Head & Neck Cancer Support Network Trust Community News July 2026

Written By Head and Neck Cancer Support Network
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World Head and Neck Cancer Day 2026

World Head and Neck Cancer Day is about more than raising awareness. It's about recognising the people behind the diagnosis, encouraging earlier detection, improving care, and ensuring that everyone affected by head and neck cancer has access to the support they need to live well.

Today we stand with every person affected by head and neck cancer across Aotearoa New Zealand. We honour those currently in treatment, those living with the long-term effects of treatment, those who have lost loved ones, and those whose lives have been changed forever by this disease.

A head and neck cancer diagnosis can be overwhelming. Alongside the medical appointments and treatments, people often face fear, uncertainty, and isolation. That's why our Patient Support Packs are so important. They provide practical information, helpful resources, and a reminder that no one has to face this journey alone.

This World Head and Neck Cancer Day, we're asking if you could help by sponsoring a Patient Support Pack. Your donation will help us continue sending these packs to people throughout New Zealand, offering support when it is needed most.

Every gift, no matter the size, helps us reach another person with care, connection, and hope.

💙 Please consider sponsoring a Patient Support Pack today and help ensure that no one faces head and neck cancer alone. See the link below for details. We have two payment options.

https://www.headandneck.org.nz/fundraiser2026

 

A Win for Patients: Better Dental Care Coming to Auckland City Hospital

Sometimes, advocacy leads to real change.

We are delighted to share some positive news for people affected by head and neck cancer in Auckland and Te Tai Tokerau/Northland. Following our advocacy with the Minister of Health, Health New Zealand has confirmed that Auckland City Hospital's oral health clinic will be upgraded, with a new dental chair and modern clinical facilities being installed.

This is a significant step forward for the many patients who rely on specialist dental care before, during, and after head and neck cancer treatment.

Why this matters

People undergoing radiation therapy for head and neck cancer often require specialist dental care as an essential part of their treatment. Dental assessments before treatment, ongoing monitoring during treatment, and long-term follow-up help reduce complications and protect oral health.

During my own treatment at Auckland City Hospital, I became aware that the specialist dental chair used to care for patients had reached the end of its working life. Patients were being treated in ageing facilities, and some were having to travel to other sites for care because the existing equipment could no longer meet clinical needs.

As both a patient and Chair of the Head and Neck Cancer Support Network Trust, I felt it was important to raise these concerns directly with the Minister of Health.

A positive response

Health New Zealand has now confirmed that:

  • The existing dental chair has reached the end of its life.

  • A brand-new dental chair will be installed.

  • The oral health clinic is being refurbished with modern equipment and upgraded facilities.

  • Construction has begun.

  • A new clinical room is expected to be operating by September 2026.

  • The full refurbishment is expected to be completed by late October 2026.

Most importantly, once completed, the upgraded clinic will restore on-site specialist oral health services and provide more timely, coordinated care for patients receiving head and neck cancer treatment.

Why advocacy matters

This outcome is a reminder that respectful advocacy can make a difference.

Our role as a patient organisation is not only to provide support and information but also to speak up when we see opportunities to improve care. Sometimes that means asking difficult questions. Sometimes it means sharing lived experience. And sometimes it leads to practical improvements that will benefit hundreds of future patients.

We are grateful that Health New Zealand listened to these concerns and acted quickly to improve these facilities.

Looking ahead

This upgrade represents much more than a new dental chair. It reflects recognition that specialist oral health services are an essential part of cancer care.

We will continue working with Health New Zealand, clinicians, and decision-makers to advocate for high-quality, equitable care for everyone affected by head and neck cancer across Aotearoa New Zealand.

Together, we can help ensure that every patient receives the care, dignity, and support they deserve. See our original post here. https://www.headandneck.org.nz/advocacy-portfolio/project-ten-dental

  • 14 August Cancer Nurses Day

    Mid-October Northland Support Group.

Our Network Events

The Forbidden Pharmacy Opens its Doors

This weekend, a unique public installation called The Forbidden Pharmacy opened at Shed 10 in Auckland, shining a spotlight on an issue that affects thousands of New Zealanders living with serious and life-threatening illnesses. The installation features medicines that are funded and available in many other countries but remain unavailable to many patients in New Zealand because they are not publicly funded. The campaign is supported by 17 patient advocacy organisations, including the Head and Neck Cancer Support Network Trust and aims to encourage greater investment in access to modern medicines.

For people affected by head and neck cancer, timely access to effective medicines can make a significant difference to treatment options, quality of life, and outcomes. While Pharmac has an important role in assessing medicines, many patients and advocacy groups believe New Zealanders are waiting too long for proven treatments that are already improving lives overseas.

The Head and Neck Cancer Support Network welcomes conversations that help improve access to evidence-based cancer treatments. Alongside better diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and supportive care, equitable access to effective medicines is an important part of ensuring people affected by head and neck cancer receive the best possible care.

The Forbidden Pharmacy reminds us that behind every medicine on the shelf is a person, a family, and the hope for a better future. It is a powerful call for all of us to continue advocating for a health system that gives New Zealanders timely access to the treatments they need.

  • CanConnect - West Cancer Group meets on the second Thursday of each month 9.30 am to 11.30 pm at the Opanuku Studio, Corban Estate Arts Centre, 2 Mt Lebanon Lane, Henderson.
    The meeting is for all those affected by cancer, patients and their supporters.

