Focus June 2026

Welcome to our June 2026 Focus issue. You can download MS Word or PDF, or you can read it here. Packed full of information, we hope you enjoy having a read.

The Tale that Wags the Dog | From the President
Blind Citizens NZ Draft Strategic Plan 2027-2030
Blind Citizens NZ 2026 Scheduled Election 
Blind Citizens NZ 2026 AGM and Conference | Times are changing – Are we surviving or thriving
2026 Organisational Award Nomination Timeline
Consultation on Health and Disability Commission Advocacy Guidelines
Volunteers needed for our online voting trial
Honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi – Reflecting on the Journey and Mahi Ahead
Special Interest Network Highlights
Acknowledging recipients of the 2026 King’s Birthday Honours
Annual Membership Renewal
Membership Renewal Form

Focus March 2026

Welcome to our March 2026 Focus issue. You can download MS Word, PDF or BRF (Braille Ready Format), or you can read it here. Enjoy.

Focus October 2025

October 2025: Welcome to our October 2025 Focus issue. You can download MS Word, PDF, or BRF (Braille Ready Format), or you can read it here.

Focus June 2025

June 2025: Welcome to our June 2025 Focus issue. You can download MS Word and PDF, or you can read it here. Enjoy

Focus March 2025

Welcome to our March 2025 Focus issue. You can download the MS Word, PDF, audio, or you can read it here. We hope you enjoy our first issue for the year, and remember to select the alternate format that meets your needs.

List of Articles

Focus December 2024

Welcome to our December Focus issue. You can download the MS Word, PDF, audio, Braille Ready Format (BRF) or you can read it here. We hope you enjoy Focus and remember to select the alternate format that meets your needs. You can download the MS Word, PDF, audio, Braille Ready Format (BRF) or you can read it here.

List of Articles

In this edition

Focus September 2024

Welcome to our September Focus issue. We have our Focus Editor and Braille Authority of Aotearoa Trust positions to fill, updates about our AGM and Conference and more… You can download the MS Word, PDF, audio, Braille Ready Format (BRF) or you can read it here.

List of Articles

In this edition

Success is not an accident
Jonathan Godfrey, National President

Blind Citizens NZ 2024 Election Update
Rose Wilkinson, Returning Officer

Membership Subscription Review Discussion Paper

ShakeOut 2024

Focus Editor – Call for Expressions of Interest

2024 Annual General Meeting and Conference
He Tāngata, He Tāngata, He Tāngata

Is Braille one of your passions | Appointee needed for
The Braille Authority of New Zealand Aotearoa Trust

Blind Citizens NZ Board | National Office Contacts

Acknowledgement of financial support

Focus April 2024

Welcome to our April Focus issue. You can download the Word, PDF, or audio version, or you can read it here. 

List of Articles

 In this edition

Taking heart from the past to chart a path forward
by Áine Kelly-Costello, Focus Editor

Who’s an Island? Not me
Jonathan Godfrey, National President

Blind Citizens NZ 2024 Scheduled Election
Rose Wilkinson, Returning Officer

Call for Applications to fill Blind Citizens NZ’s World
Blind Union Primary Country Delegate Position pg 16

Focus Editor – Call for Expressions of Interest

How I lost Braille and found it again
by Jonathan Craig

2024 Annual General Meeting and Conference
He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata

Membership Renewal Reminder | Form

Ways to support Blind Citizens NZ’s Income
Generation Efforts

Opportunities to regularly engage with the National President

Blind Citizens NZ Board | National Office Contacts

Acknowledgement of financial support

Focus December 2023

Welcome to our December Focus issue. You can download the Word, PDF, or audio version, or you can read it here. 

List of Articles

Welcome to the December 2023 edition
by Áine Kelly-Costello Focus Editor

Exploring te ao Māori and te reo Māori – whakaaro from one Pākehā blind person
Áine Kelly-Costello, Focus Editor

He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata
Jonathan Godfrey
National President

Call for Applications to fill Blind Citizens NZ’s World Blind Union Primary Country Delegate Position

Challenging Others Challenging Ourselves
Highlights of Blind Citizens NZ’s 2023 AGM and Conference

Focus Editor
Call for Expressions of Interest

Opportunities to engage with the National President throughout 2024

Blind Citizens NZ Braille Special Interest Network

National Office Closing and Opening for Christmas and New Year

Blind Citizens NZ Board
National Office Contacts
Acknowledgement of Financial Support

Focus October 2023

Welcome to our October Focus issue. You can download the Word, PDF, or audio version, or you can read it here. 

List of Articles

Welcome to the October 2023 edition
by Áine Kelly-Costello Focus Editor

Let’s not settle for subpar representation
Áine Kelly-Costello, Focus Editor

Accessibility and taking chances
Jonathan Godfrey National President

How secret is your vote in this year’s General Election
Rose Wilkinson, Chief Executive

Vote by Telephone Dictation at the 2023 General Election

Challenging Others Challenging Ourselves | Blind Citizens
NZ 2023 AGM and Conference

Blind Citizens NZ Large Print Calendars

Announcing the outcome of Blind Citizens NZ 2023 Scheduled Election
Rose Wilkinson, Returning Officer

Blind Citizens NZ Board | National Office Contacts

Acknowledgement of financial support

Focus June 2023

Áine Kelly-Costello – Focus Editor

Welcome to the second edition of Focus for 2023.

My editorial takes you on a journey—pun intended—through some of the many facets of a blind-friendly transport system. President Jonathan Godfrey had no idea what he’d write about for his column but wrote one anyway. And long-time tech guru Jonathan Mosen brings us a fascinating read on the potential and pitfalls of using artificial intelligence algorithms in visual descriptions.

