Enabling Great Lives Together
Join the Glow 500 club and help our young people live great lives
Every person deserves dignity, connection and purpose. GLOW supports adults with intellectual disabilities to live meaningfully in their communities, for life.
A family-led initiative in Taranaki partnering with community and supporters to build lasting support systems.
ABOUT GLOW
Great Lives Our Way (GLOW) is a family collective based in Taranaki and registered as a charitable trust in 2016. Established by individual whānau / families who have united around the common goal of ensuring that the lives of their sons and daughters are lived to their fullest potential. GLOW has a specific focus on the lives of the six disabled people who are the heart and soul of GLOW as well as serving as a model of how families can work collectively to effect change.
Our focus is person-centred, emphasising self-determination and ordinary life outcomes in typical community. Our whole philosophy at GLOW is centred around each individual person, their needs, dreams, their aspirations and supporting them to create a life that ‘fits who they are intrinsically are as human beings.'
GLOW was instrumental in establishing the first peer support network for people with disabilities in Taranaki, the second in New Zealand and something about the project on sustainable outcomes you did last year and its wider application to other groups facing similar challenges.
At GLOW, we believe that people with intellectual disabilities shouldn’t just survive - they should flourish. Through relational, long-term supports and community networks, we partner with families and supporters to build foundations that last.
Our vision is for people with disabilities to have full and fruitful lives, being included in their neighborhood and contributing to the community of their choice.
Our Vision & Mission
We envision a world where adults with intellectual disabilities live with dignity, purpose, and belonging—fully integrated into their communities.
We provide relational, sustainable support structures, guided by families, powered by community, and built to last.
Values That Drive Us
Person-Centred: Each person is seen, valued, and supported according to their aspirations.
Continuity & Responsibility: Supports that outlast any individual.
Belonging & Connection: Relationships matter.
Transparency & Learning: We openly share what works—and what doesn’t.
Innovation & Adaptability: We evolve with experience and evidence.
How We Operate
We use a collective framework grounded in relational support:
Family Coordinators - long-term relational stewards who maintain continuity and oversight
Circles of Support / Friends - networks of community, friends, neighbours who share care, connection, and accountability
Dynamic Knowledge Sharing - we document and open-source what we learn so other families or groups can adapt and replicate
Our Journey & Milestones
We began as a group of family-led efforts in Taranaki
Over time, we formalised structures, roles, and supports
Today we serve core members and support a growing network of families
We have published resources, run workshops, and engaged with the disability and health sectors
Contact us
Find out more about getting involved with Glow or to join the 500 club.