My Perfect Family: Ebony Sinclair
Ebony Sinclair is a go-getter born with Achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism. Ebony and her husband Ge...
My Perfect Family:Fragile X
To discover you’re the carrier of the genetic condition Fragile X only after your children are born ...
My Perfect Family: Nash Jones
The Jones family’s life changed forever when their youngest boy Nash was diagnosed with a rare condi...
My Perfect Family
Exploring the day today lives of tight-knit families, who are managing complex or unusual conditions...
My Perfect Family: Lydia Golding
6-year-old Lydia Golding was born with her right femur bone significantly shorter than her left. In...
My Perfect Family: Hatty
Hatty Walton is a 13-year-old star on the show Mystic, who lives with a hearing impairment. Hatty ho...
My Perfect Family: Twins
For young mum Nikki Stokes being a mother of five means there's never a dull moment. With non-verbal...
My Perfect Family: Georgia Heard
Georgia Heard thought she had parenting all mapped out. But when the younger of her two boys was di...
My Perfect Family: Mahia & Tipene
Mahia and Tipene Stephens were born with a congenital eye disorder, causing their eyesight to deteri...
My Perfect Family: Harper Ahern
Since being diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy at age four, 10-year-old surfer Harper and his family ...
My Perfect Family: Meet the Asners
They call themselves the "The Brady Bunch of Autism". Descendants of Hollywood royalty, Matt and Nav...
My Perfect Family: Kat and Ella
Kat Yearbury is a mother to two-year-old Frankie and six-year-old Ella, who has Cerebral Palsy and E...
My Perfect Family: The Priestleys
Four of the six Priestley family members live with Autism. Because they’re able to function at a hig...
My Perfect Family: No Respite
Life during a pandemic is a challenge for all parents with kids at home. But for parents whose child...
My Perfect Family: Kim Preston
Raising three boys is always a big task, especially when two of them have severe autism. But Kim Pre...
My Perfect Family: Zoe
Zoe Tate lives with Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome, a genetic disorder affecting her appearance, growth an...
My Perfect Family: Hunter
Hunter McGregor is a passionate gamer, a design school graduate, and he runs a B&B with his mum, Roi...
My Perfect Family: Jaxon Woolley
15 year old Jaxon Woolley is already blitzing through para-sprinting records. An athlete to watch, J...
My Perfect Family: Max and Grace
Siblings Max and Grace are off on a road trip to Queenstown, putting Max's independence to the test ...
My Perfect Family: Friedreich's Ataxia
Preparing for a 30th birthday is a big deal in the Boon family. Three out of five siblings live with...
My Perfect Family: Courtenay
Demar Gear was just five months old when she contracted meningitis, leaving her unable to walk or ta...
My Perfect Family: Tara Aumalesulu
Nine year old Tara is launching her very first album, Pele O Lo’u Fatu. Living with visual impairmen...
My Perfect Family: The Fergusons Part 2
Last week we met the Fergusons, a family of five who communicate using NZSL. Here, we join the Fergu...
My Perfect Family: OCD
For two teenage sisters living with OCD, the world can often be an uncertain and scary place. In the...
My Perfect Family: Grace Payne
Grace Payne is a powerlifter who has competed in the Special Olympics as an autistic athlete. Now, 2...
Brothers and Sisters
The unique perspective of those closest to us, our brothers and sisters.
My Perfect Family: Creative Clan
Ranger Ashurst is eleven and needs regular injections to control his Chrone's disease, his eight yea...
My Perfect Family: Tri Rugby
For members of Christchurch's Tri Rugby team - who live with intellectual disabilities - rugby is mo...
My Perfect Family: Bold As Brass
As New Zealanders living in Australia, Abbi and Morgan Brass received no government support when the...
My Perfect Family: The Fergusons Part 1
The Fergusons are an average family of five; they have fun, they fight, but mostly they get along. ...
My Perfect Family: Jo & Leon
Young doctor Jo Scott’s career was on the rise when a brain haemorrhage changed her life. Seven year...
My Perfect Family: Perrones
Young anime artist Bee Perrone lives with the rare condition, Ivemark Syndrome. Understanding this i...
My Perfect Family: Little People
The 50th annual conference for Little People of New Zealand (LPNZ) is fast approaching, and 27-year-...
My Perfect Family: Southland Lockdown
Awards Night is the highlight of the social calendar for a vulnerable workforce at Southland Disabil...
