The 2016 Attitude Awards showcase achievements of NZers who live with disability or chronic health. The diverse range of skills and talents of our finalists highlight the great lives people can lead despite challenges. Tauranga sisters Kristie Purton and Nikki Reynolds-Wilson both have cystic fibrosis. They've spent much of their adult lives awaiting lung transplants. Last year they hit on a plan to deliver 65 good deeds in their community and raise awareness of cystic fibrosis and organ donation. We know there's a lot more people worse off than us and are going through rough times and stuff, so we wanted to make a difference. You can't change the world but just make it a better place for some people and brighten people's days. The community response was so great, they set themselves the same task again this year. They delivered home baking to emergency services, hospital security staff and to lifeguards. They have collected used clothing and toys to donate to community fundraisers. The sisters were midway through one good deed when Nikki was called to Auckland for her lung transplant, leaving Kristie to finish the job. She always joked around, saying, 'I'll laugh if I get my lung transplant 'and you've gotta do them all on your own.' So that made her quite happy that I had to do it by myself. PEACEFUL MUSIC (PLAYS SOFT ROCK MUSIC) In the last 10 years, Ese Aumalesulu has fine-tuned his musical talents. Now the blind musician is developing creativity in others. Ese came to NZ from Samoa after his mother died. His visual impairment had never been detected in Samoa. When he arrived, he couldn't speak English nor read or write. At James Cook High School, he discovered music. Music was kinda, really, my saviour, really. It was a lifesaver, um, having the music there, uh, when I was struggling with everything else. He completed a Music Diploma, but at first, no one would give him a job as a teacher. No one would take me, and that was when it was difficult to, uh` to try to make people believe that I could` yeah, that I could change kids. Six years ago, he began working at Clayton Park School. Last year, Ese identified 10 students who had a love for music but no formal training. He taught them, then entered them in the Bandquest competition. They won the Auckland regional title and the national competition. ALL PLAY UPBEAT MUSIC Cayley Colyer believes in her right to a full and independent life and strives to overcome her own learning disability. But she also helps others to achieve independence. Cos I always stay positive and live my dreams. Cayley completed a work skills course at Manukau Institute of Technology, knowing it would help her into employment. She now works with the Auckland Council. She learnt to cook and manage money. Now Cayley coaches other young people with special needs to believe they too can go flatting. The person that cooks washes the dishes, and then the person that doesn't cook, um, dries and puts away the dishes. Cayley's developing her skills as an artist so she can teach young children in the community. They know how to, um, draw some things, so I tell them to use their imagination to make it look even more cooler. TRIBAL DRUM MUSIC I want to keep pursuing dance. Yeah, I want to keep being that voice for, like, uh, the wider community of disabled artists. Rodney Bell has performed nationally and internationally as a professional dancer for 20 years. He was a founding member of Touch Compass, NZ's only professional inclusive dance company. A motorcycle accident in 1991 left Rodney paralysed from the chest down. Initially, he couldn't move his arms or even manage a wheelchair. I seek new opportunities and new ways of moving in relationship to, like, dance and my physicality and my Maoritanga. Rodney moved to America to join Axis, renowned integrated dance company. Key for Rodney was the willingness to inject Maori culture into their dance. Maoritanga has been my biggest support. Yeah, like I always say, I'm seed of chiefs, and I'll never forget that, and I carry them with me. Now back in his home town of Te Kuiti, Rodney teaches with Touch Compass and mentors others as part of the government's Enabling Good Lives project. His latest work, Meremere, tells Rodney's own story. I feel it's a great sense of accomplishment to be acknowledged as an artist, especially an artist with a disability ` or uniqueness, you know. I live with my husband, two cats, 16 chickens and` and a small flock of sheep. When people ask author Steff Green about her inspiration, she credits her home environment on the Kaipara Coast. Steff spends her days penning books that are featured on the USA Today bestseller list. Born with a rare genetic condition, Steff has colour-blindness, extreme sensitivity to light and extreme shortsightedness. Her dark attic office at the top of the stairs is where she wrote her first paranormal romance novel, titled Crookshollow Foxes. Written in secret and published 18 months ago, there are now three books in the Crookshollow series. A second book series is a medieval romance. Steff is now progressing to writing full-time, with a goal of seeing her titles on the New York Times bestseller list. James King is a contemporary abstract artist and former broadcaster whose creativity has grown out of mental health issues and psychosis. I think anybody can do art. It's just that we condition ourselves to think we're useless. And I think coming to places like this actually gives you the opportunity to experiment and come up with your own artistic voice. The art studio Toi Ora is a sanctuary for James and contrasts with his childhood. James was adopted at 7. His birth father died and his mother had become unwell. He moved around and attended four different