Rochelle living a busy life, and doing it well
Proud To Be Me is a series on people living in Selwyn. Saturday is World Down Syndrome Day so Coen Lammers spoke to Rochelle Waters, one of the many people with Down Syndrome living in the district living a full, rewarding life.
Rochelle Waters fits a lot into her week – sometimes enough to make even her siblings a little envious.
The 31-year-old West Melton resident has not let her disability stop her from holding down a job, becoming a national swimming champion, performing and teaching dance in New Zealand and overseas, and being a proud aunty to her two nephews Cooper and Theo.
Rochelle’s busy life once prompted her sister Jessica to write a story for the national Down Syndrome journal Chat 21 titled ‘I wish I had Down Syndrome’, describing the life her sister was enjoying.
Written with tongue firmly in cheek, the story also recalls how Rochelle sometimes used her disability as a youngster to avoid chore or activities she was not keen on.
Down Syndrome affects about one in every 1000 people born in New Zealand, but it also touches their families. The Waters family has long been closely involved in Rochelle’s life and the wider disability community.
Mum Shelley served for many years on the boards of the Canterbury and New Zealand Down Syndrome Associations, while dad Jeff has been chair of Special Olympics Canterbury for over a decade. Jessica has also coached Rochelle in swimming for as long as she can remember.
Rochelle enjoyed growing up with two younger sisters - Gemma is the youngest - “but sometimes they were a bit bossy,” she said with a smile.
Rochelle was born prematurely on December 23, “so I was a Christmas baby”. She began early intervention therapy at the Champion Centre at Burwood Hospital which provides early childhood intervention services to children with disabilities and developmental delays.
“We are so lucky she was born in Christchurch, because we have the Champion Centre here,” Shelley said.
“Not just for all their experts but because all the people who you meet who are going through the same things.”
Rochelle started school in Hamilton where the family lived for several years, before continuing her education at West Melton School and Darfield High.
Near the end of her high school years she began work experience at the Darfield Bakery. She made a such good impression and then-owners, Daryl and Nicky Collier, offered her a job.
“I really like getting paid so I can go shopping,” Rochelle said with a smile. She has now been part of the bakery team for more than 12 years, working three mornings each week.
“It is my job to spray the bread tins, sometimes I weigh the flour, and I cut the dough into four pieces before we put them in the tins. And at the moment I am also making hot-cross buns.”
The rest of her week is filled with dance and sports, being part of the Special Olympics ten-pin bowling and swimming teams.
Rochelle won a gold medal in the 50m backstroke at the most recent National Summer Games, held at the new Parakiore Sports complex in Christchurch.
The event was Rochelle’s fourth National Summer Games. Each time she has enjoyed reconnecting with friends she has made at previous competitions and the camaraderie that comes with being part of Special Olympics.
She is also comfortable in front of an audience and regularly performs with Jolt, a Christchurch dance group for people with a range of disabilities.
Rochelle has been part of Jolt for more than a decade and is also a senior member of Move, the Jolt programme that trains selected members to become dance teachers.
“I still like dancing myself, but I really enjoy teaching other people to dance. Sometimes I have to get a bit bossy,” Rochelle said.
She will soon travel to Raratonga with her Move colleagues to provide dance classes at schools.
“We went to Raratonga for dad’s 60th birthday, so I’m really looking forward to going back there in May.”
Last modified: 21 Mar 2026 2:56pm