Employment Opportunities
Board of Trustee Member Wanted
Due to recent the recent retirement of one of our long serving Trustees, Back-Up New Zealand is currently seeking candidates to bring their expertise to our Board of Trustees. Back-Up New Zealand, a not-for profit organization, provides outdoor adventure activities and training courses to assist with ongoing rehabilitation and personal development for people with disabilities.
To compliment our existing Trustees, the ideal candidate will possess a dynamic personality, sharp business sense and be willing to network on behalf of the Trust. As this position is on a voluntary basis, Trustees are requested to be able demonstrate some commitment of available resources (i.e. time and energy) to help oversee the aims and objectives of the charity and move it forward into the future.
To register expressions of interest, or for further information about Back-Up New Zealand, please contact Kirstin Thompson, Chairman, Back-Up New Zealand Board of Trustees on 06 833 6605 or email lochdhu@clear.net.nz.
Get Involved
At Back Up New Zealand you can become involved in many ways from volunteering, buying a ticket to our annual fundraising ball, participating in a course or skydiving for the charity.
Whether you are newly injured, have had an injury for many years or were born with a disability we would love to hear from you. Back-Up have experience dealing with pretty much any disability. By choosing to go with Back-Up we can guarantee a safe enjoyable experience that will be a highlight of your year.
As a participant you’ll have your own idea of things that you want to achieve during your BU course. We can help you to set goals for the week, and our instructors will strive to help you achieve these. Each participant will be facing their own challenges, be it a fear of heights, flipping a canoe, or meeting a group of new people.
Over the past four years we have run courses for people with: spinal cord injuries, head injuries, EB, spina bifida, amputees, visual impairments, cerebral palsy and MS. We have something for you, no matter what your disability!
Back-Up opened my eyes, they showed me that outdoor recreation wasn’t just something that I could dream about, it was something I could do. I could’t believe it, all the fun stuff was open to me. --- Toni Burgess
The Role of a buddy
To make our courses possible we need the help of our able-bodied buddies to join in and lend a hand where possible. The role of a buddy is varied and not only do our buddies enable the full participation of our group members with disabilities but they gain valuable life-changing experiences of their own.
To be a buddy you don’t have to have any experience or understanding of disability, but what we do ask of our buddies is that they come with an open-mind i.e. you have to be willing to work just as hard as everybody else. Whether that means going that extra mile to reach the top of that mountain, the bottom of that cliff or the end of that river, and making sure that everyone else reaches it with you.
You don’t have to be at the peak of physical fitness, but you need determination and have to enjoy working in a group. Buddies come from all walks of life, bank managers, students, nurses, you name a profession and they have probably been on a course. The rewards of being a buddy are just amazing!
When I agreed to help on one of the Back-Up New Zealand pilot summer courses, I didn’t quite know what I was letting myself in for! Having had a very vague idea about the whole Back-Up concept I wasn’t quite ready for what happened to me! I witnessed some amazing people do some amazing things, and I didn’t quite realise how able people with disabilities are. It’s not often that I am left with nothing to say but Back- Up provided me with this opportunity! Every single person was buzzing at the end of the week, me included, and I didn’t want to leave!
I like to think of myself as an outdoorsy type of girl, and pretty physically fit. I’m a gym fanatic and like the odd occasional run, so when I started the course I was a bit complacent, and expected to take a back seat to the other participants, lending a hand, and generally helping with the smooth running of the course for every one else. I did do all this, (except take a back seat) but on top of it, I was made to push my boundaries too! I was huffing and puffing along with the rest of them, and I was absolutely knackered the whole of the following week, but I felt amazing.
I’ve made great friends and caught up with two of the other participants already in the last three weeks. The people on that course are an absolute inspiration to me, and my life direction has turned around 360 since. I’ve delayed my trip back to the UK and have completely re-assessed my future, and you would have had to know me before to realise the implications of this decision. When Back-Up says it’s life changing, it means it!” --- Jenny Hughes - buddy on second multi-activity course, April 2003.
Being a Carer
Carers ensure that those who need help with their daily care are able to participate in all the course activities.
Carers on a course are usually matched 1 to 1 to help with the personal care of a person with a disability. This could include washing, dressing, skin care, bowel and bladder management.
The challenge for a Back-Up carer is to apply their skills in a completely different environment, while also participating in the course themselves! It is hard work but helps with the development of leadership skills and makes the courses more than worthwhile.
As well as all this, you’ll have a great laugh,and one of the best weeks of your life!! If you've done care work before, or would just like to learn get in touch with the office.
