FAQ'S FOR PARENTS

In January 2027, the camp will be at Camp Adair, in Hunua, Auckland. It is a wonderful facility and you can view the camp here.

10th - 15th January 2027, please consider this if you have family holidays at this time.

We kindly request a registration fee to help cover CCNZ’s administrative expenses. Last year, this fee was $150 per camper. We are still confirming whether this will change for the upcoming camp, but we will share the final amount when registrations open. This adjustment has been necessitated by rising costs from our vendors.

All other costs, including airfare, will be covered by CCNZ, through our fundraising efforts and our generous sponsors. We will email you an invoice for the registration fee once places have been confirmed. The registration fee can be waived if it will cause financial hardship. If you need to discuss getting your registration fee waived, please email us at campenquiries@crohnsandcolitis.org.nz

If you wish to make donations over and above the registration fee, please do this on our Give-A-Little page. The actual cost to send a child to the six-day camp is approximately $2,000.00

Due to the limited number of spots, we highly encourage early registration. This year, we have 80 spots available for campers. If we receive more registrations than our capacity, various factors will be considered in the selection process, including the number of previous camps attended by each camper. If you are a new camper, your spot is very likely to be confirmed, as we prioritise welcoming new tamariki into the Camp Purple whānau.

All medications will be collected at the start of camp and dispensed and recorded by our medical staff.  Do not send any loose or un-labelled medication to camp.  Medications need to be sent to camp in their original bottles or packaging.  If medication is received by our medical team, not in its original packaging, it will not be dispensed.  If your child has supplementary drinks, you will need to provide these as well.

We will not have facilities to give IV infusions at camp, infliximab (Remicade) or vedolizumab (Entyvio), but will work with your regular doctor to plan the infusion just before the start of camp. Injections of adalimumab (Humira/Amgevita), methotrexate or ustekinumab (Stelara) will be given under the supervision of our camp nurses.

The camp is staffed by a minimum of four doctors and four nurses who will be on site and available 24/7. We have direct access to local facilities, including Te Whata Ora, Health New Zealand. In the unlikely event of a serious medical concern, our protocol includes immediate parent notification. Please ensure your availability during the camp dates to facilitate prompt communication in such instances.

We can cater for all dietary restrictions and special diets, e.g. gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, vegan, and we can accommodate campers on supplemental drinks. 
Our menus do not contain nuts, whole seeds or spicy foods. If you would like to discuss the dietary requirements of your child, please email campenquiries@crohnsandcolitis.org.nz  

Children are continually reminded to talk to their camp leader if they are not feeling up to participating in a particular activity. All camp leaders have personal experience with IBD and are sensitive to the issues of our campers.
While we do not require children to participate, we still encourage them to attend the activity and offer support to those who are completing it.

Being away from home for the first time can be difficult for some children, but this experience fosters growth, self-confidence, and independence. Our staff has experience with dealing with this issue and each situation will be handled on an individual basis.

If your child is 11 or under and travelling on a flight without a volunteer, or an older camper (15+), they will be booked as an unaccompanied minor. This service is mandatory for children under 12 who are not accompanied by someone aged 15 or older. You can get more information on how this works here: https://www.airnewzealand.co.nz/special-assistance-children-travelling-alone-airband 

Most flights, to camp and home again, have a mixture of volunteers or older campers and returning campers. There will be camp volunteers to meet campers at each flight arrival in Auckland.

On the flight home, volunteers will be asked to wait with campers until they have all been collected by parents. If a particular flight does not have a volunteer on it, there will be a camp volunteer staying with the campers until they go through the departure gate.

Cell phones and other electronic devices may be bought to camp, at your own risk.  CCNZ will not take responsibility for any personal items that are stolen, lost or damaged while at camp.

Without the distraction of cell phones, campers can fully engage in the camp experience and build meaningful connections with new friends. While we understand that campers will use their phones to communicate with home and take photos, we kindly ask that they put their phones away during instructions to ensure they follow all health, safety, and camp rules.