Back to Blog

Neuroendocrine Tumour Group estabished

Neuroendocrine Tumour Group Established!Representatives from Australia, New Zealand and Canada met for the first major project of the Commonwealth Neuroendocrine Tumour Group (CommNETS). This collaborative two day meeting was a result of discussions at several international conferences between the organising committee members about the need for countries with common interests, such as Australia, New Zealand and Canada, to unite to address issues in research and treatment of patients with Neuroen...

New Director Gavin Gerrard joins GICI NZ

Gavin Gerrard joins GICI as a director. Gavin Gerrard is a survivor of oesophagus cancer, successfully operated on by Grant Beban. Gavin's background is construction in residential, industrial, commercial and land sub-division. He is currently chairperson of a large building industry manufacturing company of which he owns 50%. Over the last 10 years he has been a mentor for NZ Business Mentors. He is also an avid yacht person and has competed internationally including world championships....

ASCOLT Study

This study is the first to evaluate aspirin as adjuvant therapy in established cancers, and has been tipped as one of the most important gastrointestinal cancer studies globally.  In 2012, the National Cancer Institute of U.S listed aspirin’s role in cancer as one of the most provocative questions in cancer research. The AGITG has also recently ranked “Aspirin in Colorectal Cancer” – as the top research priority in gastrointestinal cancer, and has therefore committed to recruiting f...

A La Cart Research Update

A La Cart Research UpdateGICI was pleased to be able to support New Zealand participation in the Australasian Laparoscopic Cancer of the Rectum Trial (ALaCaRT), which compared laparoscopic assisted (or keyhole surgery) with conventional open surgery for the treatment of rectal cancer. The study enrolled 475 patients from Australia and New Zealand and recently reported the preliminary findings based on an assessment of the adequacy or completeness of removal of the cancer. JAMA article click here...

SCOT update

Patients who are diagnosed with early bowel cancer may be advised to have chemotherapy treatment for 24 weeks after surgery. This treatment increases their chances of surviving the cancer.  Unfortunately, all chemotherapy treatments have side effects and these side effects often get worse as the treatment goes on.  Previous studies have demonstrated that a shorter course of chemotherapy may be less toxic without being less effective. The aim of the SCOT trial is to definitively answer ...

Bowel Screening Pilot

This is the Ministry of Health website and contains links to an update session held in August to discuss the results to date from the Waitemata DHB pilot screening programme, and plans for national roll out. The Ministry of Health are currently consulting the health sector and other agencies in order to set the groundwork for a national roll out of bowel cancer screening. The link contains a number of informative and downloadable presentatio...

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...