high schools. Depression was a predictable consequence. Art was crucial to his recovery. It was a pivotal tool. It was something that allowed me to adjust to life and accept that life was, or is, the way it is, and it's probably the most effective therapeutic tool I have in my arsenal now. Politics and freedom of speech are elements of his paintings, which James describes as postmodernism with an urban, rural, neo-classical, Pacific feel. With a hint of bollocks. TRIBAL DRUM MUSIC I'm a person who loves to be busy, and I always have been. I love having lots to do, and, uh, being involved with lots of different organisations. I want to help other people and give back. Busy takes on a whole new meaning when you understand all that 20-year-old Eilish Wilkes does to support others. A talented writer, Eilish was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumour at the age of 2. Despite neurosurgery and 18 months of chemotherapy, the tumour regrew. This time it rendered her legally blind. Her charitable work began soon after she went into remission. I've been a part of CanTeen for about three years now, and in that time, I served on the Auckland Brach Committee of CanTeen for a year, and, um, I also ran a support group for a while for patients of, um` cancer survivors who are suffering from late effects and disabilities as a result of cancer. She is on a national advocacy group, advocating for improved standards of care for young people with cancer. I just love being a part of something that I know will improve the lives of a lot of other young people in the future. Her book Hospital Happenings, published under a Young Authors Project, talks children through the daunting experience of going to hospital. I've written about five more manuscripts for children's books, and, um, I'm hoping to write more in the future, possibly for young adults and adults. There's a certain buzz you get from performing, and that's what I sort of thrive on. Dance is exactly what I should not be able to do, so that's kind of why I love it as well, because, you know, it's kind of like beating the odds. Holly Diepraam was born with a congenital abnormality on her right side and club foot. The joy Holly displays when dancing is masking the tremendous pain. My first operation was when I was 6 months old. I think I had about five operations, growing up. The last one I had was when I was 15 years old, and they've replaced bones with bits of metal, screws and donated bone as well. I teach jazz, tap, hip-hop and contemporary, and my passion is musical theatre style jazz. Holly is in her third year of a Bachelor of Arts and Cultural Studies at the University of Canterbury. She has choreographed the last three productions for the university's musical theatre society. It's a very cool feeling when people say, you know, 'I didn't realise that you had something that could get in the way of your dancing,' and something that gives me a lot of pain when I do it, and I don't let it show. That's always really cool that people don't notice. 17-year-old Madison Davy wants all young Deaf to believe in themselves. What I want to achieve is that make sure that other Deaf teenagers know that they can achieve anything and not just be stuck behind a barrier or, um` And I want them to know that I can help them through any challenges they may have. Maddy had cochlear implants from a young age and has worked hard to learn speech. I have profound deafness in both ears, and I wear a cochlear implant in my right ear and a hearing aid in my left ear. It did take a long time to learn how to speak. Maddy also uses sign language and passionately believes in the right for all Deaf to learn and communicate in NZ Sign Language. Even though Maddy is not yet 18, she has a long history as a member of various boards and committees, ensuring youth are represented. She's also set up a youth group in Taranaki. We have a Deaf club, but that's for older people, so I thought why not try just help them in realising that they can achieve anything. Her future goal is to connect young Deaf online. She is training in web design, recognising that digital is where she can do her best work. Yeah, my deafness has shaped the way I see the world, and I'd like to change, like, how hearing and Deaf communicate with each other. TRIBAL DRUM MUSIC 15-year-old Guy Harrison is a middle-distance runner with dreams of competing at the Paralympics. Guy already holds the NZ men's Open Paralympics 1500m and 800m records. My dream's, uh, to become a professional golfer and try and get on to a PGA Tour. And my other dream is to get to the Tokyo Paralympics. Guy was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at the age of 3. A febrile convulsion left him with reduced balance and mobility. He didn't learn to speak until her was 5. But his parents got him into sport, believing it would strengthen his mobility. I tried pretty much all sports, from to netball to hockey. I reckon I would be in a wheelchair now if I didn't do those sports. His golf handicap is 11. Guy won the NZ Aims junior event. He trains under the Hawke's Bay Junior Golf Academy and represents Hawke's Bay at national competitions, including the under-16 Eagles Golf Tournament. On the track, well, he is current NZ para-cross-country champion, NZ Secondary Schools junior para 400m and 2km road race champion, and he's won the Halberg Junior Disability Games triathlon three years in a row. I wish I could swim for the rest of my life. In 2016, 15-year-old Tupou Seini Neiufi represented NZ at the Rio Paralympic Games. But this was just the first step of what many recognise as a promising swimming career. Tupou competed in the S9 category in freestyle and backstroke, outperforming all expectations