Hamilton parents Neum and Moemoe Muli’aumaseali’i credit Centre of Movement intensity therapy programmes for their son Ezekiel Muli’aumaseali’i making good progress. Photo / Megan Wilson
A clinic specialising in helping children with neurological disorders has opened in Rotorua, representing “hope” for some Kiwi families.
Australia paediatric allied health clinic Centre of Movement opened its first permanent New Zealand location in Rotorua on Friday.
The Pererika St clinic was opened by Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell, with families from across NZ attending.
Centre of Movement held intensive therapy pop-up clinics in Rotorua in 2023 and 2024, and Kiwi families have also travelled – or even moved –to Australia for its programmes.
Hamilton parents Moemoe and Neum Muli’aumaseali’i took their 11-year-old son Ezekiel, who has cerebral palsy, along to the Rotorua pop-ups and saw “massive improvements”, including swinging independently at the playground and sitting on a mat at school unassisted.
They had spent about $80,000 for four three-week intensive therapy programmes, including two in Australia.
Intensive therapy would be “a lot more accessible” now the Rotorua clinic was available, Neum told the Rotorua Daily Post at the opening.
They planned to do four programmes a year and explore weekly sessions, alongside prescribed therapy programmes at home.
Neum said Ezekiel’s progress had “continued to grow”.
His next goals were standing and using a walker.
“It’s just kind of connecting his brain to those movements and muscles.”
Neum said it was “massive” to have a clinic in Aotearoa. In his view, NZ was “so far behind” when working with people with disabilities, especially in the field of exercise physiology.
The new clinic represented “hope” to him.
“To understand the way that they work and their understanding of working with disability and neuroplasticity … it’s just going to be a gamechanger for a lot of families.”
He hoped to see intensive therapy funded in NZ.
Rotorua mother Jacque Rodda told those gathered for the clinic opening she and her husband Thomas nervously took their daughter Greer - who was born with a severe brain injury - to the 2023 Rotorua pop-up.
“It was a significant cost, and the approach is different to mainstream therapy we were used to in NZ.”
Greer had done three intensive therapy programmes and achieved milestones including sitting up by herself for the first time and rolling.
The family have been living on the Gold Coast attending regular therapy for the past five months.
“Greer continues to progress. As a family, we continue to have hope - hope for what might be possible, even when we were told not to expect very much.”
Rodda said intensive therapy should be funded in NZ.
“Access to extra therapy is inequitable. The financial strain on families who are often down to one income and are under extreme stress is very real.”
She, the Centre of Movement, and other families were in the early stages of establishing a charity, Collective Movement, which aimed to reduce therapy and accommodation costs.
Centre of Movement co-director Stephen Pennisi said it was founded on “the simple truth” that children with disabilities were capable of more than what most people believed.
“With the intensive therapy model, we challenge the system, and we see breakthroughs that were once thought impossible.
“We want families to access world-class therapy without leaving their home country.”
Co-director Emily Pennisi said the Australian Government funded 250 hours of therapy annually for children with a disability or developmental delay.
Tapsell welcomed Centre of Movement to Rotorua and said it had been “quite heartbreaking” to learn how many families had travelled to Australia for intensive therapy.
“We’re very happy to now have this facility here.”
Health NZ national chief allied health, scientific and technical Dr Jacqui Lunday said it knew how important physical therapy was for children with a physical disability, such as cerebral palsy.
Lunday said it funded child development services across the country, providing community centre-based services to support families and caregivers “to enable their child to reach their potential”.
These multidisciplinary teams included physiotherapists and occupational therapists who worked with children and their families depending on their needs.
Support could include fine motor skill development, developing day-to-day life skills, and providing sensory processing education.
There were also private and community providers, and Health NZ recommended parents ask their GP or local healthcare provider for advice on the options.
Decisions around funding for Health NZ to deliver publicly-funded child development services were made by the Ministry of Social Development.
Ministry associate deputy chief executive Disability Support Services Anne Shaw said it funded 31 child development services supporting disabled children aged up to 16. Most were contracted to Health NZ.
A significant part of the service was helping pre-school children with disabilities or who missed developmental milestones to grow and develop.
Shaw said continued strong demand could mean waiting lists and, generally, young children or those with safety needs were prioritised.
Budget 2020’s $1 billion over four years for disability services led to a small increase in funding for child development services in 2025/26. Disability Support Services reviewed funding annually.
Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.