FAQ'S FOR PARENTS

In January 2026, the camp will be in Christchurch. 

January 2026, please consider this if you have family holidays at this time. Dates will be released soon!

We kindly request a registration fee per camper to assist in covering CCNZ’s administrative expenses. The fee is now set at $100 per camper.  Although there has been an increase this year, it's important to note that we have upheld the previous fee for the past five years, making this our first ever increase. 

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 $1800.00

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.

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), 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, eg 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 on a flight without their own or other parents, volunteers, or older campers, they will be booked as an unaccompanied minor. 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 Christchurch.
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.