New Zealand Charity Brings Pain Relief to Dying Kids

When 13-year-old Meila Davis was dying from bone cancer in Queenstown, her mother Kristin faced an impossible situation: her daughter was in agony, and local doctors didn't know how to safely adjust her medication.

"You've got a child that's dying and I don't know what to give a child that's dying, because that's not what I do," one doctor told her. The brutal honesty reflected a hard truth about New Zealand's healthcare system.

There's only one permanent, publicly funded specialist children's palliative care service in the entire country, based at Auckland's Starship hospital. For families like the Davises living hundreds of miles away, expert help often came down to desperate phone calls in the middle of the night.

That's where Dr. Amanda Evans stepped in. As one of only two doctors in New Zealand trained in paediatric palliative care, Evans co-founded Rei Kōtuku, a charity providing specialist care to children with serious illnesses nationwide.

Over the phone, Evans would walk Kristin through medication doses and symptom management. When the family rushed home from overseas treatment, Evans traveled to Queenstown and was there when they landed, helping them get Meila comfortable for her final week.

"She was just, honestly, a lifesaver at the worst, most unimaginable time of your life," Kristin said. Meila died on October 29, 2024, pain-free and surrounded by family.

The Ripple Effect

Rei Kōtuku launched in 2023 as a three-year trial funded by an anonymous donor, proving that specialized pediatric palliative care can work on a national scale. Evans emphasizes that caring for dying children requires completely different approaches than adult care, from medication types to communication styles.

The success has caught government attention. Evans is hopeful this year's budget will include funding for a permanent national service, giving every Kiwi child what adults already receive: access to specialist end-of-life care.

For just $8 million annually, New Zealand could ensure no parent has to watch their child suffer needlessly. Evans puts it simply: "If you're an adult and you need specialist palliative care, you'll mostly get access to it. If you're a child, you should have access to it just like adults."

Kristin often thinks about families who don't have someone like Evans to call, and her words carry the weight of lived experience: "Kids deserve to die without pain."