AYA Cancer Network Aotearoa

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AYA Cancer Network Aotearoa We can provide resources, information and contacts related to AYA cancer care.

The Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Cancer Network Aotearoa connects professionals, patients, carers and other stakeholders with an interest in improving AYA cancer outcomes.

Next up in our focus area series: Te Taurite me te Urunga | Equity and Access 🌊Not every young person's river flows as f...
09/10/2026

Next up in our focus area series: Te Taurite me te Urunga | Equity and Access 🌊

Not every young person's river flows as freely. Justin shares what it was like trying to find support as a low-income earner, and it echoes what we heard in our last post: more financial support, and the same care no matter where you live.

Our focus is on culturally grounded care, identifying and responding to inequities, enabling equitable access, and shared accountability.

Because every rangatahi deserves a smoother awa 🧡

We’re taking a deeper dive into the five focus areas of our Strategic Action Plan 2026-2030 🧡First up: Te Awa ~ the rive...
07/10/2026

We’re taking a deeper dive into the five focus areas of our Strategic Action Plan 2026-2030 🧡

First up: Te Awa ~ the river, representing the lived experience of cancer care for rangatahi.

Our focus is on the parts of the journey that matter most ~ timely access to support, age-appropriate information, smoother transitions, holistic support, care coordination, and communication & choice.

Their answers also point to something bigger: not every rangatahi has the same access to care and support.

Which leads us into our next focus area ~ Equity & Access 👀

Some great news for AYA cancer care in Aotearoa.We welcome this week's announcement from Pharmac that Rule 8.1(b) will b...
01/10/2026

Some great news for AYA cancer care in Aotearoa.

We welcome this week's announcement from Pharmac that Rule 8.1(b) will be extended to eligible AYAs with paediatric-type cancers. This change will help improve access to medicines for young people with paediatric cancers who are treated in adult services.

We're pleased to have contributed to this work over recent years alongside Pharmac, the National Child Cancer Network, clinicians and others.

Most importantly, this change will make it easier for eligible young people to access the medicines they need, wherever they are receiving their cancer care.

Read the full media release from Pharmac here: https://www.pharmac.govt.nz/news-and-resources/news/pharmac-expands-access-to-funded-cancer-medicines-for-adolescents-and-young-adults

01/10/2026

Our rangatahi have shared what they hope the cancer experience looks like for young people by 2030 🧡

Their voices are at the heart of our Strategic Action Plan 2026-2030.

This is what they hope for 🧡

Introducing our AYA Cancer National Strategic Action Plan 🧡We’ve been talking about Te Awa ~ the river and what it means...
30/09/2026

Introducing our AYA Cancer National Strategic Action Plan 🧡

We’ve been talking about Te Awa ~ the river and what it means for rangatahi navigating a cancer journey.

Now we’re excited to introduce Te Taiao o te Awa ~ the river environment. This is where we come in: shaping the conditions around that journey so it’s safer, more connected, and easier to navigate.

Our Strategic Action Plan 2026-2030 sets our direction across five focus areas, all working to strengthen the riverbanks for rangatahi across Aotearoa.

A huge mihi to our Rangatahi Advisory Group, whose voices and lived experiences have helped shape this kaupapa and continue to guide our mahi. 🧡

He waka eke noa - we are all in this together.

Read Te Mahere Rautaki Mahi | Strategic Action Plan 2026–2030 at https://ayacancernetwork.org.nz/aya-cancer-action-plan-2026-2030/

And follow along as we take you deeper into each of our five focus areas over the coming weeks.

28/09/2026

Today, we are proud to launch Te Mahere Rautaki Mahi |AYA Cancer Network Aotearoa Strategic Action Plan 2026-2030 🧡

At the heart of this plan are the voices and experiences of rangatahi like Mikyla.

At just 21, Mikyla’s life changed overnight when she was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia. Her journey down Te Awa has included rapids, rocks, calmer stretches and unexpected turns ~ and through it all, the right support made an incredible difference.

But as Mikyla shares, that level of support is not yet the reality for every young person with cancer in Aotearoa.

