Kiwis Together

Kiwis Together $1 a week/$4 a month , less than a cup of coffee a month !

Kiwis Together started because I watched a Kiwi family desperately trying to fundraise for a little boy’s health needs a...
31/05/2026

Kiwis Together started because I watched a Kiwi family desperately trying to fundraise for a little boy’s health needs and remember thinking… surely there had to be a better way than families being left to do this alone online.

Most fundraising relies on families repeatedly sharing their private struggles across social media, hoping enough people see it in time. The money also usually goes straight into personal bank accounts, which can leave people unsure where funds end up.

I truly believed New Zealand needed something different. One national pot where everyday Kiwis could give just $1 a week, and where funds are paid directly to verified providers and suppliers instead. Not just for one family with a viral post or lots of connections, but for ordinary Kiwi citizens and permanent residents all around the country facing real healthcare gaps.

Then one morning around 3am, I woke up with the idea stuck in my head.

Not insurance. Just Kiwis backing Kiwis.

That tiny idea took over two years to turn into a properly registered charity with robust systems and governance behind it. But the reality is, we’re still just two mums with day jobs trying to build something good for fellow Kiwis. We don’t have corporate marketing budgets or big advertising teams behind us, so social media became our way of getting the message out there.

Today we help everyday Kiwis with the healthcare support they need, but behind the scenes we're also working on some much bigger cases that could make a life-changing difference for families facing incredibly complex challenges. The need in New Zealand is far greater than most people realise.

The hardest part now is simply helping people realise that when enough Kiwis stand together, $1 a week can genuinely change lives.

Danielle & Tracey

KIWIS TOGETHER CHARITABLE TRUST
Direct credit: 06-0457-0774196-00
Donate online: https://www.kiwistogether.org.nz/donate

At 37 years old, Joanna was in the gym training like any normal day. She was active, healthy, worked with service dogs, ...
18/05/2026

At 37 years old, Joanna was in the gym training like any normal day. She was active, healthy, worked with service dogs, volunteered as a firefighter and had just signed up for another half marathon series. Then within minutes, her foot went numb, the feeling travelled up her leg, and suddenly the entire left side of her body stopped working.

By the time the ambulance arrived, Joanna couldn’t move her arm or toes properly. Scans confirmed she was having a stroke. Sitting in hospital, alone, with her family not even aware yet, she had just minutes to decide whether to undergo thrombolysis treatment… a treatment that carried serious risks, but also her best chance at recovery. At just 37, she took it.

After seven days in hospital, Joanna was discharged home with no rehab plan, no physio support and no ongoing therapy arranged. She has since been told this should never have happened. So like many Kiwis faced with huge gaps in the system, she tried to push through it herself.

Joanna has reached out to Kiwis Together because nearly a year later, life still hasn’t gone back to normal. She still deals with weakness down her left side, exhaustion, memory struggles and speech difficulties that worsen when she’s tired or stressed. Something as simple as walking her dog around the block could leave her needing hours of sleep afterwards.

This is why Kiwis Together exists. Because recovery doesn’t just stop when someone leaves hospital. Joanna has now been given the opportunity to work with a Neuromuscular Rehab clinic to continue rebuilding strength and function, and together our $1 a week warriors are helping make that possible.

That’s the heart of Kiwis Together. Thousands of ordinary Kiwis giving just $1 a week into one national pot, so when life blindsides someone like Joanna, they don’t have to face the gaps completely alone.

*Joanna has kindly allowed us to share her real story. As she preferred not to provide a personal photo, an illustrative image has been used to help represent her journey.

KIWIS TOGETHER CHARITABLE TRUST
Direct credit: 06-0457-0774196-00
Donate online: https://www.kiwistogether.org.nz/donate

April was huge for us behind the scenes at Kiwis Together.People often forget it’s still just us, two mums, both working...
14/05/2026

April was huge for us behind the scenes at Kiwis Together.

People often forget it’s still just us, two mums, both working normal day jobs while running KT around everyday life. Those jobs also cover all of KT’s running costs, because we made the decision from day one that public donations should go directly to Kiwi families needing help.

Applications have been coming in faster than we can keep up with lately, and sadly we’ve had to turn some away or ask people to come back later, which is something we find really difficult.

At the same time though, there are also some really positive things quietly moving ahead behind the scenes for KT, and we’re incredibly grateful for the support growing around us.

