Te Wiki Tuao ã-Motu National Volunteer Week runs from 14-20 June 2026. Volunteers play a vital role in our community. ADHD NZ is grateful to everyone in our community who helps keep support groups active and running across Aotearoa New Zealand.  

In 2017, Karen Gillespie established an ADHD Parent support group in the Wellington region through ADHD New Zealand, creating a safe space for parents and whānau seeking understanding and connection. 

At the same time, Karen was navigating her own family journey, with a son (Liam) diagnosed with ADHD, then later diagnosed with autism and her younger son being diagnosed with ADHD. At the time, there was only one support group available, based in Auckland, leaving a clear gap in Wellington (and nationwide). 

““My son was struggling, after a formal diagnosis, my husband and I reached out to ADHD NZ to see if there was a support group in Wellington, they said “No,”” 

The Launch of the ADHD Parent Support Group 

Karen recognised the need for something specifically designed to support parents of children with ADHD and other forms of neurodiversity. She began exploring ways to bring parents together to support and share their experiences. Running the ADHD Parent Support Group wasn’t easy. Many parents faced barriers to attending. Karen wouldn’t know if anyone would turn up on the night the meetings were being held.  

“Many parents were exhausted, balancing work and caregiving responsibilities that made attending evening meetings difficult... Childcare was also a barrier, as well as finding the energy to leave the house.” 

Over time, the group expanded. When they had guest speakers, attendance rose to 14–15 parents. These sessions highlighted an important issue: many families were unaware of the support available to them, including disability allowances and community services. One of the guest speakers was from Parent 2 Parent, where they held a Minecraft Club for kids with Autism. Once Karen’s eldest son was diagnosed at 8 with Autism (as well as ADHD) too, Liam started to attend Minecraft Club. 

Partnering with ADHD NZ to create LEGO Club 

While Liam was at Minecraft Club, there was no Club available for Karen’s younger son to go as he did not have an Autism diagnosis, and he was under 8 years old. So, she started to run a LEGO club for children with ADHD and ASD. Attendance slowly grew, but running the LEGO Club at the same venue as Minecraft Club created challenges. 

Karen created a proposal through ADHD New Zealand, bringing the LEGO and Minecraft clubs under the ADHD New Zealand umbrella. She was happy to run the LEGO Club while Sharyn continued to run the Minecraft Club.  

“For many parents, having a Minecraft Club was the only respite available. LEGO & Minecraft Clubs provides a safe environment for the children to be themselves.” 

When the person (Sharyn) running the Minecraft Club advised that she could not continue to do so, Karen gladly stepped into this role to keep the continuity of the Club. 

I needed to find someone to run the LEGO Club now because we're in two different venues. Sophie (a volunteer parent) said that she was happy to run the LEGO club for me, so that's what we did.” 

Today, the impact of that early effort continues to grow through both connection and community. The ADHD Wellington Kids' Minecraft Club and the ADHD Wellington Kids' LEGO Club remain safe and supportive spaces in Tawa for children with ADHD, ASD and any neurodivergent diagnosis to build friendships through creative play.  

“[As a volunteer] I’ve gained so much. I have gained so many friends, so much knowledge and guidance from other parents. I still meet with our original ADHD parents, where we still catch up three times a year” 

ADHD New Zealand would like to thank Sharyn (Minecraft Club), Karen and Sophie for helping support parents. ADHD NZ would like to shout out to all our amazing volunteers, ngā mihi nui for the time, effort, and energy you’ve contributed to our community.  

For more information, please visit our events page.  

This article has been made possible by support from the Volunteering New Zealand IVY 2026 Celebration Activation Programme grant.