That is why this Action Plan matters.

Between now and 2030, it will guide our collective mahi towards a future where every young person with cancer is supported, heard and cared for ~ wherever they live, whatever their circumstances, and wherever they are on their journey down Te Awa.

And rangatahi voice will continue to be at the heart of that mahi. As Mikyla says:
“Our voices are powerful and play a vital role in shaping the future of AYA cancer care across Aotearoa.”

This is our direction to 2030 🧡 more to come this week as we break it down.

Te Mahere Rautaki Mahi 2026-2030 is now live on our website - https://ayacancernetwork.org.nz/aya-cancer-action-plan-2026-2030/

24/09/2026

No two rivers are the same. And neither are two young people’s experiences of cancer 🧡

There may be similarities along the way, but they’re never identical.

There will be parts of a young person’s awa that we can’t change ~ the rapids, unexpected turns and challenges that can come with a cancer diagnosis and treatment.

But what we can look at is the environment surrounding that awa ~ Te Taiao o Te Awa 🌿

What rocks can we remove? How can we strengthen the sides of the awa? And how can we, as health professionals, services and teams, better support young people and their whānau along the way?

These are some of the questions that have helped shape what comes next for the AYA Cancer Network Aotearoa.

After months of mahi, we’re ready to share what we’re working towards by 2030 ~ shaped by the experiences and voices of our “bosses” AKA young people with cancer across AotearoA 🧡

Te Mahere Rautaki Mahi a te AYA Cancer Network Aotearoa�Strategic Action Plan 2026-2030

Launching next week.

23/09/2026

We asked rangatahi one question:

What’s one thing you wish people understood about going through cancer as a young person?

Their answers remind us that cancer as a young person is about so much more than treatment.

It can mean navigating everything that comes after treatment ends. Wanting to be spoken to and included in conversations about your own care. Grieving changes to your body and the life you knew before. Watching friendships change. Or simply trying to understand what’s happening when no one around you really understands either.

Every experience is different. Every awa is different.

But if we want to create better cancer care and support for young people in Aotearoa, we need to start by listening to the young people who have lived it.

Their voices are at the heart of what comes next 🧡

More next week... 🌊

22/09/2026

Introducing Te Awa ~ the river 🌊

For more than 15 years, Te Awa has helped us understand and talk about what it can feel like to experience cancer as a young person in Aotearoa.

Developed by Ellyn Proffit, , Clinical Lead at The AYA Cancer Network, Te Awa uses the metaphor of a river to help make sense of a journey that can often feel complex and unpredictable.

Just like a river, a young person’s cancer journey can have rapids, calm stretches, unexpected turns and moments where the path ahead feels uncertain.

What began as a reflective tool to help young people look back and make sense of what they had been through has evolved into something that can also help them look ahead ~ understanding where they are in their awa, what they’ve already navigated, and what might be coming next.

Because every awa is different, just as every young person’s experience of cancer is different 🧡

As we prepare to share something very important for the future of AYA cancer care in Aotearoa next week, we wanted to start here ~ with Te Awa, and the journey of the young people at the heart of everything we do.

More to come very soon... 🌊

🇳🇿 Recently Aotearoa hosted the World Indigenous Cancer Congress🧡 We were proud that there was an AYA specific session a...
27/05/2026

🇳🇿 Recently Aotearoa hosted the World Indigenous Cancer Congress

🧡 We were proud that there was an AYA specific session and a fantastic turnout of people passionate about improving outcomes for all AYAs

🛶 Our Clinical Lead Ellyn Proffit presented on her beautiful ‘Te Mana o Te Awa: The Power of the River’ metaphor

🩵 Louise Sue, AYA Palliative Care Working Group Chair, presented on the process of developing end of life resources for Rangatahi across the motu

❤️ Telesia Brown, AYA Keyworker, presented on the AYA Services Framework for Psychosocial Support and how it supports equitable delivery of cancer care

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ACS Building, Level 05, Ferncroft Street, Grafton
Auckland
1010

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Monday 8:30am - 5pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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+6421819486

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