Together for Riley

$33,013 donated
Given by 169 generous donors since yesterday

This page is a way for friends, family, and community to stand behind Riley and his whānau during his osteosarcoma treatment journey.

Hawke's Bay

Riley is a determined 12-year-old whose world revolves around sport — especially cricket and football — games he not only loves but truly excels at. He has recently been diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare and aggressive bone cancer that affects only around 4–5 children in New Zealand each year. This diagnosis has gutted and shocked us all, turning our lives upside down as we face what lies ahead for Riley and his family.

For his parents, Chris and Sally, and his sister Belle, everything changed in an instant. Riley is now facing months of intensive treatment, including long hospital stays and specialist care, with time spent in Starship Hospital for approximately 12 months. At just 12 years old, life should be about school, mates, and time on the sports fields — not hospital wards and treatment plans.

Chris and Sally’s focus is entirely on supporting Riley through treatment while also being there for Belle. Alongside the emotional toll comes significant financial pressure — time off work, travel, accommodation, and everyday living costs that don’t pause during this journey.

This Givealittle page has been set up to help ease some of that burden so the family can focus on what matters most: Riley’s treatment, recovery, and time together.

Riley — we are all here behind you. Your family, friends, and community are standing with you every step of the way.

Every donation, no matter the size, will make a real difference. Thank you for your kindness and support.

Rebecca Christie's involvement (page creator)

Chris and Sally are very close friends of mine and watching what their family is about to face has been incredibly hard. This page has been created with their blessing, from a place of love, to help support them through Riley’s treatment.

Use of funds

Funds raised will help support Riley and his family with the very real costs that come with long-term cancer treatment, including time off work, travel, accommodation, parking, meals, and everyday household expenses while Riley undergoes treatment.

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Latest update

Thank you   4 February 2026

We are incredibly grateful for the outpouring of kindness, generosity, and support shown to Riley and his family. Thank you to everyone who has donated, shared the page, sent messages, or reached out — it truly means more than we can put into words.

The love and support from friends, family, and the wider community has been overwhelming, and it brings so much comfort knowing Riley, Chris, Sally, and Belle are not facing this alone.

We will continue to update this page as we can throughout Riley’s treatment journey. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for standing with this family 🤍

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2% Effective Fee
On average, fundraisers pay just 2% to use Givealittle. This is one of the lowest effective fees in New Zealand fundraising. We charge a 5% platform fee to cover the cost of running the platform. Because most donors choose to top up their donation to cover this fee, the effective cost paid by fundraisers is about 2%. That means around 98 cents of every dollar raised goes to the cause. Learn More

Latest donations

Peter
Peter 16 mins ago
$100
Stevie and Cooper
Stevie and Cooper 26 mins ago
Prayers and hugs to Riley and whanau From Cooper Teikamata
$50
Guest Donor
Guest Donor 39 mins ago
$50
Mike
Mike 1 hour ago
$50
Andrew
Andrew 1 hour ago
Private

Who's involved?

Rebecca Christie's avatar
Created by Rebecca Christie
Sally and Chris Burch's avatar
Paying to a verified bank account of Sally and Chris Burch
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The page has been checked by our team to make sure it complies with our terms and conditions.

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This campaign started on 2 Feb 2026 and ends on 2 Feb 2027.