Rānui means “big warm house”, says Joe Blakiston, “and that’s pretty much exactly what [Rānui House] is. It’s a welcoming place, and it just takes the pressure off.”
Joe speaks fondly of Christchurch’s Rānui House & Apartments, run by the Bone Marrow Cancer Trust, which provides accommodation and support for critically ill patients and their families who travel to Christchurch for lifesaving treatment.
Joe and friend Lloyd Mapp are on a mission to raise $40,000 for the charity, giving back to the team that supported them through deeply challenging times and helping to ensure other families can continue to benefit from Rānui’s care.
For Joe, Rhonda and children Nick, Lucy and Ben, the charity lifted a weight from their shoulders when late son Jimmy was brought to Christchurch on a medical evacuation flight from India in 2019. Having given little thought to where they would stay while Jimmy underwent treatment, a call to Rānui soon secured them a family room near the hospital.
Joe says his family appreciated the team’s gentle and considerate support throughout their stay.
“Nobody’s in your face. It’s, ‘Oh, there’s a lasagne there if you want one,’ or, ‘Morning tea’s on.’ It’s pretty unassuming, but it’s a big warm house. That’s what it is.”
For Lloyd, who stayed at Rānui on two occasions while wife Val was being treated for leukaemia, the stress of finding accommodation after being airlifted to Christchurch was immediately removed.
“We went from arriving with nowhere to stay and then suddenly having this amazing facility to look after us. There was no time limit, and it didn’t cost me anything for the eight months I stayed,” he says.
Lloyd says the facility helped him adjust to the sudden move from the couple’s Pine Valley farm to the city. He eventually became involved in caretaking around the property, while passionate gardener Val found sanctuary in the nearby Botanic Gardens during her treatment.
For both Joe and Lloyd, giving back to Rānui is as important now as ever, particularly following the charity’s $18 million accommodation expansion, completed in November 2024, which has enabled more families to be housed.
More than one-third of users come from the West Coast and Top of the South, making it a lifeline for people living far beyond Christchurch, the pair explains.
“It’s a very essential service for the South Island and for the whole of New Zealand,” Lloyd says.
“It’s one of those things you don’t know about until you actually need it,” Joe adds.
Joe and Lloyd’s fundraising efforts will include auctions, as well as a four-wheel-drive trip and garden tour on Lloyd and Val’s Pine Valley property in autumn. The event will honour the memories of both Val and Jimmy, with Val having long wanted to share her beloved garden with others.
Those interested in making business donations or seeking more information can contact Joe at Njbb64@gmail.com. The fundraising page can be found here.
