A DECADE OF GROWTH, SPORT, LEADERSHIP AND POSSIBILTY
When Jaden Movold first became part of the Halberg community, he was just five years old.
A little nervous about new environments and unsure of what to expect, he arrived at the Auckland Round the Bays representing what was then known as the Halberg Trust. He loved sport, was excited to meet new people and, most importantly, was ready to have a go.
More than a decade later, that first small opportunity has grown into a journey spanning sport, friendship, leadership and advocacy. Jaden has gone from a young participant at Halberg events and Games, to a competitive athlete, Youth Council member, public speaker and advocate — and now a Halberg Alumni member.
Looking back, he says Halberg made his world bigger.
“I didn’t have to be the best at something or even know exactly what I was doing. I could turn up, have a go and enjoy being active.”
That freedom to explore became an important part of Jaden’s childhood. Through Halberg, he met other young disabled people, athletes and families, tried different sports and was surrounded by people who encouraged him to participate rather than question whether he could.
His early experiences at the Halberg Games were much the same. He remembers the excitement, the competition and being surrounded by other young people trying different sports and supporting each other.
“At that age, I wasn’t thinking about inclusion or what the Games represented. I was much more interested in what I was competing in next and having fun.”
For Jaden, that was part of what made the experience so powerful.
“It wasn’t presented to me as a lesson about disability. It was simply sport.”
Sport has remained a huge part of Jaden’s life. After years as a competitive swimmer, he transitioned into wheelchair racing in 2019. What began as something new quickly became a serious pursuit, driven by his love of speed, competition and the challenge of discovering how far he could go.
Today, Jaden is an internationally classified T54 wheelchair racer, and the sport has taught him as much about patience and resilience as it has competition.
“I’ve become much better at appreciating the process rather than constantly waiting for the next result to tell me whether I’m succeeding.”
That mindset has also shaped his approach to life beyond sport. Through public speaking and advocacy, Jaden has found his voice and become increasingly passionate about challenging assumptions around disability and asking whose voices are being heard.
Much of that comes from being underestimated himself.
Jaden remembers being told that becoming a competitive wheelchair racer would be nearly impossible. Rather than allowing other people’s expectations to define his future, he chose to set his own.
“That’s where a lot of my Power of Possible mindset comes from. For me, it isn’t really about proving people wrong. It’s about giving myself permission to set my own expectations and find out what I am capable of.”
That belief in possibility eventually led him to the Halberg Youth Council, where he moved from experiencing Halberg as a young person to helping shape it for others.
The Youth Council gave Jaden the opportunity to bring his ideas, challenge thinking and use his lived experience to contribute to conversations about young disabled people.
“I was no longer only experiencing what Halberg provided; I was beginning to understand what it meant to help shape something for the people coming after me.”
Perhaps just as importantly, the people he met along the way have become one of the most meaningful parts of his Halberg story. The friendships, conversations, travelling to events and moments of simply laughing together have made the organisation feel less like a programme and more like a community.
Now, as an Alumni member, Jaden can look back on more than a decade of being part of Halberg and see how much has changed.
“There aren’t many communities that have known so many different versions of me.”
From the nervous five-year-old trying something new, to the athlete, leader and advocate he is today, Halberg has been a constant throughout his journey.
Today, Jaden continues to balance university, elite wheelchair racing, public speaking and advocacy. He is pushing himself internationally in the sport he loves, with his sights set on taking on his first marathon in Japan, while continuing to use his experiences to create change for young people and disabled people.
For Jaden, success isn’t simply about what he achieves. It’s about what he can do with those achievements to help others believe in themselves.
“I don’t want my legacy to be defined only by what I achieved. I would rather be remembered for how I used those achievements — to help people feel less alone, believe more strongly in themselves, and create change that lasts beyond me.”
And perhaps that is the perfect reflection of a journey that began with something so simple: a five-year-old turning up, trying something new and having a go.
As Jaden puts it: “Halberg will always be where some of the smallest opportunities led to some of the biggest parts of my life.”