    An engaging and supportive group who meet to learn and connect. Each month has a different wellbeing topic (with guest speakers). Following that, we connect over gentle movement and a cup of tea. If movement is hard for you, we have other great (non-walking) alternatives too.

  • Dove House: Holistic Support for People Affected by Cancer

    Dove Hospice & Wellness offers a wide range of supportive services for people living with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses, as well as for carers, families, and whānau. Based in Auckland, Dove House focuses on supporting emotional, physical, and spiritual wellbeing alongside medical treatment.

    Services include nursing and medical support, counselling for individuals, couples, and families, physiotherapy, and a variety of holistic therapies such as oncology massage, Reiki, relaxation therapy, acupuncture, meditation, chair yoga, and lymphoedema management. These services are designed to help people manage the side effects of treatment, reduce stress, and improve quality of life.

    Dove House also provides support groups for patients, carers, and people who are bereaved, creating opportunities for connection and shared understanding with others facing similar experiences. Workshops and education sessions are offered to help people build practical coping strategies and wellbeing skills during and after treatment.

    For those unable to travel, Dove offers a mobile therapy service that brings supportive therapies into people’s homes. Dove Wing, the organisation’s inpatient unit, also provides respite and palliative care for people needing more intensive support.

    Importantly, Dove Hospice & Wellness emphasises that hospice support is not only for end-of-life care. Their services are available to support people at many different stages of illness, including those undergoing treatment, recovering, or living with long-term conditions. The organisation’s approach is centred on helping people and their whānau feel supported, connected, and cared for throughout their journey. dovehospice.org.nz

Tui - Sunnynook Woolworths

A word from our Chair

Kia ora koutou,

As I sit down to write this letter, I find myself reflecting on the past few months from a very different perspective—not only as Chair of the Head and Neck Cancer Support Network Trust, but once again as a patient.

Many of you know that I have been undergoing radiation therapy at Auckland City Hospital. Like so many people in our community, my days have revolved around treatment appointments, waiting rooms, medical conversations, and the physical and emotional challenges that come with head and neck cancer. Walking this path again has reinforced something I have always believed: our work as a support network has never been more important.

I want to begin by acknowledging the extraordinary team in the Radiation Oncology Department at Auckland City Hospital. Every member of the team—from the radiation therapists and nurses to the doctors, reception staff, dietitians, speech-language therapists, and support staff—has treated me with kindness, professionalism, and genuine compassion. They work incredibly hard to provide world-class care, and I am deeply grateful for everything they do for patients every single day.

At the same time, my treatment journey highlighted a difficult reality. While the people delivering care are exceptional, many of the facilities they work in are not. Some of the clinical areas and waiting spaces have reached the end of their useful life. They feel tired, cramped, and no longer reflect the standard of care that cancer patients deserve.

One example was the ageing dental clinic, where patients receiving radiation therapy rely on specialist oral healthcare as an essential part of treatment. I was pleased to receive confirmation this month that Health New Zealand will replace the outdated dental chair and refurbish the clinic with modern equipment. It is a reminder that respectful advocacy can lead to meaningful change, and that together we can help improve the experience of future patients.

Like many Auckland and Northland patients, I also became very familiar with Auckland's public transport network. There were countless bus and train journeys to appointments, often feeling tired before the day had even begun. Yet those journeys also gave me time to observe the city, meet interesting people, and appreciate the quiet acts of kindness that happen every day.

One unexpected source of joy became my search for tūī.

Some days I would hear their distinctive song before I saw them. Other days I would spot them in flowering trees near the hospital. Then I began noticing artistic tūī everywhere—painted on walls, carved into wood, displayed in shop windows, and woven into artworks across the city. Each one seemed to appear just when I needed a reminder to keep going. My favourite is the somewhat startled tui on the back of the Sunnynook Woolworths. He said it all for me, “What the heck is happening?” Mate, I feel your pain.

The tūī has become a symbol of resilience for me. It is adaptable, strong, and unmistakably New Zealand. In many ways, it reminds me of our own community. Every person affected by head and neck cancer carries a story of courage. Every caregiver, clinician, volunteer, donor, and supporter contributes something valuable. Together, we create a network of hope that helps people through some of life's most difficult moments.

Despite the challenges of treatment, our Trust has continued to move forward. We've marked World Head and Neck Cancer Day, continued distributing Patient Support Packs, strengthened our advocacy work, grown our online community, and kept working towards our vision that no one should face head and neck cancer alone.

To our volunteers, trustees, healthcare partners, donors, and everyone who has sent messages of encouragement over the past few months—thank you. Your support has meant more than you know.

To those of you currently undergoing treatment, recovering, or supporting someone you love, please know that you are not alone. There is a whole community standing beside you.

As always, thank you for being part of the Head and Neck Cancer Support Network. Together we are making a difference—one conversation, one act of kindness, one Patient Support Pack, and one voice at a time.

Ngā mihi,

Diana Ayling
Chair
Head and Neck Cancer Support Network Trust

Another way to join a Support Group

Want to do something different than Facebook?

We know Facebook isn’t for everyone — and sometimes you just want something simpler, more private, and easier to keep up with.

That’s why we’ve created a WhatsApp group for our community 💚

It’s a space for real-time connection, quick check-ins, and support when you need it most — without the noise of social media. Whether you prefer reading quietly or joining the conversation, you’re very welcome.

If you’ve been looking for a more personal way to stay connected, this might be the right fit for you.

https://www.headandneck.org.nz/connect-with-us




Head and Neck Cancer Support Network
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Head & Neck Cancer Support Network Trust Community News June 2026