by making it to the final of the 100m backstroke. Tupou was hit by a speeding car at the age of 2, that resulted in a traumatic brain injury and left-side hemiplegia, or paralysis. Her family was warned she may never gain any mobility. I didn't actually think I'd come this far. Chris Arbuthnott only began swimming competitively four years ago. By last year, he'd won his first international medal in the Victoria Open Champs. I swim about 13 hours and about two hours of gym on top of that. And then on top of that I have to go to school. That's always a drag. Chris missed out on qualifying for Rio by just 22/100ths of a second. He is now training for the 2017 Para World Swimming Champs in Mexico. When I first started swimming, it just felt so natural. Just the strokes through the water just felt really nice. When I just missed out on qualifying, I felt, like, 'No games any more. Just gotta go for it. All in.' I'll definitely be there next time. TRIBAL DRUM MUSIC Graeme Porter had challenges with speech and writing all through school. Sport provided his opportunity to shine. At high school, the most I wanted to achieve was to represent my country. He was selected to travel to Shanghai for the Special Olympics World Summer Games and won a gold medal. Back home and full of confidence, he launched his coaching career, no longer scared to communicate. So, I have trouble reading English, and mainly my speech is my disability, so... Graeme has challenged himself by becoming a Global Messenger ` an ambassador for the Special Olympics movement. The most satisfying thing I see from them is a smile, and they're happy, no matter what the score was. As he bench-presses more than 80 kilos, you can't imagine Grant McKenzie as a guy who was bullied. At school, he didn't have the confidence to participate in sport, due to his Asperger's syndrome. I found it real hard to, like, communicate with people and stuff in teams and groups and that. I always liked going to the library and... Special Olympics NZ sparked a love of powerlifting, rowing and athletics and boosted Grant's confidence through leadership opportunities. I probably enjoy powerlifting the most, eh. At the 2016 Special Olympics Summer World Games in Los Angeles, Grant won two gold and two silver medals for powerlifting. ALL CHANT: One, two, three, team! The Special Olympics Summer Games in Los Angeles was one of the world's biggest sporting events ` 177 countries competing in 25 sports. The Kiwi basketball team achieved the greatest result ever for a NZ team, ALL CHANT: ...two, three, team! We won this because, um, we played really well in our division. The team came from all over the country and had just four weekend training camps ahead of international competition. Yeah, well, we didn't have too many training camps. Would've been nice to have a bit more time together as a whole team, but I think we did pretty well, considering. There's pride in that silver medal, but greater satisfaction comes from winning the games' sportsmanship trophy. That makes us champions, in our books. You know, best out of NZ so far. Come on. We gotta be champions. ENERGETIC MUSIC TRIBAL DRUM MUSIC When Napier-based biosecurity company Genera needed new staff, operations manager Gavin Smales contacted employment agency Workbridge, which supports disabled workers. I wasn't quite sure what disabled meant at the time. They do have their disability, but, um, we're looking to work them in their strongest areas. The company now employs 11 disabled workers and ensures they receive on-the-job training to grow their skills. Yeah, he's one of the few bosses that, you know` he's very open-minded towards, you know, uh, a lot of things. He's always willing to give anything a go, you know, and he allows us to give it ago as well, so... They've got a point to prove to everyone else that they can do it, and I s'pose they've got a point to prove to themself. So, meet my coffee family. You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone that doesn't understand coffee culture. Lower Hutt-based coffee connoisseur Claire Matheson figured that we all drink the stuff, so why would we not have equal opportunity to work in the industry? When she expanded her businesses, running cafes and as a coffee educator, she embraced the idea of diverse ability. I had a real belief that coffee and the coffee industry was something that was very inclusive. Whether you are behind the counter, serving, or whether you're a customer, it's that place where people come together. When asked if she would train people with disabilities, she felt it was a no-brainer. So we ran a four-day course with profoundly deaf students and an interpreter, and it was just an amazing success. Lifemark advises designers and builders on the principles of inclusive design. Our job's not done until every house, uh, is built to be accessible, and, uh, currently, we certify around 2% of all new buildings, so we've got a job to do. Employee Adam Wakeford nominated his company to highlight the way they'd embraced disability. Adam is one of two wheelchair users who have been employed by this small six-person business. But then the company directors went one step further. They reckoned they needed to live by their own principles, so they moved the business to a new building, better suited not only to Adam but to any Kiwi with a disability. You know, it's important for us to have an environment that's flexible for everyone to visit us um, and obviously for everyone that works here as well. Lifemark is encouraging Adam to influence the design of not only homes but building products. TRIBAL DRUM MUSIC Bryce Dinneen's business has been built out of adversity. In 2007, Bryce dived into shallow water and broke several