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.
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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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