Our History
Providing support services for people with ME/CFS (and now Long COVID) since 2013.
More people affected by ME/CFS reside in Auckland than in any other city in New Zealand. However Auckland used to be the only major city without its own dedicated ME/CFS charity.
John Kelliher, former Manager of the Tauranga ME/CFS charity, recognised the gap in structured support services for people with ME/CFS in Auckland. He brought together leaders of the Auckland West, East and North Shore support groups and established ME Auckland.
ME Support & Long COVID
Long COVID is extremely similar to ME/CFS. As COVID-19 spread through New Zealand, we observed a rapid rise in the number of people with Long COVID.
A Long COVID FaceBook support group emerged, but there was still no dedicated charity or public health services to support those with Long COVID.
We stepped up, using our expertise in symptom management, advocacy and facilitating connection and support for ME/CFS to ensure people with Long COVID didn’t have to fight their illness alone.
In March 2023 our name was changed from ME Auckland to ME Support, reflecting:
Support as the core of our organisation.
We provide practical illness management support to people who need help now.
We aren’t a charity that funds research or acts as a lobbyist (though we recognise the need for both and contribute to this at times).
From Auckland to all
of New Zealand
Our online services extend beyond Auckland, and we facilitate the largest ME/CFS online support community in New Zealand.
From that one support worker in 2016, we now have seven staff and contractors, who together with our Board, supporters and volunteers work to improve the lives of thousands of people with ME/CFS and Long COVID throughout New Zealand.*
830
members of our charity organisation
1000+
Facebook support group members across New Zealand
350
people receiving direct life changing assistance every year
* Figures as at November 2022
Our Brand Story
A new look,
but the same charity.
In 2022 the ME Auckland board decided to rebrand to reflect the growth of the organisation and the work we do and after a design process decided on ME Support - Navigating ME/CFS and Long COVID.
The following words that describe who we are and what we would like to be were used to develop the new brand.
Trustworthy
Protective
Empathetic
Encouraging
Facilitative
Supportive
Approachable
Independent
Providing Leadership, Care, Guidance, Navigation, Pathways and Hope.
Our New Name and Logo
We've changed our name from ME Auckland to ME Support for two reasons:
1.
To reflect the work our staff and volunteers do outside of Auckland (e.g. our online support community).
2.
Support is at the heart of what we do. However, when we abbreviated our full legal name* to ME Auckland in the past, the word "Support" was lost. We're bringing "Support" back into our name.
The story behind the new logo and the candle relates to the famous nurse Florence Nightingale, one of the first recorded cases of ME/CFS.
During her nighttime rounds at hospitals, Nightingale carried a lantern, which became a beacon of hope for her patients (and led to her being called "the lady with the lamp").
Our logo represents Nightingale's lantern.
We think it's a great symbol for ME/CFS. Here are three reasons why:
A lantern shines a light on something in the dark
Representing our efforts to raise awareness of this often neglected condition.
We want to shine a light on ME/CFS.
Light symbolises truth
Reflecting our quest to dispel widely-held stigmas around ME/CFS.
The lantern
provides a beacon
That guides people to safety. In a world clouded with misinformation, we provide the best illness management information to guide your journey.