OUR HELPERS
We are so fortunate to have such an amazing community full of such special businesses and individuals.
About us
What is the HHN?The Holiday Helpers Network is a not-for-profit group of Waiheke-based individuals, businesses and organisations.Our goal is to utilise our paradise island as a base for providing free respite experiences to families of children with life-threatening illnesses.Our holiday experiences offer the opportunity to relax, refresh, and just be together as a family away from the hospitals, 24/7 care and struggles of everyday life.
Who organises HHN holidays?The HHN is powered by three friends with the same purpose. Being small means we are agile, can take the time to get to know each family, and ultimately tailor each HHN experience to them.In reality though, the HHN is much bigger than just the three of us. Being 100% volunteer and donation based, none of this could happen without the amazing generosity of our HHN Helpers.
How did HHN come about?Despite being terminally ill, teenager Donna Curtis's last wish was for her parents to create Donna's Dreamhouse - a holiday home in the UK for children with life-threatening or terminal illnesses. A place where kids could just be kids, and families could bond away from their 'normal' day-to-day life of hospital visits, medications and endless operations.Donna's story inspired us to act, and the HHN Waiheke Island was formed. Since 2011, we have provided 20+ incredible holiday experiences to deserving families.
Family Feedback
Recent family experiences:
We have hosted 25+ family holidays so far and each of them has been really special. Here are just a few of the highlights:
”It's hard not to sound 'cheesy', but having left hospital after a stressful admission at 2pm and then arriving at your home on Waiheke and seeing all the love and kindness given to us, it really did make me cry! Having a sick kid is constant - never a day out from it, so to have this chance to relax in your beautiful home with so many special things to do, great beaches, a car to use etc, is hard to put our appreciation in to words. We were able to recharge and have time together as a family doing lovely things, laughing, eating and being on holiday - something that we don't get to do very often. We think you are all amazing and so kind and we are delighted to think that other families will get the opportunity to be refreshed on Waiheke Island as we did.”Francis & Shirley, Jasmine, Candace & Sam Davy
”This holiday couldn't have came at a more perfect time as our family continued to adjusted to a new life of hospitals, separation and acceptance of our baby's health journey with already undergoing a liver transplant and a bone marrow transplant.”The Wallace Family
”What an amazing experience. Thank you so much -my family will be forever grateful for the time and generosity of Holiday Helpers Network Waiheke Island, and the local sponsors working with Dan and Karyn.”Rochelle Watson
A little bit about the You family and their journey so far:
Timothy, aged 4, is from Christchurch. He was born with childhood liver disease and diagnosed with life-threatening Hepatoblastoma (liver cancer), Timothy spent long periods in the hospital undergoing chemotherapy, and many different surgeries, including a liver transplant. Unfortunately, the cancer has reoccurred, his liver is failing, and treatment options are exhausted; his future is now very uncertain. This family has been through so much medical trauma over the last four years; a relaxing break in Waiheke is an injection of hope that they need, and the respite will sustain them in the challenges ahead.
The You family's HHN experience (20-23 March 2026):
"Hi Dan, Ben, and the team,We are safely back home in Christchurch now. I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who made this wonderful trip possible for our family.First of all, special thanks to Janet from IDFNZ for referring us to this program. And thank you to Amy for all her hard work booking the flights and organising the flights and picking-ups. Everything was so smooth and professional!To Ben - I want to say a very special thank you to you. Knowing that your child also spent a long time at Starship made me feel that you truly understand our journey. Thank you for listening to our story and sharing your own. Your words gave us so much encouragement and strength.To Dan - Thank you for the professional planning and the delicious food you prepared. The dumplings, noodles, and chicken and plenty of sweets and snacks were so thoughtful. It was so nice to have so much food and we felt we were so spoiled!! Also you made a plan satisfying our needs especially Timothy!!! Giving us more time between active so Timothy could have enough time playing and napping!!!Our favourite moments:• Timmy Smith’s Tea Experience: We loved the tea experience. This was so much fun! Our family loves guessing games, so trying to guess the natural ingredients was a highlight. We really felt the beauty of nature’s gifts. It was so natural and healthy; we could feel the owner's heart in it.
• Little Oneroa Beach: This was our most relaxing time. Eating pizza from next door while the kids played happily—we could just breathe the sea breeze and let all our stress go.
