Conductive Education Taranaki Trust

Conductive Education Taranaki is a 100% community-funded, flax-roots organisation, set up by a group of passionate parents who were determined to create local opportunities for children with disabilities to thrive.

Officially registered as a charity in 2015, the Trust successfully established a local centre for Conductive Education in 2017, based in a classroom at Westown School. Since then, our services have evolved in response to the needs identified by our own community.

Thanks to the support of the Toi Foundation and our many generous supporters, today we have 35 children enrolled in our Conductive Education Taranaki’s core service. Our Conductors provide targeted, specialist support for groups of pre and school aged children, and adults with disabilities (neurological conditions e.g. Cerebral Palsy). The goal of Conductive Education is ortho function; the ability to conduct activities of daily living, such as dressing, eating, and self-care as well as the confidence to thrive in society, having a sense of positivity about your abilities, resilience, and empowerment.

With the government not offering any new contracts or pathways through the Ministry of Health we are not able to access the funding existing Conductive Education centres around New Zealand have held for 25 years. Our current annual costs are approx. $500,000 to deliver consistent weekly Conductive Education sessions with the children being supported by caregivers and aides so they also learn the ‘Conductive’ way and are able to reinforce this at home and other education settings.

We charge a nominal fee as we believe this support should be accessible to all families. Support through funders, events, private donors and fundraisers is how we ensure this is possible. Every donation helps.

Conductive Education Taranaki, Maximising Abilities #conductivelife