Philippa (Pip) Brunn

I am a facilitator, educator and community leader based in Palmerston North. I bring many years of experience in education, disability advocacy, governance and community leadership, alongside my lived experience as a neurodiverse person, an adoptee with experience of the foster care system, and a parent of disabled and neurodiverse children. These experiences have shaped my strong commitment to human rights, inclusion, self-determination and ensuring disabled people and whānau have a genuine voice in the decisions that affect their lives. 

I have been involved with Enabling Good Lives (EGL) in Midcentral since 2017. My involvement has included leadership, governance, facilitation and system transformation roles, including Deputy Chair of the Midcentral Mana Whaikaha Governance Group and my current role as Independent Facilitator of the EGL Midcentral Regional Leadership Group . 

I have worked alongside disabled people, whānau, providers, community organizations and government agencies, helping to connect lived experience and community knowledge with system-level conversations and decision-making. My previous experience includes the Midcentral DHB Consumer Council and facilitating the CCS Disability Action Tēnei Au – This is Me, Here I Am program

My approach is grounded in the Enabling Good Lives principles, Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. I believe disabled people and whānau are the experts in their own lives. My role is not to speak for people, but to help create spaces where people feel safe to find their voice, share their knowledge and influence change.

At the heart of my work is a belief that “We don’t need to create a place for people to belong. We need to make room, because we all belong.”