Bringing the Spark to New Spaces: Cardio Drumming with Spectrum Care's Filipino Fiesta
Sometimes a spark begins with a beat. And when people join in, that beat becomes a shared experience of movement, connection and joy.
On 24 September 2026, Spectrum Care team led by their Filipino community brought that spirit to The Y recreation centre on Auckland’s North Shore, welcoming more than 400 disabled commuity and whānau.
Spectrum Care is a leading New Zealand provider supporting disabled people and their whānau throughout different stages of life. It delivers person-led support that promotes choice, freedom and independence, helping every person realise their potential and live a good life.
The annual Filipino Fiesta is an event Spectrum Care looks forward to every year and this year's theme is the MassKara Festival of Bacolod, the Philippines’ “City of Smiles,” this local celebration brought Filipino culture into a community event centred on the people Spectrum Care supports. Dancing, a Filipino food feast, talent performances and games created opportunities to participate, share and enjoy being together.
Our NZSDRT whānau is so priviliged to be invited to open the celebration with a bang! Also a very fitting way to end this year's NZDRT week!
Supported by student volunteers of Kauri Academy part of AKA education group, the DRT team led an energetic cardio drumming session that quickly drew attendees into the experience. People joined in with enthusiasm, responding to the music, movement and lively atmosphere. The opening became a shared celebration, with participants helping create the energy that filled the room.
There was something special about seeing so many people become part of that moment. Cardio drumming brought an enjoyable group experience while also offered a visible example of what Therapeutic Recreation can bring to community spaces: opportunities for people to participate, connect and express themselves through meaningful recreation.
Held during the last day of DRT Week, the session carried particular significance for our profession.
Diversional and Recreational Therapy has an important place in aged care, and its contribution continues across disability services and wider community settings. This celebration helped make that scope visible. Our practitioners brought their creativity and facilitation skills into a different space, alongside students gaining experience of the possibilities within our work.
As the day continued through dancing, food, performances and games, the spirit of the opening carried forward. By the end, the smiles of those who attended reflected the enjoyment of a day made special through shared experiences.
To the Spectrum Care community, our DRT cardio drumming team, student volunteers and everyone who contributed: thank you for creating a celebration where people could take part, share their talents and experience the joy of being together.
And to everyone who picked up the rhythm and joined in: you helped that spark grow.
From Bacolod’s City of Smiles to Auckland’s North Shore, this celebration gave us another reason to shine a light on the possibilities of Therapeutic Recreation.
Ki te whakapiki I tekounga oranga o ngā tāngata kei a mātou e Manaaki ana mā te haumanu kanorau
Our mission is to improve the quality of life of the people we care and support, through Diversional and Recreational Therapy.
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