Peter Larmer, President of Arthritis New Zealand, was delighted to announce to the attendees at the organisation’s AGM, that the Governor-General, Her Excellency The Rt Hon Dame Patsy Reddy has agreed to become the Patron of Arthritis New Zealand.

Associate Professor Larmer said: “There can be no higher recognition of our cause and the work that we do than to have the Queen’s Representative agree to become our Patron, and we are looking forward to working with her to raise the awareness of those with arthritis.”

There are over 620,000 people from babies to grandparents currently living with a diagnosis of arthritis in New Zealand. “Arthritis is a reality for every family in New Zealand. It can affect anyone of any age, but is often overlooked when people consider health and disability needs. As a community we must take arthritis seriously and look forward to the Vice-regal support in helping us achieve that”.