Stroke Aotearoa NZ closing Gisborne office

Chrissie Parker, Janet Ewart, Linda and Chris Warwick, and Kirsty Moiser outside the now-closed Gisborne office for Stroke Aotearoa NZ. The services offered by the organisation are still active. Photo / James Pocock

The people behind a Gisborne charitable support service say the closure of its office will not mean the end of the services it provides the community.

A decision was made to close the Gisborne Stroke Aotearoa NZ office on Palmerston Rd this year.

The decision was made due to the cost of leasing an office relative to the group’s budget and the use it got.

The group was founded in 1984 and became an incorporated society in 1993.

It was based out of the St Andrew’s Church hall for some time before moving to its current office in 2021.

More recently, it was known as Stroke Tairāwhiti and was run independently until a merger with Stroke Aotearoa NZ (Formerly the Stroke Foundation of New Zealand) in 2023.

About 15 volunteers, the Friends of Stroke Tairāwhiti, support the group, along with community stroke navigator Kirsty Moiser.

Moiser said it was decided there was a better use for the group’s income than spending it on rent and overheads for an address that wasn’t needed anymore.

“In my role, we have a range of other services to provide like education workshops, life after stroke workshops, community outreach events, and so I actually spend very little time [in the office],” Moiser said.

“Now that income can actually go into growing those types of services. That is going to do a lot for stroke prevention in our community, trying to stop people from falling off the hill to begin with. I can provide one-on-one support [to stroke survivors] in people’s homes. We work in prevention and recovery.

“It is not about cutting services; it is about strengthening the ones that are most important.”

Moiser said Stroke Aotearoa got less than 20% of its income from the Government and relied on donations.

She works from Pōtaka inland from Wharekahia/Hicks Bay through to Wairoa.

“We have a range of different community partnerships, so we are always working with local stakeholders, health providers, community groups.

“Education sessions are running from this year with the hopes that we connect with a group of stroke survivors up the coast and create something like what we’ve got in Gisborne.

“Stroke Aotearoa NZ are still very much still here and committed to supporting stroke survivors, whānau, carers and the wider Tairāwhiti community, just with more ‘out in the community and on the road mahi’ so we can reach more people.”

Volunteers Linda and Chris Warwick, a stroke survivor himself, have both supported the group and been supported by it.

“I was on the committee at one stage, doing volunteering here and there, and at one stage I ran a carers group for the families of stroke survivors,” Linda Warwick said.

“It was really great, because some people don’t understand about strokes. I didn’t know anything about strokes. We were there to have all the information, be supportive.”

She had a message for people concerned that the office was closing: “We’re still around.”

Volunteer Janet Ewart said the group could sometimes help navigate people through the complex pathway of accessing support from the Government or hospitals.

Ewart and fellow volunteer Chrissie Parker said the office wasn’t getting many drop-in visits.

“It’s a wasted space really because the drop-ins just don’t happen,” Parker said.

Moiser can be contacted through the group. There is a free 0800 number, 0800 STROKE (0800 78 76 53) or a help email address at help@stroke.org.nz.

“People can self-refer to our service. They can be referred by anyone - friends, whānau, health professionals, community groups.

“Anyone who isn’t connected to us and feels they should be, get in touch.”