Helping young Kiwis through some of life’s toughest times
Kenzie’s Gift supports the mental health of tamariki (children) and mātātahi (young people) affected by serious illness or grief.
Grief is a reality of life, it’s what it means to be human, and it’s inevitable. At some point or another, we all experience grief, and yet we aren’t very good at supporting one another during these times. What we don’t realize is that this can be all the more isolating for the person going through it.Serious illness is a major trigger of grief for everyone involved. Here at Kenzie’s gift, we use evidence-based professional support to help young Kiwis through the toughest times.
What we do
Articles
Backed by our team of therapists’ insights, our free online resources are full of helpful tips for tamariki / children, mātātahi / young people and their whānau who are affected by serious illness or grief.
Support kits
Our support kits are designed for tamariki / children, mātātahi / young people and mātua / parents and caregivers who are affected by serious illness (including mate pukupuku / cancer) and grief.
1-on-1 therapy
We provide up to 12 fully funded 1-on-1 therapy sessions with registered mental health professionals for tamariki / children and mātātahi / young people throughout Aotearoa New Zealand.
The Unthinkables Community
Our private Facebook group is a safe space for parents and caregivers who have lost a child.
We help young kiwis aged between 3 to 24 years old:
- who have a parent / primary caregiver with a terminal or life-limiting illness (including mate pukupuku / cancer).
- whose parent / primary caregiver / sibling have died.
- who has a serious, usually long-term or life-limiting illness (including mate pukupuku / cancer).
Therapy sessions
Hard copies of support kits
Families helped
Campaigns
Book List
Books are a great way to help tamariki / children (and yourself) begin to make sense of what they’re experiencing when it comes to serious illness or grief. See what we recommend.
Kia ora, I’m Nic. I’m a heart transplantee, mate pukupuku (cancer) survivor and bereaved māmā who lives with Parkinson's. I’m an author, speaker, and proud founder of Kenzie’s gift.
Kenzie’s gift is born out of the loss of my 3-year-old daughter Kenzie to pukupuku (cancer). Kenzie’s Gift’s mission is to create a brighter future for young Kiwis affected by serious illness or grief by supporting good mental health and ensuring no young Kiwi faces serious illness or grief alone.
From the families you help by supporting us
As a charity, we don’t receive any government funding and rely on the amazing generosity of our supporters to keep our essential mental health services running.
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