Many people across the North Shore will know Aidan Bennett through Benefitz, the business he founded and has run for 38 years, as the publisher of Channel Magazine, as a key driver behind the North Harbour Club, and for his longstanding commitment to championing his home patch of the North Shore.
He was awarded a Queen's Service Medal for his service to the community in the New Year's Honours in 2018 and inducted into the North Harbour Business Hall of Fame in 2022. What many may not know is that Aidan is now living with Parkinson’s disease. Now, he has made the decision to talk openly about his diagnosis - and to ask the community he has supported for so many years for a helping hand – to get behind Climb For A Cure, Cure Parkinson’s NZ’s national awareness and fundraising campaign.

The things people don't see
For Aidan, the first obvious physical sign that something wasn't quite right was a slight tremor in his right hand. He kept it to himself initially, before eventually mentioning it to his wife, Michelle. But looking back now, he believes Parkinson’s had probably been affecting him for three or four years, possibly longer. “The first thing was a minor tremor in my right hand. When I look back, there were probably other things that I’ve learnt about since that time. A general loss of personal confidence and things like that, which are the things people don’t see.”
That loss of confidence has been one of the most significant hidden effects of Parkinson’s for Aidan. For someone who had always been a strong leader, comfortable speaking publicly, attending events, meeting people and being part of the conversation, he found himself beginning to pull back. “I used to be a reasonably confident public speaker, and I sort of got to the stage where I was pulling back from that and even turning down social things.”
At the time, Aidan didn't necessarily understand that those changes could be connected to Parkinson’s. Since his diagnosis, learning more about the disease has helped him make sense of some of what he had been experiencing. “I was once probably the life of the party. Now I’m not. If I am there, I’m probably not as engaged as I once was.”
After reading about some of the hidden symptoms of Parkinson’s, Aidan photographed the relevant pages and sent them to his family to help explain what was happening to him. He also gave them one simple request. “If you see me in that situation, in a social thing, engage me back into the conversation.” It is a deeply personal insight into a disease Aidan believes many people still don't fully understand. “People still don’t understand what Parkinson’s is all about. It’s only what people see, isn’t it? They see the physical things.”

Staying active - and looking forward
Aidan has responded to his diagnosis by learning as much as he can and doing what he can to remain active. He now boxes regularly, plays Pickleball and has met other people living with Parkinson’s who he can talk to and learn from. His approach is simple: “Use it or lose it.”
He has also discovered something he admits he knew virtually nothing about before Parkinson’s entered his own life 
- the calibre of Parkinson’s research happening here in New Zealand. That discovery has given him something incredibly important: hope.
New Zealand researchers are undertaking world-class research and making world-first breakthroughs, contributing new knowledge on the world stage to the international effort to better understand Parkinson’s, develop improved treatments and ultimately find a cure. And they are not working in isolation.
Cure Parkinson’s NZ collaborates with the Michael J. Fox Foundation, Cure Parkinson’s UK and Shake It Up Australia, connecting New Zealand research with a global community working towards the same goal. For someone living with Parkinson’s today, that research isn't an abstract scientific exercise. It is about the future.

So why Climb For A Cure?
From 15 January to 21 February 2027, New Zealanders will come together for Climb For A Cure - a 37-day national challenge raising funds to help Cure Parkinson’s NZ continue and accelerate Parkinson’s research.
Why 37 days? Because 1 in 37 New Zealanders could be diagnosed with Parkinson’s during their lifetime. More than 13,000 New Zealanders are already living with the disease. Behind those numbers are people we know - parents, grandparents, partners, friends, colleagues, customers and members of our own business communities. People like Aidan.
Climb For A Cure isn't about being an experienced climber or conquering the highest mountain. You can climb a local peak, walk the hills in your neighbourhood, take the stairs, set yourself a challenge, create a workplace team, or bring together your friends and family. The challenge is deliberately inclusive because, for someone living with Parkinson’s, climbing a mountain can mean many different things. Sometimes the hardest mountains aren't visible.
For Aidan, Parkinson’s has brought challenges that people around him couldn't necessarily see - losing confidence, withdrawing from social situations and stepping back from things that once came naturally. Choosing to step forward now and share that experience is therefore significant.

Aidan's call to the North Shore and wider community
Aidan has spent many years supporting and promoting the North Shore – businesses and the community. Now he hopes those relationships can help turn something deeply personal into action. “I’d hope they will support Climb For A Cure, because obviously it’s directly affecting our family and our business now.”
He's asking the businesses, colleagues, customers and friends who know him to get involved. Create a team. Get your workplace involved. Bring your family and friends. Choose your challenge. Set a fundraising target. And climb.
Climb For A Cure has an ambitious goal of raising $1 million for Parkinson’s research. But $1 million becomes achievable when we climb it together. If 2,000 people each raise $500, we reach $1 million. And $500 could be as simple as around 14 people backing your climb with a $37 donation. Every person who registers, every team that gets involved, every dollar raised and every metre climbed contributes to something bigger.

Where does the money we raise go?
Funds raised through Climb For A Cure will help Cure Parkinson’s NZ continue supporting and accelerating world-class Parkinson’s research here in New Zealand. That funding helps researchers continue exploring promising avenues, collaborate with international partners and accelerate discoveries towards treatments that could slow, stop or ultimately prevent the progression of Parkinson’s.The ultimate goal is a cure.
For Aidan and the more than 13,000 other New Zealanders currently living with Parkinson’s, time matters. And for their children, grandchildren and generations still to come, the discoveries being made today could change what a Parkinson’s diagnosis means tomorrow. Aidan’s now asking us to get behind him by supporting Climb For A Cure.

Get involved in Climb For A Cure
There are plenty of ways for businesses (and individuals) to get behind Climb For A Cure. Businesses can sponsor a peak, create a team and encourage staff and customers to take part, help promote the campaign through their own networks – or do a combination of all three. Individuals can also sign up and take on their own challenge.
To find out more, visit climbforacure.org.nz and head to the resources page, where you’ll find information on sponsoring a peak, how to activate Climb For A Cure within your business, the story and purpose behind the campaign from Cure Parkinson’s NZ CEO Daniel McGowan, and more about where the money we raise goes and the research it will help support.
If you're interested in sponsoring a peak, getting your business involved or would simply like more information, please contact Lizzie Drum at Cure Parkinson’s NZ: lizzie@cureparkinsonsnz.org.nz
This summer, let's stand alongside Aidan. Bring your team, bring your family and take on your own mountain. Because every step we take can help move us closer to a cure.

Climb For A Cure | 15 January 
– 21 February 2027
37 days | 137 peaks | $1 million for Parkinson’s research
Learn more and get involved at climbforacure.org.nz