Formats

Kōrero is emailed to all our clients and members, Consumer Organisations, and Community Committees on the last Thursday of every month. Kōrero is also available in the following formats:

• This webpage, available easily at http://BlindLowVision.org.nz/korero.
• November 2025 Kōrero Word document.
• Alexa: Say “Alexa, open Blind Low Vision”. Alexa will then guide you through the main menu. Then, at any point, say “Alexa, magazines”; and then “Alexa, BLVNZ Korero”.
• TIS (Telephone Information Service): Call TIS m 3 4 1. Find your local TIS number on our Library Services webpage.
• Braille: https://media.blindlowvision.org.nz/uploads/2025/10/L2510031-Korero-October-2025.docx Download the BRF file of October 2025 Korero or call our Contact Centre on 0800 24 33 33 if you would like to receive Kōrero in Braille.

Tell Me About it

This is your space to share bite-sized learnings from your experiences as someone who is blind, deafblind, or has low vision. Maybe you’ve got a new gadget you’re loving, or you’re an Excel expert with great tips on accessibility features. Whatever it is, your knowledge could help someone else. Whether it’s a tech trick, a daily living hack, or anything in between, we want to hear from you! Your insights could make a big difference to others in the community.

If you’d like to submit an idea, please email Communications@BlindLowVision.org.nz.

Smart tips for everyday home life

This month, one of our members, Katrina, shared some tips she’s discovered for making life at home a little easier. From clever kitchen hacks to simple ways to keep track of everyday items, her ideas are practical, creative, and easy to try.

I have recently found a new use for book rings, which you can usually find at stationery supplies. They are metal circular rings similar to keyrings and come in various sizes. You simply find the join on one side of the ring and open it with your hands.

I use book rings in the kitchen to thread items onto so I can easily find them in a drawer. I use one ring to clip my electric beater parts together, another to connect silicone rings for poaching eggs, and another to clip small serves of various sizes.

If you have a rail on the back of a pantry or cupboard door, you can clip book rings onto it to easily find and feel items. You can also use a length of curtain wire with eyelets fixed to the back or inside of a cupboard to hook your book rings or lids, making them easier to find.

Tired of rummaging in the linen cupboard for bedding? Use under-bed storage containers for each bed, then slide them under the bed for easy access. No more searching for the right size bedding.

Struggling with kitchen cupboards because you don’t have drawers? Pantry storage options at Kmart are great. I have narrow drawers in my fridge for jars, so I can reach everything without knocking items over. Larger drawers can slide out to give better light and space, and they help keep items organised. These containers are also great for tins, keeping fruit, baked beans, and other items together, and can be used in bathroom drawers to stop small items from falling out.

Another hack I use as a mum: my partner and Iwe have a three-tier hobby trolley from Spotlight for my children’s art and craft supplies. It can be wheeled to a table so they can use it and put things back straight away, keeping the house tidy.

Do you keep losing the remote control? Use Velcro dots to attach it to the back of the TV or a nearby surface so you always know where it is.

Hate the deep freeze and have trouble finding food? An upright freezer with drawers makes it easier to categorise food, and silicone wristbands can help group foods or meals together.

Funding Opportunities

The Shirley Owen Trust: follow your musical dreams

Music is a wonderful way to express yourself and grow your confidence, and the Trust is here to make that journey a little easier.

Established from a generous gift by the late Shirley Owen, this Trust offers funding support for Blind Low Vision NZ clients who want to study music. You can apply for help with tuition fees, access to Braille music, or some funding towards purchasing instruments.

Find out more about the Shirley Owen Trust and download the application form now.

If you have any questions about this grant, please email PF@BlindLowVision.org.nz or call our contact centre on 0800 24 33 33.

Enrolling for study in 2026? Don’t miss out on the Oppenheim Fund!

If you’re heading into study next year, the Oppenheim Fund can help with course fees. You’ll need a few key documents, including proof of enrolment and a letter of support—so it’s a good idea to start your application early. Applications close Wednesday 14 January 2026 at 1 pm.

