Who are we?

​CCIS (Complex Chronic Illness Support) is an Incorporated Society*, that is also a non-profit registered Charity in New Zealand.

We have five qualified staff in Tauranga, Whakatane, Waikato, and Wellington and provide remote and virtual support to all other parts of New Zealand.

Our administrative office is based in Tauranga. Consisting of a facilitator support administrator, a funding manager, and a CEO.

We have nine members, placed throughout the North Island, that bring together business acumen and support to maintain the forward-thinking services that this agency has provided for over 41 years.

Whilst we are the largest one on one support service for people with ME/CFS in New Zealand, the reality is that we are made up of many smaller regional groups, providing personalised support and care for people with ME/CFS and FM. This is achieved through a fabulous bunch of volunteers placed throughout the country to facilitate social groups and provide support for the Facilitators, as well as manage our social media.

*As an incorporated society, we are member-focused.  Members vote on constitutional changes, members pay an annual fee, and can bring communication to the CEO and Board, on how CCIS is run.

Vision, Mission, Purpose and Values

Vision: Complex Chronic Illness Supports vision is to Empower People Towards Wellness.

Mission: The vision focuses our mission to to improve the quality of life of people who live with a complex chronic illness, as well as that of their loved ones.

Purpose: The vision and mission drive our purpose to empower and educate members and advocate for their needs and their lives.

Values: These concepts fit the values like a jigsaw puzzle. Together they complete the picture that embodies our organisation. In determining values appropriate for the organisation, we considered the use and application of the values, including our culture, brand value, what drives decision-making, and how we support and deliver our services. The values that underpin our organisation are:

Empowering – People move forward with their journey towards wellness when they are empowered to take charge of their own health, with knowledge and boundaries.

Person-centred – People are at the heart of everything we do, and we are led by their needs. We design services to meet people’s needs now and in the future.

Collaborative – We believe to make change happen, we need to bring people, ideas and resources together. Partnerships and teamwork are fundamental to our success.

Adaptable – We acknowledge the world around us is changing and we need to change by innovating and applying creative solutions to move forward. We are resourceful in response to this change.

Accountable – We deliver on our promises and hold ourselves responsible. We are honest, candid, transparent and respectful in all aspects of our work, applying good judgement for effective decision-making.

Culturally Responsive – Our organisation reflects the cultural context of NZ/Aotearoa through the recognition and understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, with cultural competency and ability to relate to diverse needs – ensuring holistic management plans are individualised to encompass the beliefs, values, and customs of their user.

Our Story

Although CCI Support only came into being in May 2018, the organisation it was born out of is over 40 years old!  Bay of Plenty ME Support Group was formed in August 1981, just 1 year after ANZMES was formed. That makes both groups among the longest-serving support organisations in the world for people affected by ME/CFS!

1980    ANZMES (Associated NZ Myalgic Encephalopathy Society) formed.     Local couple, Richard and Betty Walters were on the steering committee.

1981    Richard and Betty Walters gain permission from ANZMES to form a Bay of Plenty support group for ME sufferers.  First meeting held in August 1981.

Nov 1981  Began a partnership with MS (BoP) Society so that ME members could have access to the MS field officer.

1986    ME/CFS Support (BoP) became an Incorporated Society with its own legal identity, but continued to work with MS (BoP)

2001    ME and MS organisations separated

2003    The first dedicated ME/CFS field officer, Margaret Tomlinson, was employed.

In December 2003, Tina Richards was employed as field officer. The main focus of her work was visiting new and existing members; providing information on ME/CFS; helping to validate members’ experience of their illness; facilitating support meetings and coffee mornings, and generally fostering a sense of connection with each other and our organisation so people no longer felt isolated. Tina did this as sole Western BOP field officer for over 10 years, and often had the feeling that there was such a need that what was being provided felt like the proverbial ‘drop in the ocean’. She was noticing that members often struggled to gain momentum in their healing journey.

2008    ME/CFS Support (BoP) Inc became a Registered Charity (No. CC20874)

2015    Towards Wellness Programme: Around 2015, we found a need to expand our services to cater to a growing number of young members, and Kira Follas was appointed Youth Field Officer. Out of their discussions around providing a more effective vehicle to help empower people to drive their own wellness journey, Kira and Tina created the Towards Wellness (TW) programme. TW was designed as a comprehensive, holistic educational package for those with ME/CFS/FM and related conditions. This is especially important for those who are newly diagnosed so they get the right information as soon as possible to maximise their chances for improvement. It was found that, through the TW programme, people who had been ill for several years were, for the first time, ‘joining the dots’ and making sense of what had previously seemed like disparate pieces of the puzzle, and seeing how they all fit together.

 Towards Wellness was endorsed by Dr Ros Vallings, and in 2016 the programme won a local Adult Learning Innovative Provider Award. Enquiries about TW were received from around the country and a decision was made to explore ways to make an online version available throughout NZ.

We are receiving enquiries about it from around the country, so our next step is to explore ways to make an online version of the programme available throughout NZ.

2018    The logical next step for the organisation was re-branding as Complex Chronic Illness Support (CCIS) as people with ME/CFS often experience one or more overlapping or related conditions (either diagnosed or undiagnosed) in addition to ME/CFS and FM. So the new name was a better reflection of the clientele we work with. Another development was the taking over of field officer services for the Rotorua area when the Rotorua ME/CFS Charitable Trust ceased operating.

2019    We moved into a new premises at 53 Fraser st. New staff appointed.  Miranda Whitwell as C.E.O. and Charlotte Kelp as the new Field Officer for Tauranga.

2020    Covid-19 invaded New Zealand and saw us working in a new way.  For the entire lockdown all staff are currently working from home and services are going online.  This has brought us to a point that we can now offer most services online. 

2021    We finalised the Transfer of services from MS Waikato to CCIS Waikato with an opening in Hamilton on 13th May.  We retained the MS Waikato staff. 

WellME (A Wellington ME/CFS Support Group) were closing down, after much discussion Transfer of Services was completed. CCI Support Wellington was launched. 

With COVID-19 still raging in New Zealand, we decided to take most of our services online.  We employed a dedicated national Health & Wellness Facilitator to support these members.  CCI Support National was launched.

2022    New Facilitator for the Wellington region was employed.

2023    We continued to grow, in services provided and in membership. Another National Health and Wellness Facilitator was employed. Bringing our staff to 9.

The Nelson/Marlborough ME/CFS & FM Group was transferred to CCI Support as the coordinator moved from the area.  A new Nelson Support Group Coordinator was employed.  CCI Support Nelson/Marlborough was launched

We now have a dedicated Men’s Mentoring and Mindfulness/ Meditation Facilitator.

2024  Launch of the Support Persons Workshop and Mindfulness and Meditation Workshops

Acknowledgements…

• Richard and Betty Walters – for their tireless work for several years after the formation of ME/CFS Support (BoP), including personal financial input, to get the organisation established. Their son, Brian Walters, was also heavily involved during the early years.
• Tina Richards – Field Officer 2003 – 2019, and the background information for this history (up to 2019) is kindly provided by Tina.
• John Kelliher – Secretary/Manager from 2003 – 2013. John’s skills and dedication helped develop the group further.
• Life Members – Joan August, Maurice Dryden, Trevor Archer, Richard and Betty Walters, Brian Walters, John Kelliher