Thank you to the 465 people who responded to our survey.  We had responders from all over New Zealand - a third of whom were from the Auckland Region, 17% from Wellington, 12% from Canterbury, with 9% each from Waikato and BOP and 7% from Otago.

It seems that over 50% of you heard about Coeliac New Zealand from your medical specialist or GP so that is great news from our perspective as the more health professionals that know about Coeliac New Zealand, the more likely we are to connect with those of you starting your coeliac journey.

Some of you had parents, children, siblings, grandparents or other family members with coeliac disease. We encourage immediate family members of someone with coeliac disease to be screened as they have a 1 in 10 chance of also having coeliac disease.

The survey responses highlight that Coeliac New Zealand members greatly value the access to information and resources, the sense of community and support, the regular updates through magazines and newsletters, the advocacy and awareness efforts, the updates on research and new products, the feeling of belonging, and the practical help and advice provided by Coeliac New Zealand.

• The Coeliac Link magazine was again ranked first by you as a member benefit, followed by our resources and information and our website.
• You appreciate the work we are doing with hospitality and the food industry
• 68% of you said when you are shopping for gluten-free products you actively choose products that are Crossed Grain Logo accredited.
• However, you also shared that safe eating out options are still the biggest challenge for you. Followed closely by GF options in the supermarket and cross-contamination in the home.
• You value the community partnership we have developed over recent years with the Gluten Free Food Festival, and we hope those of you able to travel to Christchurch will be at the event on the 9^th and 10^th of May and the Auckland event in October.

We will use all the feedback you have shared to help us continue the work we do.

For over 50 years, we have been the experts on coeliac disease and the gluten-free diet, and the voice of coeliac disease in New Zealand. As an independent charity helping people to live well, gluten free, we provide our members and those who must follow a gluten free diet with trustworthy advice and support, working with healthcare professionals to improve diagnosis and better availability of gluten-free food. And we do it all so that one day, no one’s life will be limited by gluten.

We are not government-funded and rely on our members and the generosity of our fundraisers and supporters to continue our work. We want to see the needs of people with coeliac disease and those who must follow a gluten-free diet recognised by everyone and met in their everyday lives.

We do this by providing expert and independent information to help people manage their health and diet, campaigning on their behalf to improve access to fast diagnosis, good medical treatment and safe foods - in the home and out – supporting research into new treatments and the possibilities of a cure.

Coeliac New Zealand staff work in diverse roles ranging from dietetic advice, education and raising awareness to database management as well as engaging with the hospitality and food industry, managing our Crossed Grain Logo and Dining out Programme accreditation programs. This small but mighty team of part-time staff (combined FTE 3) are supported by our ~30 volunteer base of coordinators and our ambassadors around the country. We also have a strong, committed board with lived experience of coeliac disease. We are privileged to have expert health professionals on our Medical Advisory Panel (MAP), which has 3 expert gastroenterologists, a public health physician, an immunologist, 4 NZ registered dietitians and 3 general practitioners.

Thank you again for being a member and we hope you will continue to support an organisation that supports you!