By Sonja de Mari – CEO of Breast Cancer Cure
Every year, thousands of New Zealand women hear the words no one wants to hear: “you have breast cancer.”
Hundreds won’t survive it, but despite being the most common cancer affecting women in this country, breast cancer research remains chronically underfunded by the government.
There’s a comfortable myth that government health budgets adequately cover vital research, but the reality is far less reassuring. In New Zealand, promising projects often go unfunded, leaving breakthroughs stuck in lab notebooks rather than progressing toward treatments.
But charities like Breast Cancer Cure help to bridge that gap.
Unlike broader organisations that juggle multiple causes, BCC has always been unwavering in its focus – to find a cure. Our fundraising ensures life-changing research doesn’t just begin, but continues and for families watching loved ones endure surgery, radiation, and reconstruction, this is more than just financial support – it’s hope. It’s a reassurance that someone is fighting for faster answers, because every year of delay costs lives.
Every campaign, every fundraiser, every dollar raised goes directly towards that cause, and for more than 20 years, we’ve worked alongside our leading scientists, universities, and hospitals to fund cutting-edge studies with global relevance.
One of BCC’s most visible and moving initiatives is Tees for a Cure. On the surface, it’s simple: buy a T-shirt, wear it proudly, and support the cause. But its impact runs deeper.
The tees, designed by some of New Zealand’s leading fashion names, brighten a conversation that can feel unbearably heavy. Survivors wear them with pride. Families wear them in honour. Supporters wear them as a quiet but powerful statement that “we are in this together.”
I’ve seen Kiwis wearing their Tees for a Cure everywhere – on evening walks, at the airport security line, picking up dinner from the local butcher. It’s emotional, actually, seeing those shirts out in the wild. Each one is more than fabric. It’s a public declaration of solidarity, a visible reminder that this fight is shared.
This campaign – our ninth is one of our biggest yet with 25 beautiful tees from 25 well-known designers and brands part of the movement.
It can be tempting to see initiatives like Tees for a Cure as small gestures, but every purchase is a double act of activism: raising money for vital research and sparking conversations in the community. Each tee is a moving billboard, proof that ordinary people are not waiting around for policy to catch up.
Ultimately – that’s the point.
Where governments are slow, communities can be fast. Where systems are rigid, charities can be creative. When fashion designers, scientists, and everyday New Zealanders pull in the same direction, momentum builds.
Breast Cancer Cure is more than a charity, it’s a movement. For researchers, it provides the lifeline to push boundaries. For families, it offers the reassurance that someone is fighting relentlessly. For the rest of us, it gives a way to be part of something bigger.
Through campaigns like Tees for a Cure, the message is clear: breast cancer’s story can be rewritten. The science is there, the determination is there but what’s needed is the support.
Our vision isn’t impossible. A future where breast cancer no longer takes 3600 lives in New Zealand every year is within reach.
So let’s send a message to families affected by breast cancer that a cure is not just a lofty dream, it’s a tangible, achievable goal. Let’s be the change and action we want to see in the world.
Be part of the movement and buy your tee today at breastcancercure.org.nz
