Paediatric Palliative Care: Please add your voice to ours

Although palliative care is the last thing anyone wishes to think about, when it comes to children in this phase of their cancer journey, they need funded, specialist, nationwide care and New Zealand is falling short.  

We’re advocating for change while the government is proposing service models for paediatric palliative care – models that are currently unfunded. 

You can help add momentum by including your voice with ours. Kiwi children simply cannot wait. 

If you are able, please take a few moments today to email Health Minister Simeon Brown at s.brown@ministers.govt.nz. You can help advocate alongside us by asking him to fund national paediatric palliative care for children in New Zealand now.  

Feel free to copy and paste the below, leaving it as it is or personalising as you wish: 

To: s.brown@ministers.govt.nz
Subject: Please fund paediatric palliative care for our most vulnerable children

Dear Minister Brown,

I’m writing to ask you to urgently fund a national paediatric palliative care service in New Zealand. 

Each year, too many families in Aotearoa face the heartbreak of a child’s life-limiting illness. Too often, they do so without access to the specialist care that would give their child the comfort and dignity they deserve. Whānau go without the essential, family-focussed support they need during this uniquely devastating experience.

Will you take this opportunity to do right by our most vulnerable children? As Health Minister, you can enact the change they need now.

I respectfully urge you to act. Please fund a nationally coordinated, trauma-informed, specialist paediatric palliative care service now, so every child and family can access the support they need in their most trying of times.

Sincerely,

[Your Full Name]
[Your City/Town] 

Thank you so much for being there with us for all families facing childhood cancer in New Zealand. 

Curious to see what we’re saying? Here’s a copy of our submission to the discussion around Specialist Paediatric Palliative Care, which goes over our recommendations to Te Whatu Ora/Health New Zealand.

It may only take a few minutes, but your voice truly matters.