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
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.
Neum said Ezekiel’s progress had “continued to grow”.
Ezekiel Muli’aumaseali’i with his parents Moemoe and Neum Muli’aumaseali’i and Centre of Movement co-director and therapist Stephen Pennisi during an intensive therapy programme in December in Rotorua.
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.
Thomas and Jacque Rodda with their daughter Greer in December 2023. Photo / Andrew Warner
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-directors Emily and Stephen Pennisi at the official opening of the Rotorua clinic. Photo / Megan Wilson
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.
Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell officially opened the Centre of Movement in Rotorua on July 18. Photo / Megan Wilson
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.”
Te Whatu Ora Health NZ was contacted for a response to Muli’aumaseali’i’s and Rodda’s comments.
In a January statement, 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”.
She said child development services were multidisciplinary teams, which 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.
Alongside its publicly funded therapy services, there were private and community providers, Lunday said.
“We recommend getting advice from your GP or local healthcare provider when considering healthcare options for your child.”
