Beyond Survival: Supporting Kiwi Kids On The Long Road After Childhood Cancer

Alongside “older sibling” Child Cancer Foundation, which has been running for 46 years, Camp Quality celebrates 40 years of care, connection and courage in 2025.

In 1985, a group of passionate volunteers brought Camp Quality, a national charity that takes kids living with cancer on fun summer camps, to New Zealand. It was launched in Auckland to give children living with cancer the chance to feel like kids again – to laugh, play, and heal in a safe, supportive environment.

Forty years later, that mission is as vital as ever.

While survival rates for childhood cancer have soared from around 50% in the 1980s to over 80% today, the long-term impact of treatment can be life-altering. Many survivors are left managing the ongoing physical, emotional, and cognitive effects of their treatment – and that’s where Camp Quality steps in.

“Camp Quality is not just a holiday for kids with cancer – it’s an essential part of their healing,” says Dave Bellamy, General Manager of Camp Quality New Zealand. “We create a space where kids can rebuild their confidence, develop resilience, and connect with others who truly understand their journey. It’s joyful, it’s empowering, and for many families, it’s life-changing.”

Since 1985, Camp Quality has provided free, week-long summer camps for thousands of children across the motu aged 5–16 who are living with or beyond cancer. These camps are entirely volunteer-led and offer not only connection and fun for the children – but also precious respite for parents and caregivers.

Crucially, Camp Quality’s work partners seamlessly with that of Child Cancer Foundation, which began in 1979 and has been walking alongside families at every step of their childhood cancer journey, from diagnosis onwards, ever since. The two charities share the same love and mahi — focussing on the child and the family, not the cancer.

“Camp Quality is part of a broader network of support that wraps around each family, ensuring they are never alone and have opportunities to thrive beyond their experience of childhood cancer" says Monica Briggs, CEO of Child Cancer Foundation. "Together, our charities form part of a powerful network. For four decades, we’ve worked closely with them, referring families when it's the right time to aspire for more — more fun, more play, more chances to be a kid again, reconnect with life and rediscover their confidence."

Stephen Laughton, Clinical Lead at Child Cancer Network, has seen firsthand how the landscape of childhood cancer has changed.

“The survival rate of childhood cancer today has come a long way, but with effective treatment comes complexity and consequences. Many children now live with disabilities or long-term health challenges as a result of their cancer and / or the treatments required to cure. That’s why the support of organisations like Camp Quality is more important than ever – they help these kids truly live after cancer.”

As Camp Quality celebrates its 40th year, the organisation reflects not only on decades of fun, hope and happiness – but also on the enduring importance of its work in a world where survival is just the beginning.

“We’re incredibly proud of our history, our volunteers, and every single child and whānau we’ve supported over the past 40 years,” says Bellamy. “And with the support of Child Cancer Foundation, we’re looking forward to reaching even more young Kiwis in the decades to come.”

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