Learn more about the Oppenheim Fund and apply on our website

How the Pearson Fund can help you prep for Summer 2025

Need help updating your tech or tools before the busy summer season?

The Pearson Fund supports eligible members with costs for specialist equipment that enhances independence.

Now’s a great time to find out if you qualify.

Learn more about the Pearson Fund and how to apply on the Blind Low Vision NZ website.

MSD Training and Support Funds Programme

The Ministry of Social Development offers Support Funds to help people with disabilities or health conditions get either Job Support or Training Support, depending on what you need help with. Support Funds can help with the additional costs incurred as a direct consequence of disability or health condition, when undertaking the same employment or training as a person without a disability or health condition.

To apply for Support Funds, you need to complete either a Training Support Application (PDF) or Job Support Application (PDF) and send it, with supporting documentation to Support_Funds@msd.govt.nz. If the PDF forms are troublesome to fill out on your own, please call the MSD Job and Training Support Fund number 0800 551 001 so they can help you out.

Noticeboard

Remembering Ken Porter, the voice behind your favourite reads

Contributed by Mary Schnackenberg

For those of you who do not recognise Ken’s name, if you ever rode in the lifts at Awhina House, you will have heard his voice. Ken passed away on Thursday evening, 2 October, at the age of 99 years.

Ken retired as the Deputy Librarian at the University of Auckland in 1990. He then joined the Foundation’s narrator team. He narrated many books and magazines. He may be best remembered for Time and The Listener.

Ken’s pronunciation knowledge of some 20 languages was invaluable for Time. He also narrated radio and television schedules, which were distributed through the postal system on cassette. In mid-1995, the radio and television schedules were moved from cassette format to the Telephone Information Service. We set up Menu 2 and gave him the list of bulletin numbers for all the schedules then published in The Listener. He updated the schedules each day, ensuring today’s schedules as well as the programmes for the upcoming week. We could plan our listening and viewing just as sighted readers of The Listener could do. Ken retired in May 2016, when his memory loss prevented him from doing the narrations of the schedules.

Ken was an amateur actor with a prodigious memory of Shakespeare and other literary texts. He wore his learning lightly.

Here are a quick few of Ken’s book narrations. You can find these in the Blind Low Vision NZ library and on Alexa skill:

• Tomorrow comes the song: a life of Peter Fraser by Michael Bassett (054061)
• The tipping point: how little things can make a big difference by Malcolm Gladwell (054684)
• Cassino: New Zealand soldiers in the battle for Italy by Tony Williams (056191)

We thank Ken for sharing his voice, bringing stories to life, and making the world of books and schedules accessible to so many.

Contactless payments on buses and ferries are coming soon with Motu Move

In November, a new national public transport payment system called Motu Move is being introduced.

Greater Christchurch – including Waimakariri, Selwyn, and Christchurch City – will be the first region to go live. Metro customers in Greater Christchurch will have the option to board Metro buses and ferries using a contactless debit or credit card, and digital payment methods such as Apple Pay and Google Pay on mobile phones and smart watches.

If you use a concession (Total Mobility, Community Services Card, SuperGold, youth/child fares) you do not need to take any action yet. Concessions will be available on Motu Move in 2026, and we’ll keep you informed.

Metrocards and cash will continue to be accepted.

For now, you can find out more on the Motu Move webpage of the NZTA website and the Motu Move page of the Metro website.

Webinar Recordings & Resources

Explore a series of standout webinars covering topics from cutting-edge accessible technology to vital support funds.

Listen to Work Ready Webinar Recordings at your leisure on the Blind Low Vision NZ website.

Our latest tech webinar about Blindshell Classic 3, a practical look at accessible mobile technology, is now available on our resources page.

Upcoming events

Work Ready Webinar Recordings & Resources

Explore a series of standout webinars covering topics from cutting-edge accessible technology to vital support funds. Listen to Work Ready Webinar Recordings at your leisure on the Blind Low Vision NZ website.

