IHC New Zealand

05/06/2026

"This will be my fourth time as a judge of the IHC Art Awards, and on each occasion it has been a heart-warming and uplifting experience.

Every awards exhibition I’ve seen has been full of vibrancy and delight. You can’t help but smile when you encounter the artworks, many of which are delightful surprises.

On the previous two occasions, the awards exhibitions have been presented at Webb’s Gallery, so I’ve had the additional pleasure of watching the exhibiting artists show off their work with well-justified pride to friends, family, and gallery visitors. I love hearing the artists talk about their work, learning what inspired them, and sharing in their infectious joy."

We’re proud to spotlight Mark Hutchins-Pond as one of this year’s IHC Art Awards judges.

With more than 30 years in the art world, Mark is a Senior Art Specialist at Webb's Wellington and former lead curator at Pātaka Art+Museum. Across his career, he has built extensive experience as a curator, writer, and judge of contemporary art in Aotearoa.

Mark brings a deep knowledge of the visual arts sector and a strong appreciation for contemporary creative practice. We’re excited to have his expertise and perspective as part of the 2026 IHC Art Awards.

04/06/2026

"Taumarere goes to Porirua College and draws or paints at every opportunity. He loves to draw emergency vehicles on his tablet but also paints and likes drawing with pens. He uses his imagination to come up with the characters in his pictures. He has a very distinct style which we love."

Ka rawe koe, we love your style too! Taumarere is proudly pictured with his entry for the IHC Art Awards 2026. 👏

The IHC Art Awards exhibition will be held at Webb’s Wellington, 23 Marion Street, Wellington from Friday 24 July to Friday 7 August 2026. Learn more here: www.ihc.org.nz/artawards

03/06/2026

We are proud to spotlight artist Amy Hall and celebrate her imaginative textile work. Her entry for the IHC Art Awards 2026 showcases her creativity, skill, and love of storytelling through embroidery.

~ With two4nine

IHC Art Awards 2026 Artist Spotlight

Amy Hall - Textile Artist

We are delighted to celebrate Amy Hall, whose embroidered artwork "A Goat with a Wish" has been entered into the IHC Art Awards 2026.

Inspired by Valentino from Disney's Wish, Amy has used expressive stitching, rich textures, and careful attention to detail to capture the playful personality of this much-loved character. The work celebrates imagination, adventure, and the joy that stories can bring.

Amy is an accomplished textile artist whose embroidery reflects the subjects she is most passionate about. Her achievements include First Place in the IHC Art Awards in 2024 and Third Place in 2025.

When she isn't creating, Amy enjoys swimming, spending time with cats, and volunteering with animal rescue organisations throughout West Auckland.

We are incredibly proud to support Amy and wish her every success in this year's awards.

03/06/2026

📢 Have your say on the Disability Support Services Bill before 12 June.

The Government has introduced the Disability Support Services (DSS) Bill. It would set out in law how disability support services are structured, including how decisions are made about funding, eligibility and support.

There are still important details to be confirmed. People in the disability community have raised concerns about what this could mean for access to support, funding, and support for carers.

If passed, there would be a three-year transition period while new policies are developed.

Disabled people, whānau and organisations need to be involved in shaping what comes next.

IHC will be making a submission, and we encourage you to have your say too.

The closing date for submissions is 1pm on Friday, 12 June 2026.

👉 To make your submission, visit: www.tinyurl.com/dss-haveyoursay

👉 New Zealand Disability Support Network - NZDSN has a helpful guide on how to make your submission:
www.nzdsn.org.nz/make-your-voice-heard-in-the-dss-bill-select-committee/

We’ll continue working alongside the disability community to advocate for a fair, transparent system that supports disabled people to live good lives.

03/06/2026

Everyone has the right to good health. 🍅

Cath and Shayne Jeffares bring this to life through The Happy Healthy Kitchen – a free website and workshop programme funded by donations to IHC.

Inspired by IHC’s From Data to Dignity report, they help people with intellectual disabilities build confidence to cook simple, affordable, healthy meals and make positive lifestyle choices.

