S1E14 - Interview with Neelu Jennings - Politician, Disability Advocate and Adventure athlete

Neelu Jennings

Neelu Jennings is a politician, disability advocate, and adventure athlete from Lower Hutt, New Zealand. A member of the Green Party, she has stood for both local and national office while raising two children as a full-time parent. Neelu brings deep expertise to her advocacy, holding a master’s degree in disability policy and a postgraduate diploma in public health, alongside professional experience with the Office for Disability Issues.

As the founder of Integrated Sport NZ and a decorated para-athlete, she has broken barriers in sport—becoming the first blind person to complete the Coast to Coast and the Crazyman multisport races, as well as climbing Mt Aspiring and paddling across Cook Strait. Her leadership has been recognised with an Attitude Award and a Woman of Influence Award. In April 2025, Neelu and Optimed’s Craig Norman teamed up to race the Porirua Grand Traverse - the multisport event involved legs in a double kayak (12k), a tandem mountain bike (28k) and a supported trail run (18k).

00:00 Introduction - Disability Disrupters Podcast 00:21 Introduction to Podcast Guest 00:40 Advert - Disability Self-empowerment: Module one: Take charge of your future! 01:58 Interview with Neelu Jennings 30:59 Employment Matters - part 3 35:04 Advert - Fast braille translation service 36:04 Goodbye from Dr Pam 36:20 Advert - Tipjar support for the podcast

Disability Self-empowerment: Module One: Take charge of your future! Available on amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Disability-self-empowerment-Module-charge-future-ebook/dp/B0FJLKGLTV

Disability Responsiveness New Zealand offers personalised mentoring and workshops - view the content of these at https://drnz.co.nz/about-our-workshops-and-programmes/

Audio Shorts, background music provided by www.andrelouis.com

Podcast audio and transcript editor : Britta Offergeld

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