CHRISTMAS MAGIC 'WE'RE SPREADING JOY'

Auckland mum Sarah started a foundation that helps thousands of Kiwi families

- Cloe Willetts

Ten years ago, Sarah Page was suffering postnatal depression after a difficult pregnancy, as well as an autism diagnosis for her beloved 18-month-old son Max. But from her despair emerged a heartwarming charity that's helping tens of thousands of families in need across Aotearoa.

This season, Sarah's award-winning foundation is donating brand-new presents to 22,000 Kiwi kids, spreading festive magic and above all, kindness.

The Christmas Joy Store, New Zealand's first social toy shop, was started by Sarah in 2020 as a part of her nationwide charity Kindness Collective. The pop-up store provides gifts of choice for families struggling to make ends meet, inviting parents to shop for free and pick toys their kids will love to open on Christmas morning.

"I started the Kindness Collective as a way of giving back after a really challenging period in my life," says Sarah, 43, who is based in Auckland. "I enjoyed helping others and felt useful, and gradually, I noticed my postnatal depression lifting."

After struggling to become pregnant and then suffering miscarriages, Sarah, at the time a successful marketing manager, was overjoyed when she finally became a mother to Max, now 11. But following a difficult pregnancy, she fell into depression.

When Sarah and her husband Dave, 51, noticed Max wasn't reaching the usual baby and toddler milestones, they had him assessed privately and Max was diagnosed with autism.