• The Heke Restaurant: The food was excellent. The kids loved the steak and chips, and we enjoyed the Asian-style dishes and the beer. The kids had a blast on the jumping pillow!
• The Sea View House: The house at 42 Queens Drive was beautiful. Staying here mammary is feeling relaxed!!! It’s also very safe for Timothy. He likes jumping up and downs and running around. Seeing him happy every moment made us feel like a holiday!!! We also took a family photo with the ocean in the background—it is now our favourite memory!!
• Ecosauna: Thomas and Stephen had a great time here and it was the 1st time they had ever tried it
• The Op shop: this was well worth going to. We spent more than 1 hour there to explore. Timothy played in the shop until we left :-)
• Soho wine tasting: this was a really new experience for us, not being regular wine drinkers. It was great to try 5 wines and find our outright favourite!
• Island gelato - what a great way to enhance our walk through the village with a beautiful ice cream of our choice. Yum.Summary:
This trip gave us memories we will cherish forever. For a family with Timothy, these quiet and happy moments are very precious. Thank you, IDFNZ & Kids Foundation, and Holiday Helpers Network, for your kind and professional and personalised service. We are so deeply moved.Thank you all so much for everything!Kind regards, Fen Wang"
A little bit about the Spackman family and their journey so far:
Jack, aged 4, from Palmerston North. Jack was born with Biliary atresia, liver disease. He has been chronically ill since birth. A liver transplant is his hope for a cure, and the family have been waiting patiently for this to become available. Having a first child with severe medical needs has taken a toll on this lovely family. A break in Waiheke will relieve their mental health and allow the family to prepare themselves for a year of surgery and extended hospitalisation in Auckland.
The Spackman family's HHN experience (27-30 March 2026):
"We wanted to say thank you once again to you and everyone that was involved in our holiday. We have a lovely time away felt very relaxed and didn't want to go home. It was amazing experience and we are very grateful.
Thanks, Helen, Sean and Jack"
100% volunteer driven and donation based
Help us make a differenceFamilies with a child with a life threatening/life limiting illness live with extremely difficult circumstances everyday. For some, an HHN experience could be their last chance to spend quality time together. For others, the experience brings them renewed energy to face the challenges ahead.Check out the feedback from past family experiences to see the real difference we can make by all working together. Holiday helper generosity makes all of this possible.
Some ways you can helpMonetary donations - to fund parts of a holiday that aren't sponsored e.g. transport to/from Waiheke and to get them around whilst they enjoy their stay.Essentials - We want families’ concerns to be kept to a minimum so their thoughts are focused solely on themselves. So, as a minimum we aim to have all the essentials waiting for them on their arrival–such as milk, tea, coffee, bread and other such items.Luxuries - The difference between a good holiday and a sensational one can sometimes come down to those special little things families might never have dreamed of experiencing. Whether it be lunch/dinner vouchers, spa treatments, or entry to local attractions, these are bound to leave lasting memories for families who seldomly have the opportunity to treat themselves.Volunteers - We rely 100% on volunteers. Key volunteer activities including referring families to us, preparing the accommodation for the stay, responding to needs during the family’s stay, and then closing down/tidying up afterwards.
FAQs
What are HHN experiences like?All our breaks seek to include free accommodation and transport (as a minimum), and food & beverages, and local attraction costs where possible - so families' costs are kept to a bare minimum. Due to our local knowledge and love of beautiful Waiheke Island, all our holidays are hosted here (a 35 minute ferry ride from downtown Auckland).
How are families selected?All of our families are referred to us by the Immune Deficiencies Foundation of NZ (IFDNZ) - a fantastic organisation that supports young patients and their families in any way possible.
Will families have to contribute to holiday costs?While we endeavour to make all our holidays free, this relies solely on the generosity of our Helpers, so the services donated towards each HHN holiday can vary. We will always inform families what parts of the holiday are covered by us, and any relevant costs that they may to have to incur personally, before the holiday commences.
How can you become a Helper?We couldn’t do what we do without the help of our HHN Helpers, and as we strive to expand our holiday options we’re always on the look out for individuals or organisations keen to get involved. Being a Helper does not need to take up a huge amount of time but we guarantee that the end result is always hugely rewarding and means so much to the families who benefit from it.
Contact
Fill out the form below to reach out to us, or just give Dan a call on 0212448731.
Thank you
We look forward to partnering with you to help more families in need.