Kia ora   

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday period with family and friends. For our team, it was a chance to recharge the batteries after a busy 2023, and we are now raring to go and focused on making a difference in 2024.

A key focus for us this year is to continue to grow our reach. We are committed to reaching and supporting more people than ever before and are on track to roll out our digital portal in the next two months. This will allow people to connect with us from anywhere and book their appointments with us at times that suit them, join workshops, connect with peer groups and much more. We look forward to sharing more on this with you soon.

While some of us were relaxing over December and January, others in our community were putting themselves to the test in our The Longest Day golf challenge fundraiser, playing 72 holes in one day and raising over $162,000 so far. A big thank you to all of the amazing teams who took part!

We are also full steam ahead in the planning phase for no less than five Relay For Life events that will be taking place across our region this quarter in Southland, Dunedin, Queenstown, Selwyn, and Christchurch. These events provide a wonderful chance to come together to celebrate, remember, and fight back against cancer.  

We are also in the final stages of finalising our 2024-2027 Strategic Plan and I am really looking forward to sharing this with you all – you will see an increased focus on cancer research and innovation, cancer screening and partnering for greater impact. We are excited about the impact this plan will have and look forward to sharing it with you.

For now, I hope you enjoy the last few weeks of summer. Remember shade is the best protector when you're outdoors. I look forward to working with you and our wider community to make a big difference for those impacted by cancer. 

Kind regards,
  
Nicola Coom
Chief Executive
Southern Cancer Society   

The Cancer Society Canterbury West Coast and Otago Southland divisions stand united with the overwhelming community opposition to the Government's recent decision to repeal Smokefree legislation.

This decision destroys our previous position as a world leader in tobacco control and, more importantly, will cost our country significantly in loss of life and burden on our healthcare system.

Read more in the open letters from our trustees at cancer.org.nz/latest-news and add your voice by sending a letter or email to your local MP.

The Dunedin support group meets the fourth Tuesday of the month at 1pm at the Village Green in Green Island.  There is a combination of volunteers, clients, and Supportive Care staff who catch-up for a chat and a coffee. The social connection and camaraderie is great to see. Everyone is welcome.

Tai Tapu Golf Club 'Help the Helpers': $15,256 raised so far!

What an event The Longest Day has been; incredible golfers doing incredible things out on the fairways across our amazing country! 

With 144 keen golfers taking on the challenge across Canterbury-West Coast and Otago-Southland, we were looking for favourable weather conditions over December and January. To be fair, it was a wee bit of a mixed bag out there, but it did not deter the teams and individuals as they grabbed their clubs and teed off on their 72 holes, or the new 36-hole challenge and for those super eager golfers who didn't know when to stop, even 100 holes completed!

The Longest Day golf challenge is one of our biggest fundraisers for the Cancer Society and we are very fortunate to have a community of golfers who get behind the event, challenging themselves both physically and mentally and garnering massive fundraising support. 

Seeing and hearing the challengers' stories, the camaraderie, fun and reasons why they are undertaking the Longest Day is hugely heartwarming.  We also have so many lovely golf clubs within our region that support the players in a multitude of ways, from waiving green fees, to providing food, carts and promoting the challengers. 

We know 2023 was a tough year for many, which makes this fundraiser even more fantastic, so far more than $162,000 has been raised for this region.  All profits from The Longest Day will go toward supporting anyone in a family going through a cancer diagnosis and reducing the incidence and impact of cancer.

To everyone who participated and supported the Longest Day golf challenge – you are tee-rific!  THANK YOU!

In the news

📰 The Birdies in the Otago Daily Times: Poignant day for local golfers

📰 Team Waimo in The Timaru Herald: Waimate golfers teeing off for Cancer Society fundraising marathon

Let's get competitive

The fundraising dollars are still coming in, so this is your last chance to help boost your mates. Donate online to help your favourite golfer or team reach the top of the fundraising leaderboard:

After selling out in 80 minutes, Scooter Safari 2024 has moved on to the fundraising phase 🛵💰 We've set an ambitious goal for our motivated Safarians this year; can you raise $350K by Saturday, 18th May?

The Tranz Alpine Scooter Safari is an endurance ride spanning 250km coast-to-coast over the Southern Alps to raise funds for the Cancer Society. Sound like a literal pain in the backside? That's the point.

Scooter Safari was created in 2009 by Jayne and Mike Rattray in support of their friend Blair who was diagnosed with bowel cancer. Blair was a quick witted, funny guy so we think it's a bit perfect that his mates masterminded the biggest 'Pain in the ass fundraiser' they could think of to honour Blair's cancer journey.

Support your favourite rider or team to make this the most epic ride

Chuckles For Charity

Join Can Do Comedy on the 15th of February at Austin Club from 7pm for their inaugural Chuckles For Charity event!

For just $10 you'll enjoy standup from five of the best comics that Christchurch has to offer. Best of all, 100% of the ticket fees will be donated directly to help support the Canterbury Cancer Centre.

Relay For Life Selwyn 

Let's do something remarkable together! Relay For Life Selwyn is an incredible event to be part of where hundreds of wonderful Cantabrians come together to celebrate, remember, and fight back against cancer. 

▸ Brookside Park, Rolleston, 10am – 10pm 16th March

Relay For Life Christchurch

Be part of history at the Christchurch Relay, which will be the first community fundraising event to be held on the hallowed turf since it reopened in 2022. To celebrate, we are waiving the entry fee for all school groups. 

▸ Lancaster Park, Christchurch, 10am – 10pm 6th April 

If you have been supported by our services or accommodation, participated in an event, or been part of our volunteer crew and you're keen to share your story, we'd love to hear from you. Get in touch today:

What legacy will you leave? There are many ways to leave your mark on the world. Everything you do, such as your connections with your family/whānau and friends, your work, sporting or community activities, all contribute to memories of you.

Another way is to leave a planned gift to the Cancer Society in your will. By doing so, your kindness will live on, improving lives long after you have gone. When you support us, you become a partner in helping to reduce the incidence and impact of cancer affecting our families and our communities.

Living with cancer can be challenging, both physically and emotionally, for people with cancer and whānau.

We provide a range of free cancer support services to help you and your family cope with your cancer diagnosis and manage during your treatment and beyond.

You don't need to be referred by your GP or oncologist to contact us. Give us a call on 0800 226 237. We are here for anyone with cancer, at any stage and are available to answer any question.

You can also submit the form below for yourself or someone you care about who is affected by a cancer diagnosis: