"Annelize represents the best ideals of the NZSDRT Inc where we seek to improve the lives of the people in our care with the meaningful activities we offer.
"She is a true champion for diversity with a tireless commitment to serving the people in her care.
"Annelize does not see her disability as a hindrance, but rather as an intuitive tool, that makes her more understanding and more empathetic to the vast range of diverse people she deals with on a daily basis.
"She believes in total inclusion of all races, gender, and cultural backgrounds, as well as all diverse disabilities."
Graduating as a registered diversional therapist at the same time she was awarded the Judy Cooper Excellence Award, Annelize said, "I was hugely humbled to be nominated and receive the award.
"It was such a humbling experience having only just completed and submitted the last of my papers to become qualified.
"I always wanted to be a social worker, but my father said no because he thought I'd never earn enough money to bring everyone home with me.
"I came from the generation where you had to have something to your name and when I was first diagnosed my father wanted me to do some form of training.
"I did a secretarial course in South Africa which allowed me to work as a secretary and personal assistant at a high level.
"When I emigrated to New Zealand I just wanted to follow my heart and follow my dreams of being a counsellor."
This began Annelize on the pathway to working with a hugely diverse range of people.
Living in Paraparaumu Beach, but working at Enliven in Karori, Annelize works with 71 residents, creating sessions to bring joy to the residents' lives.
"I work with 71 different residents, and there's so much diversity within them.
"It's our role as diversional therapists is to divert or flesh out what they're interested in and find out what makes them tick, what brings a smile to their face.
"When I leave work in the afternoon I always think what I will try the next day.
"There is a constant striving to work out what we can do better, to improve on what we've already had in place.
"Diversity is one of the most important things we work with – it is for anyone working in aged care."
Creating a session called Unforgettable, every day, residents at Enliven Karori come together from 4-5pm for a cup of tea and biscuits.
"We bring the residents together no matter what their diversity or disability is, we bring them together over a cup of tea.
"That familiarity of holding a hot drink is so everyone can experience the moment together."
After establishing Unforgettable as a regular session, Annelize and her team took it one step further.
"We often get random phone calls from schools saying can our students come and volunteer with you, often to complete their Duke of Edinburgh volunteer hours.
"They could only do it after school which was the same time we would do 'Unforgettable'.
"So they started coming at 4pm and started making the cups of tea for the residents and serving the biscuits.
"This has added to the time as we have these young people coming and interacting with our residents which is amazing.
"No matter how advanced our residents' memory loss is, with a cup of tea and biscuits they have amazing conversations with both the students and residents as interested in each other."
