Letitia’s Message

Welcome to the summer edition of the magazine. It is starting to feel a lot like a New Zealand Christmas, with longer days, warmer weather and the smell of BBQs.

Of course, for some people, this combination can play havoc with hay fever, so if you have allergies make sure you have your medication handy – especially if you have asthma. It is a great reminder to have a ‘warrant of-fitness’ with your healthcare provider to ensure you are on the right asthma medication, and that your symptoms are well controlled. Don’t forget to visit our website to download your own free Asthma Action Plan (and a Child Asthma Symptom Diary if you need one for your tamariki).

As you all know, 2024 marked our 60th anniversary. To commemorate that, we created a beautiful 60th anniversary pin (page 19) which you can purchase from our website. This limited edition pin is only $10, and all proceeds go towards funding our resources so they can remain free. Order as a great little stocking filler, or even to pop one into a Christmas cracker – stock is running out!

Here at the Foundation, we are already busy organising the New Zealand Respiratory Conference for 2025. The conference will take place on Thursday 30th October and Friday 31st October, and will be held at the beautiful Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre.

You can read more about this on page 18, but make sure to lock those dates into your calendar. We have secured some amazing speakers, and we will launch the 2025 NZ COPD Guidelines at this conference.

The community is a big part of the Foundation, and we love it when our schools get involved to raise awareness about asthma, and what to do in an emergency. On page 11 you will find details about our 'Back-to-School' competition, so please share and get involved. Also, a reminder that our Sailor the Pu erfish online asthma education programme is free and open to everyone. Whether you are a parent or teacher, it is an amazing resource for young ones to learn more about asthma in a fun and educational way.

BBQs and bush fires are common during this season, so make sure you know what to do should a bush fire happen close to where you work or live. Smoke is a known trigger for an asthma flare-up, so it is important to have your asthma reliever inhaler with you wherever you go. The last thing you need is to be somewhere remote, and not have your inhaler on hand. Read more on page 10.

A big thank you to King, our newest Gold Friends of the Foundation partner for supporting the Foundation in all that we do. King knows the importance of living in a healthy home, free from mould and dust mites. For more than five decades, King has been designing furniture with the aim to reduce exposure to these allergens.

If you are an organisation that wishes to be a Friend of the Foundation partner, then please contact Martin Boland or Annie Mallett, our wonderful Corporate Sponsorship and Engagement Advisors at friends@arfnz.org.nz.

In November, Better Breathing Hero Josh Brodie undertook an epic challenge - running a half marathon every day for 30 days. Josh aimed to raise funds for the Foundation, and in particular - for asthma education.

We are truly grateful for Josh, for his dedication (and fitness) to the cause. See photos from his runs, and read more on pages 8 & 9.

This year we released the highly anticipated Respiratory Impact Report, which looks at six key indicators related to respiratory disease. The report showed that 1 in 5 Kiwis are a ected by respiratory illness in New Zealand, that’s approximately 1 million people. You can read more about this report on pages 4 and 5.

This message wouldn’t be complete without talking about what is happening in the youth vaping space.

This year we completed our second youth vaping survey. The last survey was in 2021, which produced some shocking statistics on the number of secondary school students vaping. This year we expanded the age range of participants to include Year 7-8 students. This year it showed some good news, but also some areas we really need to focus on.

You can find the latest statistics and findings from the 2024 ARFNZ/SPANZ/NZAIMS Vaping in Youth Survey on pages 6 & 7.

Remember, the Foundation receives no government funding, so all our work is made possible by the generous support from your our readers, our community funding groups, our donor family, our Friends of the Foundation partners and New Zealanders who share our goal of improving respiratory health in Aotearoa.

Thank you for all your support over this year.

Noho ora mai,

Letitia