About

The Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ is New Zealand’s not-for-profit sector authority on all respiratory conditions including asthma, bronchiectasis, childhood bronchiolitis, childhood pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer and obstructive sleep apnoea. 

Our vision 

Be the leaders in respiratory health knowledge to improve respiratory health outcomes for all. 

What we do

Develop and support respiratory health best practice through partnering, research, training and education.

Our goals

Our goals are to make a significant impact of the statistics in the following areas within a five-year time period – by December 2021. This will result in improving the lives of those living with respiratory disease. 

• Reduce deaths caused by respiratory disease. 
• Reduce visits to hospital caused by respiratory disease. 
• Reduce the frequency of asthma attacks. 
• Reduce the inequality of care provided in our communities.  

What we do to achieve our goals

• Raise awareness about respiratory illness.
• Train health professionals  – including Train the Trainer and Asthma and COPD Fundamentals. 
• Fund research for better treatment. 
• Provide information, resources and management plans – for both health professionals and patients. 
• Produced the National Respiratory Strategy – an action plan to reduce respiratory illness across the country.  

Our history

In 1964, the Hutt Valley Asthmatic Society was formed, leading to the establishment in 1965 of the New Zealand Asthma Society as a national support network for New Zealanders with asthma. In 1980, the Society became the Asthma Foundation of NZ. What had started as a support network gradually changed to a national organisation concerned with education, raising awareness, and encouraging research relating to asthma.

In 2014 the Foundation celebrated its 50th year. 

Now the Asthma Foundation is known as Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ to better reflect the organisation's focus on asthma and other respiratory conditions in New Zealand.

To find out more, download the Annual Report 2020