The opening ceremony of the International Dementia Conference 2026 in Sydney

Learning from the world, for Aotearoa

Canterbury
Leaders from Dementia Canterbury, Hawke’s Bay and Wellington joined more than 1,000 delegates at the International Dementia Conference in Sydney – and brought home a shared message about person-directed support and brain health.
Frances Blyth with the Dementia New Zealand board

The choices we make

New Zealand
Frances Blyth, Chair of Dementia New Zealand, has spent a lifetime volunteering – from ushering at a Dunedin theatre to international human-rights work. She’s never seen it as something for a CV.
The Stone Soup community ice cream van in Rotorua Government Gardens

Stone Soup

Lakes
Carol Fisher has spent more than 30 years volunteering in dementia support. These days, she starts conversations from an ice cream van in Rotorua.
AI generated image of people doing a jigsaw puzzle together at a Dementia North community table

You’re never too young to help

Waikato
When people think about volunteers, they often picture someone who is retired or has years of life experience behind them. Sixteen-year-old Jason breaks that stereotype.
Mike Stevens smiling, a Dementia North Ōrewa Walking Group volunteer

“People are people”

Auckland
National Volunteer Week  ·  Auckland story Every…
Carolyn McCutcheon smiling in a garden in front of a flowering camellia tree

“It really lights me up”

Auckland
National Volunteer Week  ·  Auckland story When…
Dennis, smiling, on a green John Deere 255 ride-on lawnmower in front of a tall hedge

Carol & Elizabeth: Seeing the difference

Waikato
When Dennis began feeling his way from chair to chair, Carol knew something had changed. For Elizabeth, the signs were different — Jim was falling more often and finding it harder to read the morning paper. Two Waikato stories of how cataract surgery brought back the small daily things.
Government Gardens in Rotorua — the Tudor-style museum building reflected behind a pond with yellow and orange flowers in the foreground

A Journey from Autumn into Winter

Lakes
Mike reflects on his journey into Alzheimer's, drawing on a young reporter's memories of driving through Waikato fog — and how the Lakes Social Group helps when the mist comes down.

Danielle Falconer – after the swim

New Zealand