To every donor, every person sharing posts, and every business supporting us around New Zealand… thank you for standing beside us. Old supporters, new supporters, our $1-a-week warriors, all of you are helping make this work.

Still just Kiwis backing Kiwis.

KIWIS TOGETHER CHARITABLE TRUST
Direct credit: 06-0457-0774196-00
Donate online: https://www.kiwistogether.org.nz/donate.

You can look perfectly healthy on the outside and still be fighting a battle most people never see.Moira reached out to ...
11/05/2026

You can look perfectly healthy on the outside and still be fighting a battle most people never see.

Moira reached out to us recently. Behind her positive outlook she’s dealing with Crohn’s disease and chronic fatigue, and this is where the system gets really hard for a lot of Kiwis.

People assume if you’re sick in New Zealand everything is just “covered.” The reality is very different. You can end up waiting months for specialist appointments, testing, scans and answers while trying to keep working, keep paying bills and keep pretending you’re coping.

And illnesses like Crohn’s are invisible a lot of the time. People don’t see the pain, the exhaustion, the fear around food, the constant stomach issues, the chronic fatigue or the stress of not knowing when your body is going to flare up next. They just see someone who “looks fine.”

Private consults can cost hundreds. Testing and specialist procedures can quickly run into the thousands. And when you’re already struggling physically, those costs can feel completely out of reach.

This is exactly why we built Kiwis Together and why our little army of $1 a week warriors matters so much. Because more and more ordinary Kiwis are falling into that awful space where they’re not sick enough to get urgent help publicly, but too unwell to simply carry on waiting.

It’s not huge donations changing things either. It’s everyday people quietly chucking a dollar a week into a national pot so when someone like Moira reaches out, there’s actually somewhere to turn.

As always funds are paid to providers only.

KIWIS TOGETHER CHARITABLE TRUST
Direct credit: 06-0457-0774196-00
Donate online: https://www.kiwistogether.org.nz/donate

We’ve recently become aware of a racist comment made towards one of the children Kiwis Together is currently helping.The...
06/05/2026

We’ve recently become aware of a racist comment made towards one of the children Kiwis Together is currently helping.

The comment said:
‘We need to think of our own.’ among other things :(

The thing is… that little boy IS one of our own.

Kiwis Together has never been built around race, religion, skin colour, or what someone’s surname sounds like. Our criteria is very simple. If someone is a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident, and they meet the criteria for unfunded healthcare support, then we help where we can.

Sickness doesn’t care whether someone is Indian, Māori, Pākehā, Islander, Asian, or anything else. And to be honest, neither do we. We see kids needing therapy, parents exhausted, people trying to keep working through pain, families falling through the gaps… and we either help or we don’t.

We’re not here to divide people into “us” and “them.” We’re here because too many people in New Zealand are struggling to access things that could genuinely improve their quality of life.

And despite hurtful comments, that won’t change.

Arjun loves dinosaurs and anything blue… it lights him up. He’s got Rett syndrome, which means there’s a lot going on in...
04/05/2026

Arjun loves dinosaurs and anything blue… it lights him up. He’s got Rett syndrome, which means there’s a lot going on inside him, but getting it out into the world isn’t easy. You can see he wants to connect, it just takes real effort.

This is where Kiwis Together comes in. Not with one big donation… just people. Break it down and it’s simple. A few thousand people giving a dollar once, and it’s covered. Or a smaller group giving $1 a week, and it’s sorted over a few weeks.

For cultural reasons his family have asked to stay private, which we completely respect. The image has been adapted to help share his story.

What he needs now is hands-on communication therapy that actually teaches him how to express himself. Using eye gaze, where he can look at words or pictures to make choices, build sentences, and show people what he wants, needs, and is thinking.

Some support can exist in different forms depending on each family’s situation, but it doesn’t always apply, and it often doesn’t stretch far enough for the kind of specialist therapy Arjun needs.

Everything we do is verified through our application process, and paid straight from the trust account to the provider. Never into personal accounts.

KIWIS TOGETHER CHARITABLE TRUST
Direct credit: 06-0457-0774196-00
Donate online: https://www.kiwistogether.org.nz/donate

This is how $1 a week actually works.And this is where Kiwis Together comes in. Not with one big donation, just people. ...
01/05/2026

This is how $1 a week actually works.

And this is where Kiwis Together comes in. Not with one big donation, just people. Because when you break it down, it’s actually simple… 3,000 people giving $1 and it’s covered. Or 1,000 people giving $1 a week and it’s sorted in a few weeks.

