Parkinson’s NZ has launched a film!

The film is aimed at people who know nothing about Parkinson’s, and may wonder what it is, and why supporting Parkinson’s New Zealand is important. It explores the different affects that Parkinson’s can have on people - ranging from depression, to the clarification and relief a diagnosis can bring.

While we hope this film will be of use to our members, it is targeted towards the under 40 audience who are active on the internet and may not previously have known about our organisation, or our cause. 

Parkinson’s New Zealand was chosen by a group of Massey University P.R Students as the main charity for their class project. The paper was an exercise in creating awareness and exposure for a non-for-profit, and they decided to make us a film.

The students, based in Wellington and Palmerston North, have been working on this film for over 3 months. The film includes interviews with people affected by Parkinson’s, leading Neurologist Barry Snow, our Ambassador Jordan Luck (from Kiwi band The Exponents), and Parkinson’s New Zealand Field Officers.

We hope that the film will help combat misunderstandings and stereotypes of Parkinson’s held by the general public, which the students have discovered are rife. They conducted a survey which produced statistics such as 60% of respondents believe that Parkinson’s is genetically inherited - this is an example of a misunderstanding the film aims to address.

A lot of their film focuses on aspects of Parkinson’s which are less commonly known, as well as providing human faces and real stories about Parkinson’s.

For these students, this is the first film they have ever made and their first experience with Parkinson’s, so we are immensely proud of what they have produced.

If you wold like to learn more about Parkinson’s and what supports are available through Parkinsons’s NZ we encourage you to watch this film.

If you would like to talk to a field office in Northland click here to find out how you can contact them.