It's lunchtime and 18 people with physical and intellectual disabilities have returned to their base in Milford after spending the morning at a disco.
They are clients of New Dawn Partnership - a day activity centre for people aged 21 and over.
The centre offers a unique and intimate service but the battle for funding has become so difficult that organisers fear they'll have to reduce services.
New Dawn was set up in 1994 when parents with children at Wairau Valley Special School decided they wanted their adult offspring to be kept occupied during the day. Once they reach 21 they're no longer eligible to attend a special school.
Students have impairments ranging from birth damage to autism. They spend their days drawing, reading, writing, playing sport, listening to music and in activities like feeding ducks and tenpin bowling.
Being involved in the community is important. They distribute meals on wheels for the Red Cross, collect for the Red Puppy guide dog appeal and deliver local newspapers. They visit the library, attend morning concerts at the Bruce Mason Centre and go to the Browns Bay RSA once a month for a drink.
New Dawn started out in a classroom at the special school and moved to a former Scouts den on the edge of Sylvan Park and Lake Pupuke in 1998.
They initially shared it with Milford Playhouse. An ASB Community Trust grant allowed them to buy the building and vehicles and helped with renovations including wheelchair access. Director Anna Cowie says the Auckland Council has recently renewed the lease until 2030 and the site is ideal.
"When people with autism get upset, we take them for a walk in the park - it's calming and comforting."
Five other full-time staff are employed, with volunteers from the Korean community and priests in training.
The centre set up the weekly disco at Windsor Park Baptist Church three years ago. It's also attended by others with similar disabilities from throughout Auckland.
Ms Cowie says it's a way for her people to mingle and form relationships. "Many can't communicate verbally. The one thing they have in common is music."
Students travel to New Dawn from as far away as Paremoremo and Kumeu every day.
Ms Cowie says there are other services on the North Shore but not all are free or provide daytime care. None is as intimate.
Without them, families would forfeit their freedom.
"They wouldn't be able to work, there'd be no socialising for their child and no network."
Yet New Dawn is struggling to survive. It costs $320,000 a year to run, 75 per cent of which comes from the Ministries of Social Development and Health.
"ASB Community Trust have stayed loyal but finding funding every year is a major headache," says Ms Cowie.
She says the Christchurch earthquakes and recession have stretched donors.
"We may have to cut staff numbers, reduce transport and look for money from family members."
UNIVERSITY OF LIFE
Hone Vogt was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 9 months old. His father, John, says an "insensitive" specialist told the family there was no way he would reach the age of 40 - he did that last September, so the family celebrated an extra special birthday. Mr Vogt, 69, chairs the New Dawn committee and says having a disabled child has been challenging.
"Someone told us from the word go it'd be a battle and it still is. Every parent fights for the rights and wellbeing of their child but your children grow up. Hone's grown up but he's still dependent on lots of services and you're still fighting those battles."
Attending New Dawn has been very good for Hone. "The programme is wide ranging and he's an integral part of a loving community. His carers know him extremely well and his needs are being met. I'd hate to see us pull back on some of our services."
Tim O'Mara has Down syndrome. By the time he turned 10 his elderly parents were unable to look after him, so he went to live with his older sister, Susan Naylor, and her husband. He's now 37.
"When Tim was nearly 21, I started to worry," Ms Naylor says. "He is very childlike and needs constant supervision. I knew the sheltered workshops operating at the time were not an option for him."
Without New Dawn, her family would be lost, she says. "For Tim it's the University of Life and I have been able to continue work. There would be a huge impact to my family if I wasn't."
Like to donate? New Dawn Partnership Inc. is a charitible trust. Their bank account is 06 0589 0014017 00.
Email: newdawninc@xtra.co.nz or call 4864869.
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