Trusted Cancer Support Charity Adopts New Name To Reflect Expanded Support
by Cancer Support New Zealand · SCOOPOne of New Zealand’s most recognised cancer support charities is stepping into its next chapter, adopting the new name Cancer Support New Zealand.
For more than 30 years, the organisation has been known as Look Good Feel Better, a much-loved programme that began in 1991 to help women manage the visible side effects of cancer treatment through practical workshops focused on appearance and self-care.
What started as a single programme has grown into something much bigger.
Today, the organisation delivers more than 20 free programmes nationwide - offering support to all New Zealanders with cancer, not just with how they look, but how they feel, cope, and navigate life with cancer.
Its services are delivered both in person and online, with virtual programmes introduced during COVID and now forming a core part of its offering, ensuring people can access support wherever they are and in a way that suits how they are feeling.
General Manager Clare O’Higgins says the new name Cancer Support New Zealand reflects three decades of evolution.
“Demand led us here. Our community shaped what we have become. The name is simply catching up with the truth,” says Ms O’Higgins.
“People came to us for a single class, but they stayed for something much broader - practical support, connection and a sense of not being alone, during and after treatment,” she says.
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Look Good Feel Better will continue as the organisation’s flagship programme and remain a central part of its community offering.
“While Look Good Feel Better is still at the heart of what we do - helping people with appearance and self-care at all stages of their cancer journey - our organisation now supports people with cancer in many more ways.
“We offer programmes and guidance to assist with emotional confidence and wellbeing, mindfulness and movement, workplace support and everyday practical help.”
The decision to adopt the Cancer Support New Zealand name follows extensive research and consultation. Independent research found that while those who accessed the organisation strongly valued its services, only around 10 percent of newly diagnosed people were finding it - largely due to the limitations of the existing name.
“People search for ‘cancer support’ when they need help. Our new name makes it immediately clear who we are and what we offer,” says O’Higgins.
Cancer Support New Zealand will continue to operate as a practical non-medical service, working alongside healthcare providers and other cancer charities to support people beyond diagnosis and treatment.
“We cannot change the diagnosis, but we can help the outlook,” she says. “Clinical care treats the disease. We care for the person.”
Importantly, the organisation’s services remain free, practical and available to every person with any cancer, at any stage, anywhere in New Zealand.
“This is not a new organisation, it’s the next chapter of the same organisation, built on more than 30 years of trust and shaped by the people we serve.”
The timing of the name change, effective from mid-May, will allow Cancer Support New Zealand to amplify its impact through upcoming campaigns, including Dry July and Feel Better Month, helping more New Zealanders access support when they need it most.
Notes:
- Cancer Support New Zealand (formerly Look Good Feel Better New Zealand) provides free, practical, non-medical support for people living with cancer.
- The organisation delivers more than 20 programmes nationwide across four key areas: appearance and self-care, movement and mindfulness, emotional confidence and support and workplace support.
- The registered charity remains Look Good Feel Better Trust; the change is a trading name update only.
- Cancer Support New Zealand is a not-for-profit organisation and receives no government funding.
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