The Foundation at a glance
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The Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind began as the Jubilee Institute for the Blind in 1890 and has operated continuously for 117 years.
In April 2003, the RNZFB formally became a membership-based organisation, symbolised by the name change from 'Foundation FOR the Blind' to 'Foundation OF the Blind', and with a new Constitution. The Foundation is New Zealand's primary provider of vision-related rehabilitation services for our members.
Who is eligible to join?
Any New Zealand resident whose sight does not exceed 6/24 in the better eye with correcting lenses, or who has serious limitations in their field of vision (generally not greater than 20 degrees in the widest diameter). Parental guardians of children who qualify for membership can also become full members.
The organisation
- Membership: 11,600 (approximately)
- Annual cost of member services: $22.7 million; $7.4 million from Government and the balance from donations and other sources
- Board members: 10
- 320 staff in 19 offices nationwide
- Community Committees: 43
- Volunteers: more than 14,300 assist with fundraising and with every aspect of delivering services
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Associated consumer organisations
- The Association of Blind Citizens of New Zealand Inc
- Blind Sport New Zealand
- Deafblind NZ Inc (note: Funding was stopped in April 2007)
- Guide Dogs Society NZ Inc
- Ngāti Kāpō o Aotearoa
- NZ VIEW (New Zealand Vision Impaired Empowering Women)
- Parents of Vision Impaired New Zealand (PVI)
- Retina New Zealand Inc
- SEYFF (Support and Education for our Youth, their Families and their Friends)
Supporting independent living in 2006-2007
- 1,291 members' needs were assessed
- 2,099 adult members learned to adapt to everyday life with sight loss
- 1,139 adult members were supported with independent travel
- 354 young members learned to adapt to everyday life and be independently mobile
- 49 members were assisted into new work placements
- 140 members were supported to continue in employment
- 91 puppies were bred, purchased or donated
- 40 guide dog teams graduated and matched
Supporting access to information and culture in 2006-2007
- The library has 5,500 borrowers
- The library holds 8,490 talking book titles and 8,580 braille titles
- Almost 391,000 books and magazines in all formats were issued
- Members spent 30,150 hours listening to the Telephone Information Service
- Approximately 124,000 braille pages were produced
Annual appeals
Blind Week (October)
Red Puppy Appeal (March/April)
Membership breakdown by gender
- Male: 4,405 (38%)
- Female: 7,170 (62%)
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Membership breakdown by age
- Under 20: 811 (7%)
- 20-39: 1,086 (9%)
- 40-64: 1,833 (16%)
- 65-79: 1,810 (16%)
- 80+: 6,035 (52%)
Membership breakdown by ethnicity
- Asian: 131 (1%)
- Māori: 731 (6%)
- NZ European: 9,543 (83%)
- Pacific Islands: 342 (3%)
- Other: 828 (7%)
Number of members with different eye conditions*
- Age-related Macular Degeneration: 4,904
- Glaucoma: 672
- Retinitis Pigmentosa: 446
- Cataracts: 357
- Optic Atrophy: 290
- Diabetic Retinopathy: 332
- Albinism: 135
- Nystagmus: 119
- Other/not recorded: 4,320
* As reported. Some members report several conditions.