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
Support Disability Disrupters by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/disability-disrupters
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist
It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.