Through workshops like Happy Healthy Me and Cooking with Cath, they travel across Aotearoa sharing practical tips and encouragement with people and their supporters. The website is also a useful resource for staff supporting people with lifestyle-related conditions such as diabetes.

Cath and Shayne are working towards 100 recipes on the website by the end of the year, building a growing collection of healthy, affordable meal ideas for everyone.

We’re proud to support their mahi and partner with people helping others live healthier, more independent lives.

Visit their website for recipes, tips and events :

At the Happy Healthy Kitchen you can cook with us, try new recipes and learn skills in the kitchen. Step-by-step videos and recipes added often. Designed especially for the disability community.

02/06/2026

"As well as the opportunity to support an important initiative, I am looking forward to discovering new artists and their great work. I’m excited about the challenges when judging as there is always so many excellent artworks it makes it difficult to choose just a few!" – Elizabeth Caldwell

We’re proud to spotlight Elizabeth Caldwell as one of this year’s IHC Art Awards judges.

Elizabeth brings more than 30 years of leadership experience across Aotearoa’s arts sector, with senior roles at Te Papa, City Gallery Wellington, and Dunedin Public Art Gallery. She now leads arts, culture and heritage at Napier City Council.

With a career dedicated to shaping and supporting public art institutions, Elizabeth offers a strong curatorial and leadership perspective to the judging panel for the 2026 IHC Art Awards.

02/06/2026

Congratulations to Hamish Taverner, who has been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the King’s Birthday Honours 2026 for services to people with learning disabilities.

Hamish has been involved with IHC for decades. He is a member of the IHC Rangitikei Association Committee and a former Chair, and he also sits on the IHC Chief Executive Advisory Group. A dedicated and passionate advocate, Hamish is well known for saying:

“My main goal is to make sure people with learning disabilities have the right to have their say and are treated the same as other people.”

We also acknowledge Sam Johnson, a valued member of the Choices NZ Board, who has been recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours 2026.

Sam’s governance, leadership, and ongoing commitment to building inclusive communities continue to strengthen our organisation and the wider sector.

This recognition highlights the outstanding contributions of both Hamish and Sam, and their shared commitment to creating a society where people can live great lives and have their voices heard.

Ngā mihi nui and congratulations to you both.

Palmer­ston North man Ham­ish Tav­erner’s atti­tude has always been that people with dis­ab­il­it­ies should be treated like any­one else. Tav­erner, who has an intel­lec­tual dis­ab­il­ity and cereb­ral palsy, has spent more than 40 years...

30/05/2026

“The element of surprise, each year when I've judged the IHC Art Awards, I appreciate the uniqueness of the individual artists and their use of media to showcase their creativity in front of their whānau, support workers and wider community, which is very courageous." – Michel Tuffrey

We’re proud to spotlight Michel Tuffery as one of this year’s IHC Art Awards judges.

Michel is a New Zealand artist of Pacific heritage, widely recognised for his multidisciplinary practice spanning sculpture, printmaking, and painting. His work is grounded in cultural storytelling and community engagement, and has been exhibited both nationally and internationally.

We’re thrilled to have Michel on the judging panel and look forward to the perspective he brings to this year’s Awards.

Learn more about the IHC Art Awards here: www.ihc.org.nz/artawards
Entries close tomorrow, 5pm

29/05/2026

Congratulations to the winners! 🌿📚
The IHC Library has announced the winners of its very first bookmark competition held over the Easter school holidays. With over 100 incredible entries, the judges had a tough job selecting just four winners.

Inspired by this year’s theme, Nature, the winning artworks stood out for their creativity, colour and imagination. The competition celebrated young artists with intellectual disability and/or autism from across Aotearoa, with the winning designs set to be printed and shared with library readers nationwide.

Read the full story and see the beautiful winning bookmarks here:
www.ihc.org.nz/news/four-talented-rangatahi-win-with-stunning-bookmarks

Thank you to everyone who entered our competition and to our judges Illustrator and designer Josh Morgan Illustration, IHC Media contributor Chardonnay Kyle and children’s book illustrator and author Kat Quin as judges.

~~~

Cotter & Morgan