Dementia New Zealand is a charitable trust providing national leadership, coordination and advocacy across a trusted network of local organisations delivering dementia | mate wareware services. Together, we’re committed to helping people live their best possible lives – wherever they live in Aotearoa New Zealand.

With around 80,000 people currently living with dementia in Aotearoa – and numbers projected to more than double by 2050 – our role is to ensure that everyone affected has access to consistent, evidence-based support, no matter their postcode.

National advocacy

We advocate nationally to improve awareness, influence policy, and promote timely diagnosis and brain health. We partner with researchers, support innovation, and enable quality improvements across the country – helping ensure every whānau receives support aligned with best practice.

This work relies on collaboration. Only by working alongside other like-minded organisations, health professionals, iwi providers, funders, and community groups can we respond to growing demand. Dementia affects whānau, friends and communities – and requires a collective response.

Our Affiliates

The Dementia New Zealand Network includes four regionally based Affiliates delivering services across the Northern Region (Auckland, Waikato and Lakes), Hawke’s Bay, Wellington, and Canterbury/West Coast.

Each Affiliate provides trusted, locally delivered guidance, education and support – walking alongside individuals, care partners and whānau at every stage of the dementia experience. Their work is deeply embedded in local knowledge and relationships, ensuring services are culturally responsive and community-based.

Affiliate services include Dementia Advisors and Living Well Facilitators, offering:

• Navigation and planning advice
• Education and support groups
• Community activity programmes.

Through these relationships and activities, they promote brain health, raise awareness, and help build inclusive, dementia-aware communities. Alongside practical guidance and education, their services offer a sense of connection and reassurance during what can be an uncertain time. People often describe feeling more prepared, more confident, and less alone after engaging with their local team.

Need help, or want to know more? Find local help here.