About us

You are here: / About us
You are here: / About us

We support those impacted by brain injury in Canterbury and the surrounding regions. We are the only providers like this in the South Island and one of only three across New Zealand.

Our vision and mission are consistent with the themes of the NZ Disability Strategy and the Ministry of Health’s philosophy of Disability Support Services, which is to:

  • Promote a person’s quality of life and enable community participation and inclusion, and maximise independence
  • Support a person to make decisions and have control over their lives and services
  • Focus on the individual and where relevant family/whānau
  • Should be flexible and responsive to a person’s goals and needs
Link to: Services – how we help

What do we do

We have over 220 highly specialised staff working together in an interdisciplinary team to provide a full continuum of rehabilitation and disability lifestyle services aimed at facilitating our clients’ independence and inclusion in their communities.

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Link to: Our history

Our history

Laura Fergusson Trust was established in 1967 to provide more appropriate supports for disabled people who were at that time living in aged care institutional settings.

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Link to: What is a brain injury?

Advancing brain injury knowledge

We lead and contribute to innovative brain injury research and rehabilitation technology, and provide specialised team and community education.

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Link to: Can Do Catering

Can Do Catering

To support our clients’ individual living pursuits, we’ve created Can Do Catering, a social enterprise business designed to meet the needs of its employees (people with brain injuries).

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The Laura Fergusson Orchid

The cymbidium ‘Laura Fergusson’ orchid was bred and named after Lady Fergusson in 1980 by a successful American-based New Zealand grower and was registered with the Royal Horticultural Society in the UK in 1981. 100 seedlings were grown and distributed among orchid enthusiasts, including 20 plants that were sent to New Zealand. Unfortunately, an extensive search with orchid growers today has been inconclusive as to the whereabouts of the plants now. However, the National Board of the Laura Fergusson Trust has commissioned botanical artist Sue Wickison to paint this watercolour of the orchid based on photographs from the plants in 1980, while also working from living flowers from a modern hybrid that was confirmed by the original breeder to be similar in colour and shape.

Our logo is inspired by this unique flower.

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