam Malone.

The Para Athletics Team is: Liam Malone, Rory McSweeney, William Stedman,
Holly Robinson, Jessica Hamill and Anna Grimaldi.

Published on 13-May-2016
SUCCESS FOR CANTERBURY ATHLETES AT INVICTUS GAMES
ParaFed Canterbury members, Glenn Barnes and Amy Baynes, have both had success representing the New Zealand Defence Force at the Invictus Games in Orlando, Florida.

Glenn won gold in the indoor rowing competition, followed by a silver medal in the wheelchair tennis double (partnering with Dave Sherriff). Amy won two silver medals in the cycling competition, placing second in both the time trial and criterion.

Published on 05-May-2016
PASCOE TO COMPETE IN THIRD PARALYMPIC GAMES
Canterbury's Sophie Pascoe has been named in the New Zealand Para Swimming Team for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. Pascoe, winner of six gold medals and four silver across two Paralympic Games (Beijing 2008 and London 2012), will compete in her third Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in September this year.

The Para Swimming Team is: Jesse Reynolds, Bryall McPherson, Sophie Pascoe,
Rebecca Dubber, Nikita Howarth, Mary Fisher and Cameron Leslie.

Published on 27-Apr-2016
CANTERBURY JUNIORS RETURN FROM A SUCCESSFUL GAMES
The ParaFed Canterbury Junior Team have returned from an extremely successful Halberg Junior Disability Games in Cambridge last weekend. The team of 14 athletes competed across a range of sports including boccia, swimming, athletics and triathlon. The team were awarded the trophy for "Best Team Spirit", along with a number of other awards including Celyn Edwards being named "Best Overall Athlete" of the Games.

To view a full list of trophies won by our Canterbury athletes click here.

Published on 26-Apr-2016
2016 SUBSCRIPTIONS NOW DUE
It’s that time of year when we invite members to renew their annual subscriptions to ParaFed Canterbury. The cost is only $40 for the year and gives you access to a number of our programmes and services. To renew your subscription visit our membership page.

Published on 26-Apr-2016
PARAFED CANTERBURY LAUNCH NEW WEBSITE
ParaFed Canterbury is pleased to launch our all new website. We look forward to making this a one-stop-shop for our members and supporters to find out everything you want to know about ParaFed Canterbury. Be sure to check out our new Facebook feature to keep up to date with all our latest news.