My Perfect Family: CDKL5
Learning your new baby has a complex rare condition is life altering. Three Mums connect over their ...
My Perfect Family: Malaena Cariño
12-year-old Malaena Cariño has a rare genetic form of epilepsy. Her whānau have exhausted most treat...
My Perfect Family: Martine
Blind since birth, Martine Able-Williamson is now a global leader in the blind community. In this i...
My Perfect Family: Cystic Sisters
Kristy and Nikki are sisters and young mums who bring smiles to the faces of strangers by doing surp...
My Perfect Family: Sam and Jason
Sam lost her sight as a baby due to meningitis, and her husband Jason has limited vision due to a ge...
My Perfect Family: Alex
Performance is in the Walsh family’s DNA. When their youngest son Alex was born with Down syndrome, ...
My Perfect Family: Tiffiney Perry
Always an active person, Tiffiney Perry continued participating in sports and achieving success afte...
My Perfect Family: Family Man Graeme
When Graeme Porter was diagnosed with an intellectual disability as a child no one expected him to r...
My Perfect Family: Scruff's Bunch
Kim Preston (Scruff) reckon's she'll be caring for her three adult sons with Autism until she 'carks...
My Perfect Family: Candle Dad
Raising four children alone is a challenge - more so, when two have Down Syndrome. Tony Sykes rose t...
My Perfect Family: Southland
Southland Disability Enterprises employs over 80 people who live with a disability. For Mary-Ellen J...
My Perfect Family: Melody
Within just one year Melody entirely lost her vision, gave birth to her first child, and left her ho...
My Perfect Family: Welcome Home Stevie
Murray and Janine's son Steven was a gentle boy with autism. 18 months ago he left their house with ...
28 year-old Hunter MacGregor and his ma Roimata live together in the small town of Kaiaua, an hour south of Auckland.
“Ever since I got my degree of creative technologies we’ve lived down here for three years, it is much farther away from society than we bargained.”
They get along supremely well, they're yin and yang. In their wee home and garden they keep chickens and run an airbnb; Hunter’s job is to make the beds.
“She’s the cleaner I’m the maker.”
At age two Hunter was diagnosed with Autism, leaving Roimata as a single parent to work out what this meant for the two of them.
“That was shattering because I didn’t really know what I was going to be dealing with at that stage.”
Now Roimata has a better understanding of what Autism is.
“Autistic spectrum disorder is a spectrum like a rainbow, like the so-called ‘normal’ spectrum.”
“Autistic spectrum disorder is a spectrum like a rainbow, like the so-called ‘normal’ spectrum.”
The best advice Roimata was given was to avoid letting her son get stuck in routines.
“Fortunately I was working in a job which allowed me to travel, we went to India three times.”
For Hunter she says the most obvious thing is; “he is quite odd and doesn’t have the most fabulous social skills.” Hunter does not have many friends but this doesn't affect him as he gets along with his ma so well.
But he is he starting to worry about the future as they both get older.
“First of all who is going to cook his meals?” She asks.
Roimata had to tell Hunter he was autistic, but she says his eyesight is what makes him feel most different.
“He’s partially blind because of his damaged optic nerve,” at age 13 he had acute hydrocephalus.
Hunter has made progress gaining a degree in creative technologies, although he hopes to get a job in what he calls “the battlefield.”
“I do want to get myself out there, but what if I bungle and get booted from the battlefield, that would be a serious disgrace.”
An obstacle for Hunter is his anxiety as his ma says he can worry about the most ridiculous things.
“Oh my god the yen is falling is this going to be the end of nintendo? He’ll worry about that for a day and he worries about storms.”
Roimata believes the isolation of Kaiaua has not been beneficial to Hunter.
“We’ve become a little hermit-y so I’m a bad influence on him. I think he needs to be dragged out of his shell a little more and that’s not going to happen down here.”
She hopes one day he will get a job doing something he loves.
“Even though that breaks my heart, I have to be able to let him go.”
Like all mothers Roimata hopes Hunter will find a partner.
“I would like him to fall in love and be living in an environment where he can be happy and cook with somebody else and ultimately feel secure.” But until then, the two peas in a pod will continue through life together.
Being Me: William
Diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and anxiety as a child, 25-year-old William Luskie is now an...
My Perfect Family:Fragile X
To discover you’re the carrier of the genetic condition Fragile X only after your children are born ...
