About NECNZ
We’re here because no Kiwi should face NETs alone.
NeuroEndocrine Cancer New Zealand is Aotearoa’s patient-led national charity for people living with neuroendocrine tumours — and for the whānau walking alongside them. We started with one patient who couldn’t find a community, and grew into one.
Welcome to our community. If you’re reading this, it’s likely that you — or someone you love — has been diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer, and you’re looking for information, answers, or support.
When our founder Siobhan Conroy found herself in that exact situation back in 2013, she responded by creating Unicorn Foundation NZ — what is today NeuroEndocrine Cancer New Zealand. Aotearoa’s organisation supporting patients and whānau living with NETs.
We’re driven by patient needs. We know that a NETs diagnosis is a lot to get your head around — it’s a complex cancer, and people often spend a long time after a diagnosis trying to understand it. That’s where we come in.
Whether you need information, peer connection, help with hardship, or someone to walk alongside you for a while — you’re in the right place. Reach out any time.
— Michelle
She couldn’t find a New Zealand community for NET cancer, so she built one. Thirteen years on, that community is hundreds of Kiwis strong and counting.
What we do
Three things, every day, for the NET community.
Peer support
Patients, whānau and bereaved relatives connect with people who get it — through our Facebook group, Zoom catch-ups and one-to-one calls.
Find out morePatient information
Plain-language guides, symptom toolkits and clinical PDFs written for newly diagnosed Kiwis and the people who love them.
Find out moreAdvocacy
We work with Pharmac, Te Whatu Ora and clinicians to improve diagnosis, access to treatment and outcomes for NET patients in Aotearoa.
Find out moreBy the numbers
A small charity doing real work.
- 350+
- New Zealanders diagnosed with NETs each year
- 31
- Free patient-information articles
- 2013
- The year a patient started this community
- $0
- Government funding — we run on donations
Siobhan Conroy, founder, with team.
Our story
Started by a patient. Still patient-led, every day.
2013
Founded by a patient
Siobhan Conroy is diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer and finds almost no New Zealand-specific information or community. She responds by founding Unicorn Foundation NZ — the country's first patient-led NET cancer charity.
2020
Renamed for clarity
Under Dr Michelle Sullivan's leadership, the board changes the name to NeuroEndocrine Cancer New Zealand so newly diagnosed Kiwis can find us when they search. The shield mark from the founding identity is kept as the heritage anchor.
Today
Aotearoa's NET community
We're a small, part-time team supporting hundreds of patients and whānau across New Zealand. Free information. Real peer connection. Loud advocacy. No government funding — every gift keeps us going.
Verified · Accountable
Charities Services CC49802NZBN 9429046320391INCA memberPO Box 87064, Meadowbank, Auckland 1742Help us be there for the next person who hears the words neuroendocrine cancer.
We don’t receive government funding. Every gift, fundraiser and conversation keeps the patient-support work going.