Cure Kids (previously Child Health Research Foundation) was established over 30 years ago to address the lack of research into life-threatening childhood illnesses in New Zealand.

Since then, we have invested over $25 million in medical research. This research has helped save hundreds of young lives and has improved the quality of life for thousands of children.

Today, we are more committed than ever to help find answers to the many cruel, life-threatening illnesses that devastate the lives of young children and their families.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Cure Kids?

How is Cure Kids funded?

Where does your money go?

What successes have you had?

How many kids have you helped?

What is your total income?

How much of your fundraising dollars go to the cause (research)?

Do you receive any money from Government?
Who regulates you?
What percentage of funds stays in New Zealand?

What do you do in the USA?

What do you do in Fiji?

Who are your key partners?

What is Cure Kids?
Cure Kids (previously Child Health Research Foundation) was founded by Rotary and established over 30 years ago to address the lack of research into the life-threatening childhood diseases and conditions affecting New Zealand children and their families.
Since then, we have invested over $25 million in medical research. This research has helped save thousands of young lives and has improved the quality of life for thousands more children.

How is Cure Kids funded?
Through fundraising activities, donations, bequests, legacies, grants and investments.

Where does your money go?
To outcome-driven research. Examples include:
• Acute Brain Injury in Children... Dr John Beca
Predicting Brain Damage in Children with Acute Brain Injuries
• Bone and Birth Abnormalities... Professor Stephen Robertson
Discovering Why Genetic Diseases Cause Malformations in Children
• Painless Breath Tests - Childhood Cancer... Professor Stephen Chambers
Breath Tests for Infection in Sick Children
• Cystic Fibrosis... Professor Robert Williamson
Cord Blood Stem Cell Therapy for Cystic Fibrosis
• Obesity and its impact on Young New Zealanders... Professor Ed Mitchell
and Identifying Risk Factors...Professor Barry Taylor
The FLAME Study (Family, Lifestyle, Activity, Movement, and Eating)
• Preterm Babies in Adulthood... Professor Brian Darlow
Twenty-two year follow-up of New Zealand very preterm babies born in 1986
• Preterm Baby Brain Injury... Dr Mhoyra Fraser
Intrauterine Infection and the Development of Brain Injury in the Preterm Baby
• Preterm Baby – Oxygen Starvation .. Professor Brian Darlow
Predicting Brain Damage in Children with Acute Brain Injuries
• Sleep Problems... Dr Gillian Nixon
Sleep Problems in Middle Childhood- Risk Factors and Consequences
• Stillbirth... Tomasina Stacey
Seeking Stillbirth Solutions - The Auckland Stillbirth Study
• Sudden Infant Death... Dr Alastair Smith

Links between Smoking during Pregnancy and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

What successes have you had?
We have helped fund world first breakthroughs:
• Childhood Leukaemia:
Funded a breakthrough by Associate Professor Ian Morison and his team which shows a genetic change that takes place sometime between conception and birth, and leads to some children developing leukaemia.
• World-first programme to test unexplained sudden death for long QT:
A genetic heart condition which could affect approximately 50% of surviving family members who will require life-saving medication.
• Cystic Fibrosis World-First Breakthroughs:
Professor Bob Elliott developed the first test for cystic fibrosis and a regime of daily physiotherapy for cystic fibrosis patients which have been adopted internationally.
• Life-saving cot death preventative strategies:
In the late 1980s there were around 280 deaths a year caused by cot death (SIDS). With simple preventative strategies developed by Child Health Professor Ed Mitchell, there has been a dramatic reduction to around 40 cot deaths a year in New Zealand.
• World-first breakthroughs into genetic research:
Cure Kids Professor Stephen Robertson has discovered two genes responsible for severe bone malformations in babies. His most recent breakthrough is the discovery of a genetic link between a rare bone formation disorder and the childhood kidney cancer “Wilms Tumour” which has significant implications for understanding the role of genetics in the development of cancer.
• Asthma
Cure Kids is funding research for a cool device that reminds children to take their asthma medication. Results have shown that compliance has increased from around 40% to 70% along with a marked improvement in the health of children who suffer from severe asthma. This device has recently received FDA (US regulatory) approval for trial.
• Other diseases we have funded research into include:
• Liver Disease
• Placental cord Blood Banking
• Respiratory Illnesses
• Rheumatic Fever
• Spina Bifida
• Childhood Diabetes
• Treatment for hole in the heart blue babies

How many kids have you helped?
Many thousands of New Zealand children have benefited from the research outcomes we have funded.

What is your total income?
Each year our income is different. In 2008 (our latest audited figures) we had a total cash income of $5.9m.
What percentage of Cure Kids income goes into administration?
In 2008 (our latest audited figures) administration totalled $548,000 and our total income was $5.9m - therefore around 9%.

How much of your fundraising dollars go to the cause (research)?
Cure Kids operates a prudent fiscal policy that has resulted in significant accumulation of base funds. This capital base has been built to help us to minimize our operating costs and to ensure they do not exceed an income to costs ratio of 75:25 and to offset future commitments.
In 2008 (our most recent audited figures) our fundraising income (which includes bequests, legacies and donations) was $3.8 million with direct fundraising expenses of $970k i.e. 25% expense to income ratio.
In 2008, of the $3.8m raised, we invested $2.6m with our Professors and individual research grants and programmes. We also retained $1.4m for our future grants and reserves, making a total $4m of the $3.8m raised in 2008.
Cure Kids has financial commitments for the next 7 – 10 years towards:-
• Cure Kids Chairs
• Research Projects and
• Our Ongoing Administration Costs.

Do you receive any money from Government?
Cure Kids the Charity currently receives no government funding.

Who regulates you?
We are governed by eight board members and report under the Financial Reporting Act 2005, and are audited by Ernst and Young.

What percentage of funds stays in New Zealand?
The majority of funds remain in New Zealand. However from time to time we conduct collaborative research internationally via Joint Venture funding and research agreements. For example we have used New Zealand expertise in Cot Death with trials undertaken in Germany by Professor Ed Mitchell and German counterparts. Our view is that a cure for a child in Germany is a cure for a child in New Zealand and vice versa.
We also helped fund a research study in conjunction with the University of Washington, using an advanced machine known as BrainZ, developed in New Zealand to track post-natal seizures in pre-term and full-term babies.

What do you do in the USA?
We have established Cure Kids USA as an independent entity to enable us to access philanthropic and research funds in USA for the benefit of Joint Venture research between the two countries.

What do you do in Fiji?

We established Cure Kids Fiji because one of our key partners Accor Group, which has a strong presence there, wanted to fundraise and make a contribution to the health of children in Fiji
We provide medical equipment for NICU and PICU wards in Fijian hospitals and have also helped fund a Rheumatic Heart Disease Control and Prevention programme.

Who are your key partners?
Accor - Armacup - Briscoe Group - Colliers International - Contact Energy – Crane Distribution - David Reid Homes - Harvey Norman - HireQuip - Kia Motors - Paper Plus Group - Pumpkin Patch – Qantas - Rotary

Registered Charity

Our Charity Registration number is: CC25350. For further details, please click here for link to Charities Commission website.

Our Cure Kids company number is AK 212064.