Our Articles

Understand how well-intentioned words can unintentionally cause pain during crisis. Learn what to say and what to avoid when supporting whānau through childhood illness in New Zealand.

The messages arrive like small, glowing birds on the screen of a phone you don’t have the energy to lift. They all say a version of the same sentence... "Let me know if you need anything." It is a well-intentioned, generous, and utterly useless offer. In the landscape of crisis—whether it’s the sterile, beeping world of a hospital ward or the heavy silence of a grieving home—a person’s capacity is the first casualty.

Grief literacy is not theory. It’s how families, children, and communities learn to carry loss together with clarity, honesty, and presence.

When our son Finley was diagnosed with Wilms tumour, he chose a new name — Rah Rah. In the middle of childhood cancer treatment, this became his way of coping and holding on to his spirit. This is the story of how children create survival strategies, and how as parents we can honour their resilience.