We’re also introducing a new feature this time, an update from the executive Officer on an area of advocacy Blind Citizens NZ has been beavering away on. The idea is to make the often gradual goings-on behind the scenes more visible. This time, the topic is universal access to ID. Updates in this edition on the 2023 Blind Citizens NZ elections and conference are also not to be missed. Enjoy!

As always, please do send me your feedback and your ideas for articles or topics, by August for the September edition.

Email me at focus.abcnz@gmail.com, or get in touch with the full Focus committee (Board Member Paula Waby, Chief Executive Rose Wilkinson and me) by emailingfocus@blindcitizensnz.org.nz

Note on referencing
by Áine Kelly-Costello Focus Editor

Putting a blind-friendly transport system on the political agenda
Áine Kelly-Costello

Trying
Jonathan Godfrey, National President

Blind Citizens NZ 2023 Scheduled Election
Rose Wilkinson, Returning Officer

Draft Blind Citizens NZ 2023-2026 Strategic Plan 

Visual description via AI, the promise and the problem
Jonathan Mosen

Advocating for a universally accessible form of ID

Update – Membership Subscription Review 

2023 Annual General Meeting and Conference Challenging Others Challenging Ourselves

Leadership | Advocacy Workshop – We’re calling for expressions of interest

Ways to support Blind Citizens NZ’s Income Generation Efforts 

Focus April 2023

Welcome to our April Focus issue, our first for 2023. You can download the Word or PDF versions, or you read it here

Saying the quiet part out loud
by Áine Kelly-Costello, Focus Editor

How do I know?
Jonathan Godfrey, National President

Blind Citizens NZ 2023 Scheduled Election
by Rose Wilkinson, Returning Officer

The endless hunt, and fight for accessible home appliances
by Thomas Bryan

Notice of Special Meeting of Members | Membership Subscription Review

2023 Annual General Meeting and Conference
Challenging Others Challenging Ourselves

Leadership | Advocacy Workshop
We’re calling for expressions of interest

When the rain doesn’t stop
by Áine Kelly-Costello

Appointment of Blind Citizens NZ World Blind Union
Country Delegates

Stats NZ Census update to disability sector

Ways to support Blind Citizens NZ’s Income
Generation Efforts

Blind Citizens NZ Board | National Office Contacts

Acknowledgement of financial support

Focus December 2022

Welcome to our December Focus issue, our final for 2023. You can download the Word, PDF audio or BRF (Braille Ready Format) versions, or you can read it here. 

In this edition
by Áine Kelly-Costello Focus Editor

The logistics of reading a book of your choice
by Áine Kelly-Costello Focus Editor

What is partnership?
Jonathan Godfrey National President

Membership Subscription Review

Call for applications | expressions of interest in Blind Citizens
NZ World Blind Union Country Delegate Positions

Awhina House Lessons Not Learned
by Mary Schnackenberg

New or Refreshed Strategic Plan for Blind Citizens NZ

Cyril White Memorial Fund – Applications

Blind Citizens NZ Large Print Calendars

Ways to support Blind Citizens NZ’s Income
Generation Efforts

Blind Citizens NZ Board / National Office Contacts

Acknowledgement of financial support

Focus October 2022

Welcome to our October Focus issue. You can download the Word or PDF version, or you can read it here.

• How Blind Low Vision NZ’s approach to Counselling lost it’s way, and what comes next
  by Áine Kelly-Costello Focus Editor
• Hold the Cheese 
  Jonathan Godfrey National President​
• Blind Citizens NZ 2022 Award Recipients​​​​
• Sharing your experiences with the Royal Commission on Abuse in Care
  By Jonathan Mosen
• Outcome of Blind Citizens NZ 2022 Election​​​
• Then and Now
  Poem by Kay Clark​​​​​
• Blind Citizens NZ Large Print Calendars​​​​
• Blind Citizens NZ Board / National Office Contacts​​
• Acknowledgement of financial support

June Focus 2022

This June Focus is the first issue from our new editor Áine Kelly-Costello. It is packed with a variety of interesting items including the editor’s reflections on the creation of a new Ministry for Disabled People (name since confirmed, ‘Ministry of Disabled People’), on trust and good faith, on disabled-led Disability Convention research, on the Equipment Solutions shopping experience (for blind people), and more.

April 2022 Focus

Items of interest vary and include the National President’s column, a contribution from Dr Robbie Francis Watene, Senior Researcher at Donald Beasley Institute, an Audio Description update from Able, New Zealand’s leading producer of Audio Description and Captioning for television, and a contribution from the Establishment Unit of the new Ministry for disabled people (formal name yet to be announced).

Focus – December 2021

Focus October 2021

June Focus

Along with routine contributions in our June Focus issue, there is information about the election of two Board Members, our 2021 AGM and Conference and celebrating 75-years of Blind Citizens NZ. Check out the balance of items including Kylee Maloney’s contribution, information about EvaTech’s ScripTalk (talking medication labels), Zoom Pharmacy, and the opportunity to have a say regarding government’s significant programme of work to strengthen social cohesion in New Zealand and build a safer, more inclusive society.

April Focus

December Focus

September 2020 Focus

Our September Focus issue brings highlights for Blind Citizens NZ, and news. You’ll also find information about our AGM on 10 October and ways to register (ZOOM or in Person), and the election of two Member-at-Large positions which closes 4pm, 29 September. You’ll also find more information about the General Election and for blind people, registering to vote using Telephone Dictation Voting. 

June 2020 Focus

Check out our June issue for information about award nominations, and postponement of our 75 year celebrations. Readers please note there is an extension for nominations for Blind Citizens NZ’s Extra Touch Award. These now close 4pm, Wednesday 29 July 2020.

March 2020 Focus

December 2019 Focus

September 2019 Focus

June 2019 Focus

March 2019 Focus

December 2018 Focus

Focus Magazine September 2018