vertebrae. Paralysed from the neck down, he has minimal hand function. His fishing days were surely over. But, no, Bryce developed a business, Wish 4 Fish, to get disabled people out on the water. Now he's leading Project Noah to raise money for an accessible fishing boat. We're building a boat for the community from scratch, uh, breaking down all those barriers around access and opportunity. Wish 4 Fish was all about giving people the opportunity and the access to enjoy saltwater activities, something that I'd experienced before my accident, loved it to bits, possibly thought it wasn't an option moving forward after my accident, but then decided that we could make it happen with the right attitude and an open mind. Genevieve McLachlan lives with multiple disabilities but was raised by parents who pretty much told her to figure things out and get on with life. I'm one of six, so my parents didn't have time to treat me any differently, and I'm really grateful for that, because it made me strong and it made me take risks. She established her business, Adaptive Technology Solutions, to help people with disabilities find equipment and overcome their own challenges. My own experience of having multiple disabilities has had a huge impact on me starting the business. I understand where people are coming from and the real sense of achievement that you get from being able to do something again. PEACEFUL MUSIC John Burton established his coffee and tea business in an era when few disabled people managed their own businesses and coffee was barely on our collective radar. John's family was an original importer of bulk Choysa and Bell Tea into NZ. 21 years ago, John was diagnosed with Marfan's syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects the body's connective tissue. The same year, he underwent heart surgery. While recuperating, he hatched his plan for his own business, importing Dilmah Tea. Complications after a second heart operation left him paralysed. When I woke up paralysed, I had no idea this was gonna happen to me, as all of us don't. And I had family ` a 5- and 3-year-old, a wife. And so I just` My business was all going well, so I just decided then I've just got to get on and get going on this and not look back ` look forward. John boxed on with a fresh venture, launching the cafe brand Columbus Coffee. The first one opened just after I got out of the spinal unit. And we got another shareholder in, and he's just, uh, taken us from sort of three cafes to 62 cafes now. Make sure you, uh, treat people with a learn` same as others ` not different ` the same as` equal as other people round the country. Hamish Taverner never misses an opportunity to advocate for people with learning disabilities. It's a role he's performed for more than 20 years. Hamish is a former national chairperson of People First NZ. 51-year-old Hamish grew up on a farm in Bulls and was teased because of his learning disability. It was a bit tough when I got picked on a bit like that. My parents, who taught me when I was young to be as normal as other people, not a disabled person. Just as a ordinary person. Hamish has been a longstanding member of Special Olympics. He underwent leadership training to become a Global Messenger and represented NZ in both the World Summer Games in Athens and the Asia Pacific Summer Games in Shanghai. Hamish has travelled nationally and internationally as a delegate, acting as a voice for people with learning disabilities. Wendy Duff is one of tens of thousands of Kiwis caring for a child with a disability. What sets Wendy apart is that she shares that love and commitment, supporting hundreds of other NZ families. 20 years ago, Wendy and Mark's adopted son, Elliott, was diagnosed with autism. They had no prior knowledge of Autism Spectrum Disorder, but Wendy joined the Auckland branch of Autism NZ and later became a board member of the national organisation. Once a family has a diagnosis of ASD for their child, um, most don't know where to go. They're overwhelmed, they're scared, they're frightened. Wendy helps families in crisis. She's lobbied government for better education, greater understanding of autism and better respite care. She's also a representative on two Ministry of Health working groups, the Disability Connect board and the Mt Richmond School board. If I can help a family walk down that pathway and walk with them and get them the needs and supports that they deserve, um, that's my aim. Debra Lampshire spent 18 years at the now closed Kingseat Psychiatric Hospital. She empowers other people experiencing mental health issues to shape their own recovery. I spent 18 years at Kingseat. I've never been back since I left. This` This is it. This is the first time I've, um, even driven past the place. And it's, um... Oh God. Oh God. (SOBS) You know, I can hear a hundred voices. I feel a huge burden. (SNIFFLES) I have a huge responsibility to those that never got to leave here. I owe them so much. Debra started hearing voices when she was 6 years old. She was committed at the age of 17, and it wasn't until she was 35 that she left Kingseat. Even after leaving the facility, she languished in boarding houses and psychiatric facilities, until she decided to take action and reclaim her life. Today Debra is an internationally recognised academic who presents at conferences nationally and internationally. Through her roles as a professional teaching fellow at the University of Auckland and an educator for the Auckland District Health Board, she advocates the practice of compassionate care. MEN CHANT HAKA Congratulations to all our finalists. To purchase your tickets to the 2016 Attitude Awards, go to... Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2016