What our participants have shared
“It’s a horrible thing – cancer and the chemo. I just want to get rid of this cancer. With Cancer Support New Zealand you can see people coming through it and surviving. It has given me a bit of hope.”
There’s nothing more sobering than the reality of cancer. Going alcohol-free this July is a simple way to stand alongside people facing with cancer. Your month of going dry helps fund everyday support for the visible and invisible effects of cancer at a time when it’s needed most.
Your choice to challenge yourself to one month alcohol-free in July becomes real support for people navigating cancer, emotionally, physically and mentally in everyday life.
Dry July is a fundraising challenge where you choose to go alcohol-free for the month of July. Instead of drinking, you raise funds to support people living with cancer in New Zealand. It’s a simple personal challenge that turns into real, practical support for others.
Cancer changes more than health. It affects confidence, identity, energy, relationships, and how someone moves through everyday life. Dry July helps fund support that sits alongside clinical care, the kind that helps people cope with the visible and invisible effects of cancer during and after treatment.
Funds raised through Dry July go directly toward Cancer Support NZ programmes across Aotearoa. These programmes are free for anyone affected by cancer and focus on emotional, practical, and everyday support that helps people feel more like themselves again.
Support focuses on the real-life impact of cancer, not just the diagnosis. That includes help with confidence, emotional wellbeing, managing treatment side effects, reconnecting with identity, and navigating the everyday changes that cancer brings to life.
Anyone living with cancer in New Zealand can benefit. That includes people in active treatment, recovery, or living with cancer long term. Support also extends to the wider experience of cancer, family, whānau, workplaces and those adjusting to life around diagnosis and treatment.
No. There is no minimum requirement. Every contribution, no matter the size, helps fund support for people living with cancer. The impact comes from participation as much as fundraising.
Yes. Many people take part as teams, workplaces, friends, or whānau groups. Doing Dry July together can make it easier, more meaningful, and often more impactful in terms of fundraising support.
No. While the challenge is going alcohol-free, the purpose is much bigger. It’s about turning a personal decision into meaningful support for people affected by cancer, helping fund services that provide comfort, confidence, and connection during a deeply disruptive time in life.
For someone going through cancer, the impact is often in the small things, feeling confident enough to leave the house, managing emotional overwhelm, building strength to rejoin everyday life, or reconnecting with who they are outside of treatment. Dry July helps fund those moments of support that sit quietly alongside medical care but make a real difference to daily life.
“It’s a horrible thing – cancer and the chemo. I just want to get rid of this cancer. With Cancer Support New Zealand you can see people coming through it and surviving. It has given me a bit of hope.”
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