About us
Improving the lives of every person affected by arthritis
Helping people live well with arthritis since 1966
Established in Wellington in 1966 by Sir John Mowbray and Dr Tim Williams, the Arthritis and Rheumatism Foundation aimed to provide information, advice and support services to help people living with arthritis to manage their condition and have better access to pain relief.
Since then, we have grown and changed with the times, evolving to meet the needs of people affected by arthritis nationally, changing our name to Arthritis Foundation of New Zealand in 1985 and moving to a charitable trust model, Arthritis NZ Kaiponapona Aotearoa in 2018. More recently, we updated our te reo Māori translation and changed name to Arthritis NZ Mateponapona Aotearoa.
But, no matter our name, colours and logo, since 1966 we have been helping people to live well with arthritis!
Our tohu captures a wonderful sense of lightness, freedom, movement and connection through a free-flowing abstract figure.
The figure is partly informed by interweaving harakeke strands. This interweaving element represents the guiding principle of
whanaungatanga. The harakeke is a symbol of whānau (Pā harakeke). The four outer strands represent the foundations of Arthritis NZ:
• Tautoko - support
• Tika - do the right thing
• Pono - honesty
• Whanau Oranga - self determined health and well-being
The two inner strands are directly connected to the upper section that is associated with the mauri and mana of people. This part of the design consists of two patterns known as puhoro and koru. These patterns highlight the importance of an individual’s mauri and mana. It reminds us to engage in a mana enhancing way to uplift the mauri of our stakeholders.
Tohu designed by Manukorihi Winiata
(Ngāti Raukawa, Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Awa,Ngāti Tūwharetoa)
Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees is the organisation’s legal authority. Members are public trustees representing the interests of our consumers, volunteers and of the wider community, as well as donors and supporters.
The Board's responsibilities
- To provide strategic direction and leadership for the whole organisation
- To ensure the organisation is soundly managed
- To work in close partnership with the Chief Executive to ensure the Board of Trustees goals and objectives are achieved, supporting and resourcing the Chief Executive to carry out their responsibilities
- To appoint and monitor the Chief Executive, ensuring the organisation employs the best person for the position and provides fair and appropriate terms and conditions of employment
- To develop and monitor policies, which provide direction and boundaries for both its own and the Chief Executive’s functions
- To establish Board of Trustees Committees or working groups as it sees fit
Youth Advisory Committee
The Youth Advisory Committee is a group of rangatahi living with arthritis who come together to support each other, speak up, and make things better.
Led by young people, for young people, the Committee helps shape the support, resources, and events that Arthritis NZ offers. From designing youth-friendly tools like the My JIA Journey journal to helping run teen and family camps, their work is grounded in real lived experience and focused on what matters most to you.
