Thrive’s primary goal is for people to be able to 'Live their best life' after a traumatic and
life changing health event.
We are focused on individuals living their best life whilst dealing with the effects of a brain
injury that may at its worst reset our lives or had effects on your memory, emotional or
cognitive ability.
Thrive provides a range of local events and activities for the mind, body and soul that are fun, friendly and fulfilling. You can join in as much as you want or just come and watch.
In 2023 Craig Hickford visited the Braintree Wellness Centre inquisitively to see if this place
would be right for him.
Upon initial discussions it quickly became apparent that the Braintree Wellness Centre ran
specific programmes for Brain Injury but had little to cater for a more generic after care or
transition to life type programme for people with Brain Injuries.
Thrive evolved from there, established by Craig with the support of Aspire Canterbury..
Craig has created the 5 Pillars of Health @ Thrive which is an anchor document for
everything that Thrive does. Its premise is to promote improved mental health in everyone
and is created around 5 distinct pillars. These are Move, Chat, Rest, Mood and Food.
In mid 2025 Thrive was approached by Bryan Gilchrist and offered the opportunity to set up
Thrive Aotearoa Charitable Trust (TACT). In early 2026 TACT became an official
charity ensuring that Thrive delivers on its mantra so everyone
lives their best lives.
This has allowed Craig to grow the Thrive Speaker series and rebrand it to Thrive Connect and from there the Thrive Chat, Thrive Active and Thrive Media have developed. There is a further vision for new programmes in 2026 such as Thrive POD, Thrive Write, Thrive Support and Thrive Youth.
Te Tiriti O Waitangi
Thrive and TACT exist to support people with acquired or traumatic neurological challenges to thrive by
activating resilience, building connections, and transforming opportunities in ways that
honour Te Tiriti O Waitangi so they can live their best lives across Aotearoa.
