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Bayleys Event

Bayleys SUPERCAR for a Super Cause event held on October 17 in WellingtonThe official handover of $102,300 from Mark Hourigan of Bayleys Capital Commercial,  Glenn Peachey of Partridge Jewellers and Rick Armstrong of Armstrong Prestige. Grant Baker and Ruth Davy of GICI accept the cheque and are thrilled with this contribution. Thanks to all sponsors and supporters....

Christmas Appeal

Give a Gift to GICI this Christmas. GICI relies on donations and fundraising to raise funds for awareness and clinical research. Grant Baker, GICI Chairperson, tells his own story “I developed bowel cancer nine years ago and had a large section of my bowel removed. Had it not been for medical research I would not have accessed the chemotherapy which has helped save my life”. All funds will support clinical research which ranges from $1,000 to $4,000 per person $5 provides resources to a GP ...

New Research

GICI part funds another clinical trial! "Circulating Tumour DNA as a Biomarker Pancreatic Cancer" Pancreas cancer is a devastating cancer with a very poor outlook. The only chance of cure is early diagnosis leading to early surgical resection. Unfortunately this is rare, because by the time of diagnosis, the cancer is usually not resectable. Therefore, we need a tool to diagnose this cancer earlier. Cancers are caused by gene mutations in the DNA inside each cancer cell. We can detect ...

Dio House Tour

Dio House Tour, November 20th. Featuring our own Grant Baker and Donna Baker's lovely home. Wonderful houses not to be missed. Our raffle is also a winner with amazing product from Kartell and Ecoya. If you are interested in a raffle ticket and unable to attend on the day let me know. For more information on the houses and how to get tickets, go to their facebook page. Don't forget to like their page! I will be there to answer questions as well....

Supercars for a super cause!

You are invited to join Grant Baker and 8 of the most desirable supercars and hypercars on earth, for an exclusive charity event in support of GICI NZ. Ever wanted to see a LaFerrari, Ferrari F50, Ferrari Enzo, Porsche 918 and McLaren P1. Not to be missed as this does not often happen! Bayleys are supporting this event along with Partridge Jewellers who will be previewing the 2015 Rolex range. 17th October, 6.30pm at Armstrong Prestige. Champagne and canapes served. $100 a ticket and they are se...

Raising money for Nan

Help this amazing young man who lost his Nan to pancreatic cancer in 2014. He is really getting Gutsy for GICI, by running the Kerikeri half marathon on November 21st. Click here . Support this amazing young man! If you want to raise funds for us go to everyday hero. Get Gutsy for GICI!...

Introducing our new Executive Officer, Ruth Davy

Ruth Davy joins GICI NZ as the new Executive Officer. Ruth has 25 years of experience in the not for profit sector. She was co-founder of Well Women and Family Trust and the CEO for 22 years implementing government contracts for women's health screening and NZQA training for health professionals. In 2012 she joined Diabetes NZ Auckland Branch as their branch manager. During this time Ruth established a new image and communication strategy as well as relocated the organisation to Onehunga. Ruth h...

Raising It for Hilz

In February 2014, Tony and Christine Bull received a devastating call from Hilary, Tony’s sister.  Hilary, affectionately known as Hilz, was living in England and had been for the best part of 30 years. Hilz told them she had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, the outcome was grim, there was very little they could do, and she wanted to come home. Tony and Christine, like most people, had little idea of what to expect with a pancreatic cancer diagnosis. They set forth to research on t...

Ferrari Cavalcade

2015 Ferrari Cavalcade in Support of GICI On 3 May, the Ferrari Owners Club of New Zealand will hold a historic Ferrari Cavalcade event as a fundraiser for GICI. It will feature 35 Ferraris, including six Supercars; the 250GTO, 288GTO, F40, F50, Enzo and the iconic La Ferrari. Nowhere in the world has a collection of the six Ferrari supercars been seen on public roads, let alone as part of a Cavalcade with 30 other Ferraris over 130 kilometres. The cars will assemble in central Auckland, shadowe...

You're Invited to the Cavalcade!

Ferraris and gastro-intestinal cancer; sexy and…not so much. We don’t often see these two in the same sentence, until now. You may have heard about the Ferrari Cavalcade that will take place on the 3rd of May. The Ferrari Owners Club of New Zealand has organised 36 Ferraris to assemble in Auckland for a procession, photo-shoot, and lunch. Rides in the Ferraris were auctioned on TradeMe as part of the fundraiser. However, the organisers have decided to open the event to the public to all...

Clinical Trials Article

Jane E. Brody's  "The Road to Cancer Treatment Through Clinical Trials," featured in the New York Times today, is a fantastic quick read that highlights the achievements of clinical trials in the last several decades. She discusses the incredible progress that has been made, particularly for cancer affecting children. However, she also notes that while 80-90% of young patients participate in clinical trials, only about 5% of adult patients join a trial. This figure poses a serious problem f...

Supercars for GICI

We are delighted to be the recipient of the Turner's charity auction! The public had the opportunity to bid for a hot laps ride in the P1 McLaren, the only one of its kind in New Zealand! The auction was set up on TradeMe, with all funds going straight to GICI. In conjunction with the charity auction, our Chairman, Grant Baker, put his collection of Supercars on display to raise awareness for GICI. He and his cars were featured in Stuff.co.nz, check out the story & video here. ...

Vote for GICI!

