Camp Teen Beat 2012 will be held from April 16-20th at Marine Education and Recreation Centre, Long Bay, Auckland. Heart teens will have the opportunity to challenge themselves by engaging in outdoor pursuit activities.  This is valuable for their self-esteem, and gives them a sense of fulfilment and achievement that they may not be able to experience in their school or at home.

They will also learn important social skills and develop friendships with other heart teens who understand the challenges and difficulties they face.

It costs @Heart about $600 to send one heart teen to Camp Teen Beat. Donate now to give teens living with heart conditions this rewarding and life-changing experience.

Applications for Camp Teen Beat 2012 are now closed.  Thanks to those who have applied. 

We will be in touch in the next couple of weeks. Please stay tuned.

For further information, please contact:

Susan Muller, Youth & Adults Services Coordinator

email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Like many school children of her age, Caitlin Simpson, 8, from Taupo loves to participate in physical activities and regular kid adventures like rope climbing and kayaking.  However, such adventures in life can sometimes seem a little out of reach for Caitlin.  She was never allowed to attend school camp because of her heart condition.

Caitlin would tell her friends that she had a ‘broken heart’.  She was diagnosed with a VSD (Ventricular Septal Defect) when she was just two.  At the time, the condition did not affect her and she seemed a normal child, with no symptoms of her condition showing at all.

The reality hit when a routine echocardiogram at age five revealed Caitlin’s condition was more serious than first diagnosed.  She was born with ALCAPA (Anomalous Left Coronary Artery off the Pulmonary Artery), a condition where the left coronary artery is attached to the pulmonary artery instead of the aorta.

This news was really hard for Caitlin’s mum Trudy to accept.  To now know that her healthy child actually had a serious heart condition and needed corrective surgery to save her life was difficult to grasp.

In October 2008, Caitlin underwent surgery at Starship Children’s Hospital to correct her condition.  Trudy said, “This was to be the longest 8 ½ hours of our lives.  Nothing can prepare you for any of this - seeing your little girl hooked up to all those machines in PICU.”

Thankfully, the surgery was successful and Caitlin recovered quickly from it.

“The medical team was amazing giving Caitlin a new lease of life.  The family support workers @Heart have also provided us tremendous practical and emotional support during the whole process. They are just a phone call away and are always there for us,” said Trudy.

Last year, Caitlin returned to Starship to undergo another procedure as she had been showing signs of fatigue during sport.  While the results came back with nothing untoward at this stage, it serves as a reminder than Caitlin will always have ongoing heart problems and will need annual check-ups with her cardiologist & paediatrician to monitor her condition.

Caitlin continues to manage her heart condition and she has decided to join the Heart Rider team at Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge event again this year. Even though she may not be able to finish the distance, she wants to challenge herself and to raise awareness of the scale and scope of childhood heart conditions in New Zealand.

This year, funds raised through the support of the Contact Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge cyclists will go towards Kids@Heart and helping little hearts have a big adventure at Camp Brave Hearts, a camp run annually (funds permitting) in Taupo by @Heart for Kiwi heart kids aged 8 – 12 years. 

Camp Brave Hearts is a week-long event for heart kids to just be kids, to do regular adventurous kid things, and share their challenges in a fun, safe, supportive environment under the careful supervision of a medical team.

Caitlin is looking forward to her Heart Ride in November and even more so, to going to Camp Brave Hearts in January 2012.

You can help a heart kid like Caitlin have a big adventure by setting up a fundraising page on www.everydayhero.co.nz/event/cyclechallenge2011 and ask your family, friends and whanau to help support your ride by making a donation towards @Heart.  NP. You can also text HEART to ‘2427’ to make a donation.

2012 Heart Kids Day Out in 19 Locations

Heart Kids Day Out is a live variety show that will guarantee to bring joy and laughter to special needs and disadvantaged children in our local community.

CampBrave Hearts 2012, 16–20 January

Registrations are now open for Camp Brave Hearts 2012. This week-long camp is an opportunity for heart kids aged between 8 and 12 to do regular adventurous kids things in a fun, safe and supportive environment, under the careful supervision of a medical team. 

