Down syndrome charity UpsideDowns opens in Avondale
Kia ora neighbours, Auckland’s community of young people living with Down syndrome came together in Avondale to brighten up the walls of recently relocated charity UpsideDowns, with help from fashion icon Dame Denise L'Estrange-Corbet.
UpsideDowns opened the doors of its new headquarters to host a Kids’ Art Workshop on Saturday, July 23.
Sarah Paterson-Hamlin, CEO of the charity which provides speech and language therapy for children living with Down syndrome, said: “This is the first time we’ve been able to have a space of our own like this, and having original art from some of the kids we work with on the walls is something we will be able to treasure and enjoy."
"I’m so grateful to Dame Denise for approaching us and coming up with such a great concept. We would never have thought to do this otherwise!"
The artworks will be officially unveiled by L'Estrange-Corbet at the UpsideDowns Art Opening on the evening of 10 August.
Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
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Once again, Resene and NZ Gardener are on the hunt for New Zealand’s best shed! Send in the photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever upcycled spaces, potty potting sheds and colourful chicken coops. The Resene Shed of the Year 2026 winner receives $1000 Resene ColorShop voucher, a $908 large Vegepod Starter Pack and a one-year subscription to NZ Gardener. To enter, tell us in writing (no more than 500 words) why your garden shed is New Zealand’s best, and send up to five high-quality photos by email to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. Entries close February 23, 2026.
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