After suffering a severe brain injury at birth, doctors told Mark Wilson’s parents he would likely never walk or talk and advised them to “not expect too much”.
He was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, but another defining trait went unrecognised. Mark’s ability to defy expectations and maintain a relentlessly positive outlook would prove just as influential in shaping his life.
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“At 11 months old I couldn’t roll over, my hands wouldn’t open and I was constantly in pain,” Mark recalls.
“Thankfully, an intense physical therapy programme allowed me to walk and talk, but that came after six years of work, four hours a day, six days a week.”
At college, frequent bullying and social isolation left Mark hiding at lunchtimes, struggling with confidence and increasingly aware of how different he appeared from his peers.
“One of the ways I got through this rough patch of my life was to start playing competitive sport,” he says.
Mark went on to compete at a high level, joining Paralympics New Zealand’s development squad, and representing the country in athletics and table tennis.
Competing at an elite level demanded discipline, focus and resilience, traits that would later prove just as important beyond sport.
Today, aged 29, Mark has built a successful career as a business analyst at ANZ. He drives a V8 Holden Kingswood, loves metal band Devilskin, and lives in a blended family with his partner, Elyse and her two children.
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The nickname “Wobbles”, a name he claimed for himself before childhood bullies could, is also the title of his memoir, described as “raw, uplifting, and deeply human.”
Mark is now a sought‑after motivational speaker, with his signature self‑deprecating humour at the heart of how he connects with audiences.
“If you can see the funny side, it helps make the difficult parts easier to deal with,” he says. “And if you can’t laugh at yourself, what’s the point?”
Mark credits his mother as the driving force behind his intensive early‑intervention therapy, acknowledging the extraordinary commitment and resources it took.
This is why he is now heavily involved in advocacy and mentoring work, including fundraising for the Brain Injured Children Trust.
“I do a lot of charity work because I love talking, I love hearing people’s stories, I love sharing mine and if that helps someone, I’m going to do it.”
His advocacy work aligns closely with the environment he has experienced at ANZ, one that focuses on ability, support and belonging.
“I never felt like I wasn’t going to achieve what able‑bodied people would,” he says. “But because of the bullying and adversity I faced, there was always that voice in the back of my head saying, ‘You’re disabled, who’s going to hire you?’”
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Mark says joining ANZ was an unexpectedly affirming experience, defined by a culture that focused on contribution rather than difference.
“There was nothing but acceptance. It was something I wasn’t prepared for, but it was so awesome to experience,” he says.
He describes it as the first workplace where he did not feel the need to explain himself or apologise for the way he moved or ate.
“No one made any comment. Instead, they asked what they could do to help,” he says. “I love it. I feel like I definitely belong.”
After facing significant challenges accessing the physical therapy Mark needed, his mother, Shirley, helped establish the Brain Injured Children Trust.
The trust provides financial, emotional and practical support to children like Mark and their families, and brings specialised therapists from the United States to New Zealand to work alongside them on tailored, home-based therapy programmes.
What began with just three families has grown to support more than 100.
The Trust runs clinics twice a year where specialised therapists from the United States spend time with each family tailoring their programme.
These clinics also provide much needed emotional support for the families who get to meet other families facing the similar challenges
Funded through charitable donations, the trust has received $30,000 in grants from the ANZ New Zealand Staff Foundation over the past two years.
Mark’s memoir, Wobbles: Tears, Laughter, Love and Inspiration, is available at all major retailers.
Mark's website is https://www.wobbles.co.nz/
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