Crips In Cars: Jess & Jason
Jessica Tyson is Miss World New Zealand and a mental health advocate. Jason Gillard has channelled h...
Crips In Cars: Paula & Hunter
Paula Bennett is a politician and former Deputy Prime Minister. Hunter McGregor studied media design...
My Perfect Family: Hunter
Hunter McGregor is a passionate gamer, a design school graduate, and he runs a B&B with his mum, Roi...
My Perfect Family: Welcome Home Stevie
Murray and Janine's son Steven was a gentle boy with autism. 18 months ago he left their house with ...
Unlocking Autism
As a neurologist and mother, Ros Hill is determined to unlock the mysteries of autism.
My Perfect Family: Courtenay
Demar Gear was just five months old when she contracted meningitis, leaving her unable to walk or ta...
The Mutes
In this rock-u-mentary we go on tour with The Mutes from Mars. They've been madly practicing for one...
Being Me Alix
Alix Generous has spoken at the United Nations, made a significant contribution to science, given tw...
Seclusion
Ashley lives with autism, behavioural challenges and mental un-wellness. He's in a secure mental hea...
Being Me: Jason
Throughout childhood Jason Edgecombe was different and suffered endless rejection. But a diagnosis o...
My Perfect Family: Meet the Asners
They call themselves the "The Brady Bunch of Autism". Descendants of Hollywood royalty, Matt and Nav...
Damiana Rides Again
For years Damian Day has cycled up and down New Zealand searching for a place to fit in. Has he fina...
Philip's Puppets
Meet Philip - a quirky puppeteer living with Autism. With the help of 2 puppets he's spreading a mes...
My Perfect Family: Twins
For young mum Nikki Stokes being a mother of five means there's never a dull moment. With non-verbal...
Jimmy Wants a Job
Twenty-two-year-old Jimmy Rae Brown wants a job, he loves film and he may just have found the perfec...
Josh Flannagan: Horse Whisperer
Humans and the way they behave have always confused Josh Flannagan but his special affinity with hor...
My Perfect Family: Scruff's Bunch
Kim Preston (Scruff) reckon's she'll be caring for her three adult sons with Autism until she 'carks...
Sam's Big Adventure
Sam Muir-James can swim to Rangitoto Island, perform magic tricks and make children laugh. He doesn'...
Being Matt Frost
When the personal becomes political: Matt Frost, policy advisor and advocate asks us to take a walk ...
Hunter's Universe: Hunter's World
Hunter is a young guy living with Autism. He has an unusual way of looking at the world. He writes s...
Four Go Flatting
Four young people reckon it's time they moved out of home and went flatting. But with intellectual d...
Brothers and Sisters
The unique perspective of those closest to us, our brothers and sisters.
My Perfect Family: Kim Preston
Raising three boys is always a big task, especially when two of them have severe autism. But Kim Pre...
Tiny Houses Jason Gillard
Jason has autism and never fit in with his peers at school. But it's his quirks and attention to det...
My Perfect Family: The Priestleys
Four of the six Priestley family members live with Autism. Because they’re able to function at a hig...
My Perfect Family: The Cookie Project
Born with disabilities including Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Ngā Hou now works as a baker at The Cookie ...
Born Different
James, a teenager with autism, knows what it’s like to feel like an outsider. He wrestles between st...
My Perfect Family: Melody
Within just one year Melody entirely lost her vision, gave birth to her first child, and left her ho...
Being Me: Denise
Living with autism and anxiety disorder has made social connections difficult for Denise. But in a n...
Being Me: Julia
Artist and disability activist Julia Young lives with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. She has learned to...
My Perfect Family: Georgia Heard
Georgia Heard thought she had parenting all mapped out. But when the younger of her two boys was di...
My Perfect Family: Grace Payne
Grace Payne is a powerlifter who has competed in the Special Olympics as an autistic athlete. Now, 2...
My Perfect Family: Mitch Brown
20-year-old Mitch lives on Aotea/Great Barrier Island with his dad and sister. Mitch lives with auti...
Tiny Houses Jason Gillard
Jason has autism and never fit in with his peers at school. But it's his quirks and attention to det...
My Perfect Family: Grace Payne
Grace Payne is a powerlifter who has competed in the Special Olympics as an autistic athlete. Now, 2...
Being Me: Te Huia Apaapa
26-year-old Te Huia Apaapa is a gifted runner and triathlete known as ‘The Rocketman’. Te Huia has a...
