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CHARITY BEGINS WITH BUYING A HOME

By Viv Posselt.The award-winning charity Kids in Need Waikato has announced plans for a new ownership structure to secure its future.It has launched The Legacy Project, a campaign aimed at moving from renting to purchasing its Cambridge base.The Fencourt Rd property housing Kids in Need Waikato is owned by the charity’s founders, Graeme and Linda Roil.  On it is their personal home plus various other buildings added to accommodate the charity’s growing needs. READ MORE HERE...

SPRING UPDATE

Kia ora!There is a lot happening across Kids in Need with all of our different programmes, events, and day-to-day operations. So far this year, thanks to your generosity - 1,369 children have received personalised care packs put together by our wonderful team of staff and volunteers, each one helping a child feel supported and valued.I’ve been privileged to speak at 30 different events and meetings this year and have been blown away by the support shown at every one.  With your help,...

THE KIN CHAPEL

Alongside the other buildings at KIN HQ, we are fortunate to have a Chapel onsite. It provides a welcoming space for Board meetings, KIN gatherings, and wider community events, and is available for local groups to book.The Kids in Need Chapel has a rich history that began in 1938, when it was built as a private chapel for the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions in Ngaruawahia. After the convent closed, the Chapel was moved to St John’s College, where it served the school community fo...

FROM BRACES TO BRAVERY - A LIFE TRANSFORMED

In October 2021, Nicole, one of the brave young ladies we support began her braces journey thanks to the incredible generosity of donors. At the time, she had been through more than any young person should, and her smile was something she often hid away. We knew braces would be life-changing, but the cost was far beyond her caregiver’s reach.An amazing $5,000 donation got her started, with further gifts ensuring her treatment could continue. As Nicole's teeth slowly shifted, something even mor...

WINTER 2025 UPDATE

Hi everyone,As we head into winter, I’m reflecting on just how much we’ve achieved together so far this year. By the end of May, we had put together 946 care packs for children in care - each one a reminder that there is love and support surrounding these children when they need it most.Over the past few months, I’ve had the privilege of speaking to 11 different groups sharing important updates and raising awareness about what we do. Kids in Need has also connected with 79 caregivers at 12...

Volunteering Waikato Award

Kids in Need attended the annual Volunteering Waikato Awards on June 18 2025. Congratulations to our amazing shed volunteers who won the Team Award, sponsored by Skycity. Our volunteers work tirelessly to sort donations, make care packs and ensure the children and caregivers we support have what they need.Linda and Janke accepted the award on behalf of our volunteers. ...

CHARITIES BENEFIT FROM FESTIVAL

By Viv Posselt. Three of Cambridge’s core charities have received $10,000 each from funds raised at last year’s Cambridge Rotary Garden Festival.Kids in Need Waikato, InterlockNZ Trust, and Cambridge Lifeskills received the funding boost.Representatives from each, as well as many of the homeowners whose gardens were included in the November 2024 festival, attended a Cambridge Rotary appreciation function held recently at the Lauriston Park homestead.READ MORE HERE...

AUTUMN 2025 UPDATE

Kia ora koutou,The year is already flying by, and with your support, we’ve put together 354 care packs for tamariki in care (as at February 28). Each pack represents a child who now has something of their own—something to bring comfort and joy.With the colder months approaching, we’re seeing an increasing need for warm clothing, blankets and jackets. The requests from agencies across the Waikato keep coming, and we’re working hard to make sure every child and caregiver who reac...

BACK TO THE BEGINNING

I remember it like it was yesterday. In 2014, Graeme and I decided to become foster carers. No sooner had we completed our training than we received a phone call asking us to take a 10-year-old boy. For privacy, I’ll call him Dane.By the time we met Dane, he had endured years of abuse, been passed from home to home, lived in a boy’s facility, and spent six years in care. When we met him, he was staying in a motel room with a minder—because no one else would take him.He arrived with nothing...

City of Hamilton - Civic Award

On November 26, 2024, the Kids in Need team attended the annual Hamilton City Council Civic Awards ceremony where Linda Roil (Founder of Kids in Need) received a Civic Award.These prestigious awards recognise people who have made an outstanding contribution to the community. Linda joined a handful of other recipients, highlighting her amazing dedication and vision to supporting children and caregivers in the Waikato Linda remains 100% volunteer for Kids in Need and is pictured here with our Chai...

