Teams of friends, whānau, workmates and school groups are gearing up for the Relay for Life Dunedin, the giant community fundraiser for the Cancer Society, which will return next month.
The 12-hour event, which aims to celebrate cancer survivors and carers, remember loved ones lost to cancer as well as fight back by raising awareness and funds for the Cancer Society, will be held on Saturday, May 2, at Forsyth Barr Stadium.
Held every second year in Dunedin, Relay for Life comes on the back of a busy series of South Island events for Southern Cancer Society event organisers.
In the past three weekends, Relay for Life events have been held in Southland, Mid-Canterbury and Christchurch — raising $120,000, 180,000, and $82,000 respectively.
Funds raised through Relay for Life events go towards supporting Cancer Society programmes as well as helping to fund cancer research — at present the Cancer Society has provided $4.7million in cancer research grants to researchers in New Zealand.
Dunedin-based Southern Cancer Society community funding campaign lead Emma Anderson said it was exciting to be riding a wave of successful events and she was looking forward to the always-popular Dunedin relay under the roof at Forsyth Barr Stadium.
‘‘We already have 69 teams and 406 participants signed up and we know those numbers will only grow as we get closer to the event,’’ Ms Anderson said.
‘‘Being under the roof at the stadium is great — it’s warm and we have no worries about the weather, so we are keen to encourage people to get busy and organise a Relay for Life team.’’
The 2026 Relay for Life will open at 10am with a ceremony, at which ambassadors Jayne Jepson and Andrew Petrie will read the oath, before leading the first lap — a celebration of cancer survivors and carers.
This will be followed by a celebration morning tea for survivors and carers, which is open to people who are unable to take part in the Relay for Life or first lap — these people are invited to register at dunedin.relayforlife.org.nz
Relay teams will spend the day on the track, cheered on by supporters, keeping their batons moving to symbolise the community’s fight against cancer.
To keep the energy high, there will be musical entertainment from local performers including Kelvin Cummings, bands Clusterfunk, Doctor Wazoo and Hunky Dory, plus local DJs, as well as a fun zumba session with Outram Zumba.
At 7pm, the candlelight ceremony will be held, at which the ambassadors Mrs Jepson, Mr Petrie and researcher Judy Ann Cocadiz will speak and musician Paige Millburn will perform.
This will be followed by a silent lap of remembrance for Relay participants while a slideshow of images of loved ones lost to cancer plays on the big screens.
The Relay for Life Dunedin will end on a high with an upbeat closing ceremony at 10pm.
Ms Anderson said Mitre 10 Mega Dunedin was returning as the ‘‘major partner’’ sponsor for Relay for Life Dunedin and would be offering prizes for the highest fundraising teams from the community and schools, as well as the best-dressed site.
There will be food trucks and coffee available.
‘‘There’s plenty of room for more teams and Relay for Life is a lot of fun, so come along and join us.’’
Relay for Life Dunedin will be held on Saturday, May 2, from 10am-10pm at Forsyth Barr Stadium.
For more information, a link to submit photos for the remembrance slideshow and more, visit dunedin.relayforlife.org.nz