Childhood cancer in New Zealand
- in New Zealand, about 150 tamariki (birth to 14 years) are diagnosed with cancer each year
- childhood cancer is rare - less than 1 in 100 cancers diagnosed in New Zealand are in tamariki
- more than 80 in 100 patients diagnosed with a childhood cancer are cured as the result of treatment
- an estimated 1 in 900 people aged between 16 and 34 years are childhood cancer survivors
Children's cancer services in New Zealand
Child cancer care is coordinated across New Zealand by the National Child Cancer Network. That means all tamariki get the best available treatment wherever they live. Survival rates are the same across the whole country.
'Shared care' model
The services use a 'shared care' model for tamariki from centres outside Auckland and Christchurch. The shared care model delivers care as close to home as possible. The tertiary treatment centres of Auckland and Christchurch partner with the local paediatric team. That means that tamariki can have as much of the treatment as safely possible close to home.
Your child will have treatment in Auckland or Christchurch and return for treatment at your local hospital. The aim of 'shared care' is to deliver safe, effective and appropriate care by using the paediatric service closest to your family home, as often as is possible, to get the best results for your child.
International collaboration
New Zealand child cancer services are part of an international network sharing results and information and cooperating in continually improving treatment. This international collaboration means:
- information and expertise is continually updated
- knowledge remains current and available to all the health professionals involved in the management of childhood cancer across New Zealand
- New Zealand's children's cancer services direct the use of internationally proven treatment protocols and cancer medicines
Acknowledgements
All the pages in the childhood cancer section of this website have been written by health professionals who work in the field of paediatric oncology. They have been reviewed by the members of the National Child Cancer Network (NZ). Medical information is authorised by the National Child Cancer Network Clinical Leader.