Community Bulletin

Contactless Metro payments are coming soon with Motu Move

From 10 November, people who use a standard adult fare in Christchurch, Waimakariri and Selwyn can pay simply by tagging on with a contactless debit or credit card, phone or smart watch when boarding.

This is the first step in introducing Motu Move, the new public transport payment system that will eventually be used across Aotearoa.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Standard adult fare customers have more ways to pay – tagging onto the bus or ferry with your contactless card or device is easy.
• There are no extra fees or surcharges, and you’ll pay the same as the Metrocard adult fare.
• Metrocards and cash will still be accepted until later in 2026.
• Concessions (SuperGold, Community Services Card, Youth, Child and Total Mobility fares) will be available on Motu Move at a later stage.
  People with these concessions don’t need to do anything for now.

You don’t need to do anything yet unless you want to try contactless payment. Everyone will be informed well before any changes take effect in 2026.

For more details, visit the NZTA website or Metro website.

Volunteer and share your experience at Low Vision Day

Every year, the University of Auckland runs Matarehu/Low Vision Day. This is a great chance to share your experiences and help students understand the challenges people with low vision face, while allowing them to explore practical ways to offer support.

Event details

• Date: Monday, 23 February 2026.
• Time: 10:30 am – 2:45 pm.
• Location: University of Auckland, Grafton Campus, 85 Park Road, Auckland.
• Parking: Free.

Who can volunteer

• People with low vision who can read any of the letters on a vision chart from arm’s length (50 cm) away or further.
• People with tunnel vision or hemianopia.

What volunteers will do:

• Share experiences of everyday tasks such as reading, cooking, or getting around.
• Support students practicing vision assessments (no drops) and using low vision aids.

Volunteers will receive a $50 Woolworths voucher as a thank you. Complimentary low vision eye exams can be booked for a later date, and volunteers may be eligible for Ministry of Health funding for glasses. Clients are encouraged to bring their cellphone or tablet, glasses, and any portable magnifiers.

Limited places available, first registrations taken. For any questions or to register, please contact Michelle O’Hanlon by phone at 09 923 6592 (leave a voice message) or by email at M.Ohanlon@auckland.ac.nz.

This is a great way for clients to contribute to the education of future optometrists while sharing their real-life experiences with low vision.

Tune into this week’s accessible TV programmes

How to access Audio Descriptions: In general, Audio Description (AD) can be switched on or off by pressing the AD button on a TV Remote Control. However, some TVs have a different label on the remote button, and others require AD to be switched on or off via the menu.

Listings of audio described programmes for this week on the Able website.

Thumbs Up

The Blind Low Vision NZ Library Delivers the News!

Did you know you can access newspapers and magazines from the Blind Low Vision NZ Library in formats that work for you? Whether you’re into current events, sport, or a bit of celebrity gossip, it’s a great way to stay in the loop and enjoy your favourite reads.

What’s Available? 

From The New Zealand Herald to New Zealand Rugby World and Woman’s Weekly, there’s something for everyone, with an awesome narrator to bring your favourites to life. Check out Romy Hooper, one of our wonderful narrators, featured in Woman’s Day online. You can find an audio copy in the magazine section of the Library, magazine number 251-20250804, 8 August edition.

You can also catch up on Blind Low Vision NZ’s monthly newsletter Kōrero and the quarterly Library newsletter Sound and Touch, both available in the magazine section.

How to Access the Latest Scoop 

Check out ways you can sign up to and access our Library through the Accessing the Library page on the Blind Low Vision NZ website or by calling the Contact Centre on 0800 24 33 33.

Library members can find magazines and newspapers on Amazon Alexa, the EasyReader, BookLink Web, and through Book Drive USB. To get set up with any of these or for any other help, you can call our Contact Centre on 0800 24 33 33.

Some newspaper and magazine articles can also be accessed through our Telephone Information Service (TIS). You can find regional TIS phone numbers on Blind Low Vision NZ’s Library Services website or by calling 0800 24 33 33.