Camp Teen Beat 2011, Oct 10th – 14th, Long Bay, Auckland

A national camp for teens aged 13 to 17 with heart conditions, Camp Teen Beat aims to give heart teens the opportunity to participate in outdoor pursuit activities in a safe, non-competitive environment.

Are you up for the Challenge?

Take the Heart Stopper Challenge to help raise funds for @Heart – the organisation that supports heart kids through life.

Every week, 12 babies are born in NZ with a heart defect.  Children with heart defects often have their chest cavity filled with an icy slush to reduce the heart’s oxygen requirement during open-heart surgery.  That’s the inspiration for this chilly challenge.

The Challenge

A team of 4 to 6 get together, choose a dress theme (the whackier the better) & plunge into an icy pool for 5 minutes.

The Inspiration

Twelve babies are born every week with a heart defect in New Zealand. For many of these children medical intervention is their only chance of survival. This year alone, 450 open heart surgeries will be conducted on Kiwi children. During surgery the child is cooled down in icy slush to slow the metabolism. That's the inspiration for this unique event.

Photos from Wanganui's Heart Stopper Challenge in Majestic Square

Photos from Hawkes Bay's Heart Stopper Challenge at Taylors Pool Service

Two thousand Bay of Plenty children jumped, jived and smiled simultaneously for Heart Kids Week in May! That's two thousand focused faces, four thousand feet jiving and eight thousand limbs pumping – photo opportunities galore! These kids were all participating in Heart Children New Zealand's Heart Jam - the Bay's largest aerobic class.

Howick Pakuranga Cricket Club are long-time supporters of Heart Children NZ. Past years have included successful and popular Cricket Weeks held in February, featuring interclub matcjhes, a celebrity match and an evening gala dinner.

This year Howick Pakuranga Cricket Club were back again in 2009 with something totally different: a fast, fun and unique form of entertainment:

Photos from Waikato's Heart Stopper Challenge at Mega Mitre 10, featuring Mils Muliaina

Saturday 4 April 2009

The annual Heart Children New Zealand Gala Dinner was held on the 4th of April 2009 at the delightful Stamford Plaza, raising in excess of $35,000.

Heart Children New Zealand extends its thanks to every who contributed, and helped to make the eveing so successful, in every respect.

2-12 July 2009

North Shore Events Centre & ASB Stadium

Heart Children New Zealand was excited to be the nominated charity of the 2009 FIBA Under 19 World Championships. What an awesome event to have been involved with here in New Zealand.

Photos from Coromandel's Heart Stopper Challenge at Waiomu Beach

Appeal Week 2009

Sunday 24 - Saturday 30 May 2009

@Heart's (formerly Heart Children New Zealand) Annual 2009 Appeal Week (previously known as
Heart Kids Week) ran from 24-30 May.

It was a fabulous week people everywhere were talking about Heart Children New Zealand.  We had awesome media coverage through the papers; there were billboards of Connor around the country; our kids were talking about their heart conditions on the radio; we had great exposure with our television commercial - all in all an overwhelming feeling that people are beginning to know that Heart Children New Zealand exists, and that we are here to support children and families throughout the country.

Money raised is still coming in, but we are looking like we will raise a similar amount to 2008, which is fantastic in the current climate!

Sunday 8 November (Auckland) & Thursday 27 November (Taupo) 2008

The Bunnings Heart Kids Toddler Cycle Thon was an opportunity for children at even a young age to learn the benefit of getting out doing exercise, having fun, getting involved and helping kids perhaps not so fortunate as themselves. Kids helping kids.

Heart Childrens Week 2008 – A Huge Success

A donation in a bucket at Heart Children's National Street Appeal, a ribbon worn, a cold plunge in the Heart Stopper Challenge, a gift of time or services - whatever the contribution and no matter the size, each gesture combined with thousands of others to make this year's Heart Kids Week a huge success.

Our heart felt thanks.