COLOUR CAMBRIDGE TO HELP RAISE MONEY FOR KIDS IN NEED WAIKATO

Betty Busst was having lunch with friends when she got a call from Oranga Tamariki.She had one hour to collect her 7-month-old grandson Zayden Rich or he’d go into care.It was “a bit of shock” and changed her retirement plans. At 76, she was raising a toddler on her own.READ MORE FROM THE WAIKATO TIMES HERE...

KIN UPDATE JULY 2024

So far this year Kids in Need Waikato have put together 806 care packs (as at end of June 2024).As we head into the coldest part of winter, demand for warm clothes, jackets and extra bedding increases. We receive referrals from agencies all over the Waikato and continue to be proactive in providing ongoing support to the caregivers and tamariki in our system.We are grateful for the ongoing support from our wonderful community of supporters, funders and sponsors as well as new connectio...

KIN UPDATE MARCH 2024

Thanks to the amazing support from our community, our team were able to put together 79 care packs in March.Kids in Need support over 450 whānau (representing 1170 tamariki and rangatahi) on an ongoing basis in 30 towns around the Waikato. We provide a summer and winter care pack for each child over the year as well as gifts at Christmas. We reach out to whānau on our system one town at a time, and ask for updated sizes and any new information. Our team put together care packs at KIN...

KIN UPDATE FEBRUARY 2024

February was incredibly busy, with 179 winter care packs made, multiple events,  making new connections and lots of planning. We have welcomed 2 new part-time staff to our team and we are in the process of welcoming a number of new volunteers. We would like to thank each and every one of our supporters who donate goods and finances to KIN. We have a growing group of supporters who choose to give monthly - this enables KIN to provide care packs, access to extracurricular activ...

KIN UPDATE JANUARY 2024

We hope you had a restful summer break. Our Kids in Need (KIN) team had a well-deserved break with loved ones and have been back at HQ resetting for 2024 and sending out the last summer care packs.This year we will be sending out short, monthly updates to our subscribers instead of a quarterly newsletter. We have experienced significant growth in every area of KIN and by providing short, regular updates we can stay in touch with our amazing community in a more meaningful way.Thank you for being ...

Kustom made for Kids

The 2023 Stragglers Rod and Kustom Charity Custom and Classic Car Display raised nearly $30,000 for charity, the highest annual total in the event’s 17-year history....

Fifth birthday for 'Kids'

Linda Roil would prefer it if there was no need for the well-recognised charity she started in Cambridge five years ago, Kids in Need Waikato.But instead of working her way out of the role, the numbers of children needing support to live with families other than their birth parents continues to increase and, as a result, Kids in Need Waikato is expanding.READ MORE HERE...

KIN Newsletter July 2023

Winter 2023 has well and truly been our busiest yet. It is clear that there is an increase in demand for our service directly from caregivers but also from the agencies we support around the Waikato. We put together 188 care packs in May and 140 in June.Read newsletter...

KIN Newsletter April 2023

We have had a busy start to 2023. After a successful Christmas campaign, our team enjoyed a well deserved break. We are now putting together winter Care Packs in preparation for the cooler months ahead.Read newsletter...

KIN Newsletter September 2022

Michael van den Engel, Dealer Principal of Ebbett Volkswagen handing Linda the keys to the new Kids in Need van...

Paul Harris Fellows Award

In July 2022, Linda and Graeme were honoured to both be named Paul Harris Fellows by Waikato Sunrise Rotary  - “in appreciation of tangible and significant assistance given for the furtherance of better understanding and friendly relations among peoples of the world”.They are so grateful and will wear the pins with pride....

Cambridge Community Board Community Service Award

Linda Roil, pictured with husband Graeme, received her Community Service Award from Jo Davies-Collier. ...

KIN Newsletter June 2022

Linda at the KIN stand at the Hamilton Brick Show...

Providing the gift of warmth

With winter approaching, most of us couldn’t imagine the heartbreak of turning on the oven just to ensure there was at least one room in the house warm enough for our children to get dressed ready for the day ahead.In reality however, there are many in this situation and often, with grandparents, other family members or foster parents raising children not biologically theirs, the household budget is already stretched to capacity with essentials costs such as rent or mortgage, food and electric...

KIN Newsletter April 2022

After our incredibly successful Christmas campaign, the Kids in Need (KIN) team and volunteers enjoyed a well-deserved break for a few weeks over summer. We have spent the last few months resetting the shed, collecting donations and making care packs for children. The Board of Trustees have had their first meeting of the year and there are some exciting developments underway at KIN HQ.Read newsletter...