OUR HISTORY

IT ALL STARTED IN 1966

Starting as the Auckland Paraplegic and the Physically Disabled Association in 1966, our goal was to foster games, sports, and recreation for paraplegics and the disabled, as well as to cater for their general welfare. In that same year, the Association sponsored and organised a national team of wheelchair athletes to compete at the Commonwealth Paraplegic Games in Jamaica. Two years later, the Auckland Association combined with fellow organisations to send a team to compete at the Paraplegic Games in Israel. Our formation was closely followed by Otago-Southland and eventually led to the formation of the New Zealand Association (now operating as Paralympics New Zealand).

Sports for the physically disabled, especially those in wheelchairs, were considered fairly radical at the time, but high-profile athletes such as Pompey Heremaia worked hard to overcome stereotypes and were role models for younger athletes. A milestone moment in the history of the organisation was the building of the recreation Gym at the Otara Spinal Unit in 1977; this not only gave our athletes and teams a permanent home, but it also proved a huge boost for all disabled sport, as patients in the unit were more than often recruited to join in on the sports taking place.