Head & Neck Cancer Support Network Trust Community News February 2026

Written By Head and Neck Cancer Support Network
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Our Focus for 2026” – A Clear Direction

As we begin 2026, we want to start with something simple:

We have been listening.

Over the past year — through support group conversations, emails, phone calls, hui, and feedback — you have told us clearly what life after head and neck cancer really looks like.

You have shown us that survival is not the end of the story.

You have told us about:

  • The ongoing impact of swallowing difficulties and dry mouth

  • The fatigue that lingers long after treatment finishes

  • Changes in speech and communication

  • The emotional toll of an altered appearance

  • The strain on whānau and relationships

  • The loneliness that can follow when active treatment ends

You have helped us understand that survivorship is complex. It is physical, psychological, social, and financial. It does not fit neatly into a discharge letter.

You have also told us something equally important:

Connection matters.

Time and again, we hear that sitting in a room (or online space) with others who truly understand makes a difference. Group peer support reduces isolation. It builds confidence. It helps people find practical strategies. It reminds each of us that we are not alone.

You have shown us that safe, well-facilitated group support is not a “nice to have.” It is essential.

You have also told us that navigating the health system can be confusing. Many of you want clearer pathways, better coordination, and stronger recognition of survivorship needs within cancer policy — including the ongoing work of Te Ahu O Te Kahu.

Most of all, you have shown us resilience, humour, generosity, and courage.

Everything we plan for 2026 — our focus on strengthening group support, growing regional connections, and raising awareness of survivorship needs in this election year — is grounded in what you have shared with us.

This is your community.

We are grateful for your trust, your honesty, and your willingness to walk alongside others.

And we will keep listening. We will survey our community early in 2026 and value your feedback to inform our work.

This year, the Network Trust has four priorities to connect, support, and advocate for people in Aotearoa New Zealand affected by head and neck cancer. These priorities reflect the challenges and concerns of our current community, shared with us over the last few years. Working together and with partner organisations we will be:

  • Strengthening group-based peer support

  • Growing regional and rural connections (e.g. Whangārei and Northland)

  • Advocacy in an election year (ahead of 7 November 2026)

  • Building awareness of survivorship needs

  • 1 April, Oral Cancer Awareness Day.

    4 April, International HPV Awareness Day.

    15 April, 2 pm: Te Tokerau Support Group meeting, Daffodil House, 73 Kensington Road, Whangarei.

2026 is an Election year, and we have a plan. We need your help.

As we move into an election year here in New Zealand, we have a powerful opportunity to raise awareness of something that is often overlooked: the long-term survivorship needs of people affected by head and neck cancer.

Survival is not the end of the story.

Many in our community live with ongoing challenges — swallowing difficulties, speech changes, fatigue, dental issues, financial stress, and the emotional impact of altered identity and appearance. Whānau carry their own burdens too, often providing long-term care and support while managing work, family, and wellbeing.

This year, the Head and Neck Cancer Support Network Trust is focusing our advocacy on ensuring government agencies recognise survivorship as a critical phase of cancer care — not an optional extra. We are calling for better coordinated follow-up care, improved access to rehabilitation services, equitable support for rural and Māori communities, and recognition of the psychosocial needs of both patients and whānau.

You can help.

Closer to the time, and during the pre-election period we will have a simple one-page summary of what head and neck cancer survivors need. You can:

  • Email it to candidates standing in your electorate

  • Share it when candidates knock on your door

  • Take it to local election meetings or community forums

  • Send it to your sitting MP and ask for their support

Personal stories make a difference. If you feel comfortable, tell them what survivorship looks like for you.

Elections are when politicians listen most closely. Together, we can make sure head and neck cancer survivorship is part of the national conversation — and that no one is left to navigate life after treatment alone.

We will have our one-pager available soon. .

Tai Tokerau Support Group Meeting

15 April, 2 pm: Te Tokerau Support Group meeting, Daffodil House, 73 Kensington Road, Whangarei.

Why We Have Support Groups

At the heart of the Head and Neck Cancer Support Network Trust is a simple belief:

No one should face head and neck cancer alone.

Our support groups exist to create a safe, welcoming space where people affected by head and neck cancer — patients, survivors, and whānau — can come together in understanding.

What Our Support Groups Are For

1. Connection

Head and neck cancer can be isolating. Changes in speech, eating, appearance, energy levels, and confidence can make everyday life feel different. In our groups, you are with people who “get it.” You don’t have to explain everything from the beginning.

Shared experience reduces isolation.

2. Practical Wisdom

Clinical teams provide medical expertise. Our groups provide lived experience.

Members share:

  • How hey manage dry mouth or swallowing challenges

  • Tips for fatigue and returning to work

  • Strategies for navigating appointments

  • Ways to communicate with family and friends

This peer learning is powerful.

3. Emotional Support

Some things are hard to say in other spaces. In our groups, you can speak openly about fear, frustration, grief, hope, or uncertainty — without judgement.

Sometimes support is shared experiences.
Often, it is simply being heard.

4. Strengthening Whānau

Head and neck cancer affects more than one person. Whānau are welcome in our groups because they too, need understanding, information, and connection.

5. Building Confidence

Over time, many members move from feeling uncertain to feeling more confident — in asking questions, in managing side effects, and in supporting others.

Support groups are not therapy. They are not medical consultations. They are facilitated peer spaces grounded in respect, confidentiality, and shared experience.

What Our Support Groups Are Not

  • They are not one-to-one counselling.

  • They are not a substitute for medical care.

  • They are not places for judgment or comparison.

They are spaces of encouragement, dignity, and mutual support.

Our purpose is simple: to walk alongside one another through treatment, recovery, and survivorship.

If you have never attended, you are welcome.
If you prefer to listen quietly at first, that is perfectly okay.
If you are ready to share, we will listen.

This is your community.

Kia ora friends,

A New Year Message of Steady Hope

As we step into 2026, I find myself reflecting on what this community truly represents.

The world often talks about “new year, new you.” But for those of us living with and beyond head and neck cancer, that phrase can feel unrealistic — even unkind.

Recovery is not a reset button.
Survivorship is not a straight line.
And healing does not follow the calendar.

Instead, what I see in our community is something quieter and far more powerful:

Another year of walking together.

Over the past year, I have witnessed extraordinary courage — in our support groups, in private messages, in meetings, and in the gentle reaching out to one another. I have seen people share honestly about fatigue, speech changes, swallowing challenges, anxiety, and uncertainty. And I have seen others respond with compassion, practical wisdom, and reassurance.

That is what steady hope looks like.

It is not loud.
It is not dramatic.
It is consistent.

In 2026, our focus will continue to be strengthening group peer support, growing our regional connections, and advocating for better recognition of survivorship needs across Aotearoa. But at the heart of everything we do is one simple commitment: to ensure no one faces head and neck cancer alone.

To those newly diagnosed — we are here.
To those navigating long-term effects — we are here.
To whānau walking alongside someone you love — we are here.

Thank you for being part of this community. Thank you for your honesty, your resilience, and your generosity toward one another.

Here’s to another year of walking together.

Nga mihi nui,
Diana Ayling
Chair
Head and Neck Cancer Support Network Trust




Head and Neck Cancer Support Network
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Head & Neck Cancer Support Network Trust Community News October 2025