Library tip: give your own thumbs up to a great read

If you’re a Library member, remember you can request books to be added to our collection. If there’s something you’d love to read or listen to, just let us know, your suggestions help make our Library even better.

This month, CEO Andrea gives a thumbs up to Volume 1: Community and Society by Brian Doucet, Raianne Van Melik, and Pierre Filion. This book is now available for listening. Contributions by Deafblind Association, Parents of Vision Impaired, and Kāpō Māori Aotearoa New Zealand are also featured. The best way to find it through the EasyReader App is by searching the book number 143968. You can learn more about the EasyReader App on our website.  

If you’d like to request or recommend a book, or have any questions, please contact our library team at Library@BlindLowVision.org.nz.

A great day at the Whangārei Equipment Demo!

Thursday, 9 October was an exciting day at our Whangārei office as we welcomed clients to our Equipment Demo Day. It was fantastic to see so many familiar faces, and a few new ones too, exploring the displays, asking great questions, and chatting with our team throughout the session.

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make the event such a success. We really appreciate you taking the time to come along and be part of it.

We’re already looking forward to the next chance to catch up with clients in other regions over the coming year, and to showcase more of what’s new and exciting in the equipment space. If you have any questions about the products, please contact our Equipment Solutions team at Equipment.Orders@BlindLowVision.org.nz.

Telefriend: Here to Support You

Telefriend offers empathetic, non-judgmental, and confidential peer support for people who are blind, deafblind, or have low vision, as well as their caregivers, family, and friends. Whether you need guidance or just want a friendly chat, we’re here to help.

Call us at 0800 100 051, from 1pm to 4pm, Monday through Friday. If you call outside these hours, leave a message – we will return your call. Connect with a Telefriend today by dialing 0800 100 051.

Holiday update: to make sure our Telefriend team gets a well-deserved break over the holidays, the Telefriend 0800 service will pause from Friday 12 December and return on Tuesday 20 January. Any messages left during this time will be picked up when the service resumes.

Noticeboard

Plan ahead for Christmas: key dates for your Vision Store shopping

The festive season is right around the corner, and it’s time to get those Christmas lists ready!  Whether you’re shopping for yourself or a loved one, make sure the Vision Store is one of your must-visit stops.

We’re proud to offer the latest in accessible products, supported by the care you know and trust, made possible through our partnership with Vision Australia.

Holiday closures

To help you plan your shopping, please take note of our holiday closure dates. Vision Store and Equipment Service (EQS) have slightly different schedules, so check the dates below to make sure your orders arrive on time.

Vision Store 

• Monday, 1 December 2025: Final day to place orders for in-stock Vision Australia items.
• Friday, 19 December 2025 – Monday, 6 January 2026: Customer Support closed for the holidays.
• Monday, 6 January 2026: Warehouse reopens and dispatch resumes.

Equipment Service (EQS)

Don’t forget, our Equipment Service team will also be taking a short break over the holidays. Please plan ahead to make sure you have everything you need before the closedown.

• Monday, 15 December 2025: Last day to place orders.
• Wednesday, 17 December 2025: Last day for dispatch before the holiday break.

During our Customer Support closure, you’ll receive an automated reply letting you know about our temporary break if you contact us by email.

Wanting gift inspiration?

Visit our Vision Store Christmas Gift Ideas webpage for thoughtful, accessible presents this holiday season.

If you have any questions, please email Shop@BlindLowVision.org.nz or call our Contact Centre on 0800 24 33 33.

Message from RNZFB Board Director, Martine Abel-Williamson: An Invitation to Join Us in Our Mission

As a member of this community and a client myself, I know firsthand the incredible difference our organisation makes. The support I’ve received has been life-changing, and I know many of you feel the same way. We are a community that supports one another, and today, I’m writing to you with a special invitation.

Over the years, many clients have chosen to give back through donations, and their generosity has helped so many others. We are never too young to think about what is in our Will and who has helped us through challenging times.

Inspired by them, we are now creating a way for all clients to contribute financially, if you wish. I want to be very clear: this is an invitation, not an expectation.

Every service we provide is made possible through the generosity of donors. A gift, no matter the size, helps ensure we can continue to be there for everyone who needs us. It allows us to innovate, expand our reach, and empower more people in our community.

Whether you choose to donate or not, our commitment to you remains exactly the same. You are, and always will be, a valued member of our community. Thank you for being part of this journey with us.

Martine Abel-Williamson

Board Director

FAQs

1. Why are you asking clients to donate? We believe in our community, and we’ve heard from many clients who want a way to give back. We’re creating this program to offer a clear and simple opportunity for those who are in a position to contribute and wish to do so.
2. Will the services I receive change if I don’t donate? Absolutely not. Your access to our services and the quality of support you receive will never be affected by whether or not you choose to donate. Our services are here for you, unconditionally.
3. How will my donation be used? Your gift will go directly toward funding the core services you know and experience every day. It will help us provide support to more people, develop new programs, and ensure we are here for our community long into the future.
4. Is my donation confidential? Yes. Your decision to donate and any financial details are kept strictly confidential within our fundraising team. This information is not shared with the staff who provide your services.
5. How can I make a gift? Thank you for considering it! You can Regular Giver, make a one-time donation or you may want consider leaving a gift in your will. Contact our friendly Supporter Care team at SupporterCare@BlindLowVision.org.nz or call 0800 DONATE, that’s 0800 366 283.

Dogs of the Cable Car 2026 Calendar – now available online

Last month we shared the Dogs of the Cable Car 2026 Calendar, celebrating Wellington’s much-loved canine commuters. Our amazing guide dogs in training feature throughout the calendar, with Guide Dog in Training Brian proudly chosen as the cover star. The calendar wasn’t available for online purchase at the time, but good news – it is now!

You can purchase your calendar online through the Artisan website or pick one up at the Cable Car ticket box. They make a lovely gift for dog lovers and supporters of guide dogs. All profits from calendar sales go to Blind Low Vision NZ’s Guide Dogs, helping raise and train future guide dogs across Aotearoa.

If you have any questions, please contact Letetia on 027 322 8884.

Staying Safe Online Series

The ‘Staying safe online’ series will share simple, practical tips to help you spot warning signs, protect your information, and feel more confident online.

Episode Four: Charging your phone safely

Sometime people charge their mobile or tablets in public places like cafés, airports, or libraries. But did you know that using an unknown USB charger or port could put your data at risk? Hackers can use a method called juice jacking to steal information through shared charging stations.

When you plug in your phone, you might see an option to share data or charge only. Always choose charge only. This lets your phone take power without sharing any personal information. You don’t need to turn your phone off –— just make sure it’s not set to share data.

How to check your settings:

On Android: When you plug in your phone, you may see a message like “Charging this device via USB.” Tap it and choose “Charge only” or “No data transfer.”

On iPhone: When you plug into a charger that’s also connected to another device, you might see “Trust This Computer?” Always choose “Don’t Trust” unless it’s your own computer.

To stay even safer, use your own charger or a portable power bank instead of public USB ports. And remember, keeping your device software up to date helps protect against new threats too.

Charging safely is a small step that helps keep your personal information private, wherever you go.

Ask Me Anything

You’ve told us that better communication matters — and we’ve heard you. This is your direct line to our Chief Executive, Andrea Midgen, and the RNZFB Board (BlindLowVision.org.nz).

Whether it is about the services we provide, the direction of the organisation, or ideas for the future, we want to hear from you. Your voice helps us grow and improve.

Submit your question anonymously or include your details for a direct response. It’s quick and easy! Access the Ask Me Anything form via Microsoft Forms. Alternatively, you can call our friendly Contact Centre team on 0800 24 33 33 to submit your question.

Job Opportunities at Blind Low Vision NZ

The latest job opportunities at Blind Low Vision NZ are listed below. For the complete list, go to the Blind Low Vision NZ Careers website.