A child gets offered an intensive therapy block, the kind that can genuinely shift things, not just the odd appointment but proper daily work. It comes in at around $3,000. The family wants to do it, they’ve done everything they’re supposed to through the public system, but like a lot of things in this space it just isn’t funded, so it sits there… possible, but out of reach.

A nana, already doing the heavy lifting raising her mokos, has her own health condition ticking along in the background. The kind that doesn’t go away, just needs managing. Her prescriptions aren’t funded, so it’s an ongoing cost, month after month, and it’s that constant juggle between keeping herself well and keeping everything else afloat.

Someone gets referred for a specialist appointment. Not urgent enough to be fast-tracked, not mild enough to ignore, just stuck in that long waitlist space. Months go by, things don’t improve, and it starts affecting their ability to keep working properly. They’re turning up, pushing through, but it’s getting harder, and cutting back hours isn’t really an option either. Going private would likely get answers sooner… but it comes with a cost they simply don’t have sitting there. So it drags on longer than it should, not because it has to, but because of money.

It’s not about one person doing something massive, it’s about enough of us doing something small at the same time. And because of how we’ve built this, providers verify it through our application process, then the money goes straight from the trust account to them, never into personal accounts, every single time.

That’s how people go from missing out… to finally getting what they need.

KIWIS TOGETHER CHARITABLE TRUST
Direct credit: 06-0457-0774196-00
Donate online: https://www.kiwistogether.org.nz/donate

Charlie is 3. He was born premature and has already come so very far… but his body still has a bit of catching up to do....
26/04/2026

Charlie is 3. He was born premature and has already come so very far… but his body still has a bit of catching up to do.

Charlie’s family would like to stay private, which we completely respect. The image has been created to help share his story.

He’s a cool little kid who gives everything a go, but things like movement and coordination don’t come easy. They take real effort, every single day.

His family have done everything they’re supposed to through the public system, and they’re grateful for that… but like a lot of families, it only goes so far.

They’ve been offered an intensive therapy block. Not the usual one hour here and there, but daily, focused work to help Charlie build skills his body is still trying to figure out. The kind of work that can actually shift things.

It’s also not funded.

So now they’re stuck in that space of trying to make it happen, or having to walk away from something that could genuinely help him.

We’ve built something pretty special with our $1 a week crew… but to keep helping families like this, we need more people jumping in alongside them.

And if you’ve ever watched a little one try their absolute guts out just to keep up, you’ll understand why this matters.

KIWIS TOGETHER CHARITABLE TRUST
Direct credit: 06-0457-0774196-00
Donate online: https://www.kiwistogether.org.nz/donate

We’ve got a waitlist.Real people sitting there right now… waiting.Not because no one cares.Just because not enough peopl...
20/04/2026

We’ve got a waitlist.
Real people sitting there right now… waiting.

Not because no one cares.
Just because not enough people have stepped in yet.

If 50 people joined at $1 a week today… we could move the next one through.

That’s literally all it takes.

No big fundraiser. No events.
Just people quietly deciding to be part of it.

Are you in, or just watching?

KIWIS TOGETHER CHARITABLE TRUST
Direct credit: 06-0457-0774196-00
Donate online: https://www.kiwistogether.org.nz/donate

Olivia’s had asthma since she was a baby, and it hasn’t been mild.There’s been plenty of hospital visits along the way… ...
19/04/2026

Olivia’s had asthma since she was a baby, and it hasn’t been mild.

There’s been plenty of hospital visits along the way… the kind where you’re sitting there just hoping things settle and she can breathe properly again.

Her parents have done everything they’re supposed to do. Doctors, medications, follow-ups. It’s not from lack of trying — it just never fully settles.

They’re now looking at a breathing therapy called Buteyko. Not a cure, not replacing anything — just something that might help her manage things a bit better.

There’s no set number of visits either. It depends how Olivia responds.

It’s not funded.

It just sits there in that space where you either find a way to cover it… or you don’t try it at all.

👉 That’s where our $1 a week warriors come in — filling the gap where nothing else does.

KIWIS TOGETHER CHARITABLE TRUST
Direct credit: 06-0457-0774196-00
Donate online: https://www.kiwistogether.org.nz/donate

*We’ve used an AI image here at the family’s request to protect Olivia’s privacy.

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Auckland

Website

https://www.kiwistogether.org.nz/giftofgiving

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