Cystic Fibrosis Christmas Tree Festival Takes Off At Wellington Airport

Tuesday, 3 December 2024, 6:21 pm
Press Release: Cystic Fibrosis NZ

Wellington Airport Cystic Fibrosis Christmas Tree Festival (Photo/Supplied)

A stunning forest of over 60 Christmas trees has transformed Wellington Airport into a festive wonderland, all in support of families living with cystic fibrosis (CF) in Wellington.

Generous businesses, community groups, and individuals have come together to sponsor trees as part of the annual Cystic Fibrosis Christmas Tree Festival, a cherished tradition that raises vital funds for the CFNZ Wellington Branch, supporting the local CF community.

CF is the most common life-threatening genetic condition affecting Kiwis, with more than 600 people living with CF in New Zealand. It often means a life-long and demanding daily regime of lung clearance and medication, regular medical check-ups, hospitalisations, and in some cases, lung transplantation.

Life with CF can be especially tough on families at Christmas with extra treatment and unplanned hospital stays.

Funds raised by the Christmas Tree Festival will help Cystic Fibrosis NZ (CFNZ) keep providing practical, emotional, and physical support to the CF community through:

A team of Social Workers that visit and support families in their homes and medical settings.
Wrap-around support for parents with a newborn baby.
Keeping families together during hospitalisations by providing support with parking, meals, and travel.
Helping with essential expenses to ease financial pressure like groceries, additional prescriptions, and power bills.
Empowering people with CF to manage their condition through the Breath4CF physical exercise grants to support lung health.
Providing mental health support through counselling to help with resilience and emotional wellbeing.
Delivering extra comfort and care when it’s needed to families going through transplants and to those who need support with end-of-life care.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Lisa Burns, Chief Executive at Cystic Fibrosis NZ says:

“As we stand at the close of 2024, the landscape of cystic fibrosis is changing in ways we couldn’t have imagined just a few years ago. Together, we’ve made great strides in advocating for access to new treatments like Trikafta, celebrating its arrival with good reason.

“This means our CF community is becoming more diverse than ever, reflecting people of all ages with unique needs, from newborns to those eligible for life-changing treatments like Trikafta and those on a pre or post-transplant journey. These treatments bring fresh hope but also underscore the need for personalised, holistic care that supports both physical and emotional health.

“The journey ahead is filled with challenges that we as a community must navigate together, it’s an exciting and promising time in the history of CF.”

“We are deeply grateful to Wellington Airport and our wonderful sponsors - both returning and new - for their incredible generosity and commitment. Your support is the heart of the festival, and makes a meaningful difference for families living with cystic fibrosis. Thank you for standing with our CF community, together we are shaping a future where every person with living with CF has the chance to thrive and live healthy lives.”

Jo Maxwell, Manager Brand and Sponsorship at Wellington Airport says: “This is an important cause we’ve been proud to support for 10 years now, helping make life a bit easier for vulnerable families this Christmas.

“It’s also very popular with travellers and creates a fantastic Christmas vibe in the terminal, thanks to our generous sponsors and volunteers.”

Wellington Airport is once again providing a $10,000 advertising package for the first placed tree as judged by a local artist. The public can also vote for the ‘People’s Choice’ category with the winner receiving a $5,000 advertising package.

Every vote cast goes in the draw to win a $500 shopping spree, and kids can win a $250 prize pack by designing their own tree.

Previous festivals have raised around $30,000 to support the work of Cystic Fibrosis NZ.

About Cystic Fibrosis NZ

Cystic Fibrosis NZ (CFNZ) was established in 1968 by a group of parents responding to an unmet need when their babies were diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF).

Over 55 years later, CFNZ stands as a strong for-purpose organisation working proudly with a mission to be the continuous thread in the lives of people with CF, walking beside them and their families, providing wrap-around support whenever and wherever it is needed to enable quality of life.

As the only national organisation supporting over 600 people with CF and their families, we are committed to improving lives through care, unwavering support, and advocacy. Our vision is that people with CF are thriving and living healthy lives. We are committed to ensuring that individualised and meaningful support is available at every part of their CF journey.

About cystic fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis is a progressive, lifelong, and life-shortening genetic condition that affects more than 570 people in New Zealand, it’s for whole of life, and there is no cure.

In New Zealand, CF is identified through the heel prick test undertaken on newborn babies and confirmed through sweat chloride and gene testing.

CF causes the body to produce thick, sticky mucus which means it is a multisystem condition with significant morbidity and mortality. CF damages the lungs, liver, digestive system, reproductive systems, sinuses, can cause CF related diabetes, weakened bone density, arthritis, depression, and anxiety.

People with CF endure a life-long, demanding, and time-consuming daily regime of lung clearance and medication together with regular medical check-ups and, over time, increasingly frequent hospital admissions.

It takes courage to live with and survive with CF, it can be isolating, painful, and frightening, leading to poor quality of life, as they face the potential for declining health, increased complications, major medical interventions, and premature death.

1 in 25 of us in New Zealand, carry the gene that causes cystic fibrosis, often without knowing.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you licensed for Scoop?

Scoop is free for personal use, but you’ll need a licence for work use. This is part of our Ethical Paywall and how we fund Scoop without a regular paywall. Join today with plans starting from just $11 per month, and start using Scoop like a Pro.

Join Pro Individual Find out more

Find more from Cystic Fibrosis NZ on InfoPages.

Culture Headlines | Health Headlines | Education Headlines

LIFESTYLE

Ministry of Health: Directions To Fluoridate Water Supplies Reconfirmed Following Director-General Of Health Assessment

On Wednesday, the Director-General, Dr Diana Sarfati, wrote to 14 local authorities confirming she had reconsidered the directions in light of section 11 of the Act and considers that each is a justified limitation on the right.

Music Production Guild Aotearoa: New MPG Programme - Mix Assist

Designed to help producers and engineers in Aotearoa develop their skillset in mixing, Mix Assist allows Full MPG Members to submit their mixes for feedback from one of MPG’s experienced mixing engineer mentors.

Paralympics NZ: Paralympian Swimmers Lili-Fox Mason And Gabriella Smith Recognised With Paralympic Pin Presentation

The 2024 ParaFed Canterbury Awards Function provided the ideal setting as Christchurch-based teenage duo Paralympian #235 Lili-Fox Mason and Paralympian #237 Gabriella “Gaby” Smith were presented with their official numbered pins by Paralympics New Zealand (PNZ).