“The candle that burns twice as bright burns for half as long.”
Rachel Barr — or simply ‘Rach’ to family, friends, and colleagues — will leave a massive void for all at Paralympics New Zealand (PNZ).
A highly accomplished and much respected Marketing Manager, Rach was the driving force behind a complete brand overhaul at PNZ, including development of the NZ Paralympic Team brand, and the innovative marketing campaign We’ll Give You Something to Talk About, which helped shift perceptions of disability.
Rach was a highly regarded professional, but to all those at PNZ she was far more than that. Her personality lit up any room; her natural inquisitiveness, interest, and compassion for others, along with her dry wit and sense of fun, always left an indelible mark.
Born in Auckland in 1981, Rach spent much of her life on the Hibiscus Coast, where she was a proud ‘Coastie’ and older sister to Blair and Sarah. She attended Stanmore Bay Primary School, later Northcross Intermediate, and Rangitoto College. Rach had a passion for sport and theatre, but her greatest love was music — and she excelled as a pianist and played the saxophone and flute.
Rach met her soulmate and future husband, Jason, during an annual camping trip to Matauri Bay. She later earned a Bachelor of Communication Studies from Auckland University of Technology before launching her professional career, firstly at the NZ Herald, then embarking on a fulfilling 15-year journey at Netball NZ, quickly rising through the ranks in several key marketing and event management roles.
Marrying Jason in 2010, Rach gave birth to Phoebe in 2013 and Isabelle in 2015, balancing her professional career with her devotion to her family, who were “her everything.”
In 2021 she joined PNZ as a Marketing contractor — showing immense dedication by working night shifts during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games while heavily pregnant with her third child, Beau, born in September that year. Rach then returned to PNZ as Marketing Manager in 2022.
Sadly, the following year Rach was diagnosed with cancer. Despite undergoing surgery and intensive treatment, she refused to let the disease define her and she returned to work in mid-2023. Her brand development work for PNZ revealed her exceptional marketing talents and left a lasting legacy — but it was her role in We’ll Give You Something to Talk About that made her most proud. Challenging perceptions and sparking important conversations about disability and the achievements of Para athletes, the campaign made a powerful impact that will be felt for years to come.
Tragically, the cancer returned. After a short battle with the disease, Rach passed away at Auckland Hospital on 6 June 2025.
With her rare blend of creativity and organisational skill, wide-ranging knowledge, and infectious sense of fun, the PNZ office and our community will be a much poorer place without her.
A devoted wife and mother, and a loyal friend, our thoughts are with her husband Jason, her three beautiful children — Phoebe, Isabelle, and Beau — and her wider family and friends in these most difficult times.
The legacy of Rach’s pioneering work continues. On 14 July 2025, at the Sport NZ Sport and Recreation Awards — just two days before what would have been her 44th birthday — PNZ’s groundbreaking We’ll Give You Something to Talk About campaign is a finalist in the Leadership in Diversity and Inclusion category. Should PNZ secure the prize, it would be a fitting tribute to a special talent who is sorely missed, but regardless, Rach’s contribution will forever remain fondly in our minds and hearts.