We have good news and a quick favour to ask you. GICI has made it to the final round of the Potentia Unsung Heroes Charity contest for $10,000—we submitted a video and now it’s up to the public to decide the winner. We would be incredibly grateful if you could take one minute to head to Facebook and vote for GICI! We have found the format and spacing on the voting page a bit confusing but you click the “VOTE” button below our video (which is the last video on the page)...

GastroFest Recap

We are thrilled to report that GastroFest 2014 was a huge success! This year was the second annual GastroFest and along with a team of fabulous volunteers, we have been working for months to create an event that would be different from the typical charity dinner and would successfully raise funds to help us improve outcomes of GI cancer. We wanted to plan an evening which would encourage guests to engage with their taste buds and interact with one another AND with the food. By all accounts, we s...

GICI Video

Chairman Grant Baker describes GICI's aims to improve outcomes of gastro-intestinal cancer and explains his reasons for getting involved. The video also features Sky Sports announcer Scotty Stevenson, who has a personal connection to GI cancer, and Gary McCrystal who made this video for GICI several years ago before he passed away from bowel cancer. Grant also pays tribute to Paul Hargreaves, the inaugural Chairman of GICI and survivor of pancreatic cancer, who passed away in August 2014. This v...

GastroFest 2014

We're happy to announce that tickets are on sale for this year's GastroFest! We aim to create an event that is different from the typical charity gala. GastroFest is a decadent and interactive dining experience and all funds support our work to improve outcomes for patients with gastro-intestinal cancer. This year's line-up will include courses created by leading chefs Geoff Scott (Vinnies), Jason van Dorsten (Café Hanoi), Jess Daniell (Jess’ Underground Kitchen), and restaurants Ortolana and...

R.I.P. Paul Hargreaves

It is with heartfelt sadness that we learned of the passing of our friend and Board Member, Paul Hargreaves, on August 14th. Paul was the inaugural Chairman of GICI and was instrumental in building the foundations of the organisation. For the last five years, he enthusiastically championed the cause and shared his own remarkable story to illustrate the importance of raising awareness and funding for gastro-intestinal cancer clinical research. Following his triumph over pancreatic cancer, Paul be...

Ask the Experts!

Our Ask the Experts event is coming up fast! This year's event will feature: Professor Michael Findlay, Chair and Head of the Discipline of Oncology at the University of Auckland Mr Arend Merrie,  Head of the Colorectal Unit at Auckland Hospital Mr Grant Beban, Upper GI & Bariatric surgeon at Auckland Hospital Dr Clare Wall, Director of Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Auckland Paul Hargreaves, pancreatic cancer survivor Jan Robinson, bowel c...

Get Your Tickets!

There's only two more weeks until the Ask the Experts Event! This free event was created for anyone who wants to learn about GI cancer; whether you are living with cancer, have a loved one who is, or would like to find out about lowering your risk of developing cancer. The Ask the Experts event offers guests a chance to ask questions of a panel of both doctors and patients, and listen as they discuss cancer from both perspectives. Professor Michael Findlay, Mr Grant Beban, and Mr Arend Merrie wi...

The Digest - July Edition

The newest edition of The Digest, the GICI newsletter, is out! Read it here: The Digest - July 2014 In this issue of The Digest, Siobhan Keogh-Dwyer bravely tells us her story. In February, she ran the Round the Bays race to raise money for GICI, in honour of her father who had passed away less than a year earlier from pancreatic cancer. She shares with us how she continues to cope with her loss. We also discuss the progress of the A La CaRT trial that we are currently funding,  t...

Ask the Experts Event

Have you ever wanted to ask questions about GI cancer to an expert? A doctor or survivor, someone who has been there before? This August, we will host the third annual Ask the Experts event, created for anyone whose life has been touched by a gastro-intestinal cancer; whether you are living with cancer, have a loved one who is, or would like to learn about lowering your risk of developing cancer. The event offers a rare opportunity to hear doctors and patients discuss cancer from both perspectiv...

GICI T-Shirts for Sale!

GICI just got new T-shirts made, and now you can show your  support and spread awareness by purchasing one! Wear it while you're hitting the gym, competing in a race, or just hanging out! For $20 we'll send the t-shirt straight to you, just call or email us  with your size and address and we'll send you payment details. You can transfer money into the GICI account, send a cheque, or pay by credit card over the phone. We also want to say a huge thank you to Kons...

Marathoner Raises Funds & Awareness

This past weekend, Lizzy Guest completed the Rotorua Marathon. This is a feat in and of itself, but she also used her achievement to help raise money and awareness for gastro-intestinal cancer. Throughout her training, Lizzy encouraged her friends and family to support her efforts by donating to GICI. On her Everyday Hero fundraising page, she explained, "it's important for me to do something for myself and to show my family how important a healthy lifestyle is. I would also like to do something...

GI Cancer Numbers

Here's the most recent data from the Ministry of Health on how many people were registered with GI cancers in 2010 alone.  Collectively, this makes GI cancer the most common form of cancer in New Zealand. For more information on each type of cancer, see our GI Cancer page. To see the most recent data on New Zealand cancer statistics from the Ministry of Health, click here....

Want to Get in Shape AND Support GICI?

If you’re not quite ready to commit to running a marathon, you can still raise money for a good cause. Join our GICI Gut Busters team on Everyday Hero and set your own fitness challenge to train and fundraise for! You can create your own supporter page, set a fundraising target, and invite your friends and family to donate to GICI in support of your fitness achievements.  You can even link your account to MapMyFitness and share your workouts. Raise money for a good cause AND get in shape,...