Talent Team Archives | AntnzVentures

A picture looking down towards the ground. ADNZ Raven is looking at camera with her tongue poking out slightly. On Antnz left shoe, a plastic brace is attached to above toes. ADNZ Raven's harness and lead are lying on the grasswith a tennis ball,

CHAOS seems to be the theme of 2020

Antnz on September 9, 2020

Once again it feels like just the other I sat down and got stuck into writing a blog, but in reality it’s been awhile since my last one. For me life had been in this weird space of both carrying on and being on pause. While we in New Zealand have seemingly successfully navigated Levels 4 and 3 of our Covid Alert system; the sun rose each morning, yet so much of life was “on hold”. And now we have moved down through Level 2 and now after several weeks of Level 1 some sense of “normality” was happening before New Zealand had a “second waves” cluster/s appear in the last few weeks.

Assistance Dogs NZ Team Training: Day 2

Antnz on June 20, 2020

We haven’t had a lot of opportunity to do public access with Assistance Dogs NZ (ADNZ) Raven while we’ve been on lock-down, and today she rocked it in her new harness. ADNZ Raven’s physiology is different to ADNZ Ben so we’ve been getting the set up right for her public mobility tasks. If you would like to support ADNZ Raven’s fundraising please head to: https://give.everydayhero.com/nz/assistance-dogs-nz-ben-has-retired-please-support-his-succes

Video description: ADNZ Raven is wearing a bright blue harness with a Y-front and small handle attached to a D-ring on the back of her harness, to the right of her body. Antnz is on Raven’s right (behind in frame). They are walking into a bank. Antnz is using crutches.

On the top left is the lettering "Level Four Covid Alert Walkies". Below the lettering stands ADNZ Raven to her waist, wearing her blue ADNZ jacket looking across frame. Antnz blue sweat pants are seen to the right of Raven, you can just see Antnz wheelchair.

Out for a walk. Level 4, Covid19 Alert

Antnz on April 25, 2020

I’ve finally dragged out the GoPro and been taking some footage here and there. This was us getting out on a “government approved exercise” walk on the 23rd April. Assistance Dogs NZ Raven is still getting used to this route and where the barking dogs live. I needed to get my editing groove on again, so put this together…. I hope you enjoy.

Nice day for a walk with ADNZ Raven!

Stay Home, Save Lives.
Antnz

A picture of a white window, with curtains shut. Behind the glass are several teddy bears on the window sill, a stuffed Kiwi hanging from the frame, two colored-in Easter eggs and one Poster with text saying "Thanks essential workers" surrounded by smaller pictures representing different essential services

WOW in the last couple of months the world went a bit wonky!

Antnz on April 18, 2020

It seems like yesterday I was writing a tribute to Assistance Dogs NZ (ADNZ) Ben, then next thing I know; the world is looking a whole lot different! ADNZ Raven is here and our entire country is in a state of emergency on “Level 4 Covid 19 Alert”; which is essentially “only leave your house for essential services like food or medical care, or your employment is classed as an essential service, the borders are now closed”.

A close up of ADNZ Ben looking at camera

Life is a Series of Chapters; A tribute to Assistance Dogs NZ Ben

Antnz on March 16, 2020

Its time for one chapter to close, and another to open.

If you have met me over the last 6 or 7 years you will have also met my sidekick, Assistance Dogs NZ Trust (ADNZ) Ben. ADNZ Ben has been with me through many ups and many downs over the years, but the reality is that he is now 10 years old, he’s done an amazing job for me over this time but he is retiring. He will be rehomed with a long time friend of mine who will give him a relaxed retirement, where he can just chill. She is also one of the few wheelchair users he will sleep behind so I know he trusts her. I have also been matched with a successor through ADNZ.

A close up of my left foot and ADNZ Ben's right rear foot. — Together our feet get us there

Gary Williams (left) and Jade Farrar in the midst of a conversation

January started quietly then ramped up!

Antnz on February 1, 2020

It’s been an intense couple of weeks that’s for sure!

So after taking it easy for a few months it’s time for me to start putting my toes back in the waters of Enabling Good Lives and being more active again in taking control of what I can control and try to let go of the rest. Which is hard, I seem to be “hard wired” to just get in there and make it happen. I also have a lot going on with the “medical” side of life coming up so I’m prioritizing what I do and how much I take on this year.

A pink sky with trees framing the sides and 1/2 way up the image, dawn of 1 Jan 2020

I know I said I’d be more posting more regularly…. then I went AWOL. Now it’s a new decade!

Antnz on January 6, 2020

Disclaimer: All thoughts and opinions shared in this blog are my opinion and written from a personal experience. My opinions do not represent any organisation that I collaborate or work with.

Well I know that I said I would be posting more regularly in my last blog, then I promptly seemed to fall off the planet. Honestly though whanau; I had a mental breakdown at the end of August. It’s taken me until now to get my head together again enough to write. It’s been a case of surviving so I can once again thrive.

You may have noticed some changes!

Antnz on July 21, 2019

If you have been following closely to this page you may have noticed some changes recently. Although I have been incredibly busy with Enabling Good Lives, a lot of things have still been on the go behind the scenes.

One of the things that has been going on is a bit of an update, refresh and upgrade of this page. The bulk of the “foundation” work is now done but some additional bits and pieces will be continue to be quietly updated over the next few months. We’ll be tweaking a few things, adding more photos and I will be trying to write a little more regularly now that I have a more “Antnz friendly” interface to be working with.

Where does the time go??

Antnz on May 30, 2019

Where did the last two years go??

The Facebook “Memories” function is both a blessing and a curse sometimes. It can be a curse by reminding us of sometimes painful moments, but the flip side of that is that “Memories” can also be a way remembering the good times and pivotal moments of your life as well.