Elevate Family Camp exists to serve entire families: parents, children, siblings, even grandparents. 

Elevate’s North Island Family Camp especially serves families with a child with a disability. 

Our South Island camp is open to all families affected by disability, including:  

• families with a child (young or adult) with a disability  
• families with a parent with a disability  
• a couple with a spouse with a disability  
• older siblings with a brother/sister with a disability  

If you or your family member has a disability, we welcome you to apply. 

No. As the name suggests, our Family Camps are designed to be just that: a camp where families attend together. If you or your loved one with a disability do not have family that can attend with you, then we may consider you/them attending with a close friend instead, but this will need to be on a case-by-case basis and only for our South Island camp, so please contact us at familycamp@elevate.org.nz before applying. 

Elevate Family Camps are a time for reconnecting with your family, making memories and meeting new friends who face similar challenges. We offer a safe and accepting environment, where we strive to ensure that each family member feels like they belong.  

The weekend includes combined family worship time followed by age-appropriate programmes in the mornings with a variety of activities planned with the attending campers in mind, including crafts, Bible lessons, and onsite camp activities. 

Parents will have the opportunity to hear from a guest speaker and enjoy a time of sharing. 

Afternoons are relaxed with optional activities for the whole family. Saturday evening will see everyone gathered around the campfire (weather permitting) and then relaxing, snuggled up in blankets for a family movie.  

And the best news? No cooking! The amazing teams at our two host campsites (Teapot Valley Christian Camp and Willow Park Christian Camp) will be serving us yummy food throughout the weekend, from Friday supper (please organise your own dinner that night) through to Sunday lunch – and they’ll be doing all the dishes! 

With our busy lives, having the whole family sitting around the table at mealtimes can be rare, so at Family Camp we encourage families to make the most of the opportunity to sit with each other at mealtimes.  

To ensure that parents and caregivers can relax and enjoy themselves too, families are assigned a volunteer helper/s – a new friend to serve as a helper, encourager and supporter throughout the weekend. They will assist at mealtimes, and activities, and be with the children during their programmes. Although families are still responsible for their loved one’s personal care.*  

*If you need to bring a carer with you make sure to include them on your registration form. Most of the accommodation is fully accessible but you will need to bring any special equipment or medical supplies with you. 

The cost of Elevate Family Camp varies by location and includes all accommodation, meals and activities for the whole weekend. Please refer to the registration page of the camp of your choice to see the camp fees. 

For both of our camps, we seek partnerships and funding grants in order to keep the costs down as low as possible for both our families and volunteers. If, however, the cost is still a barrier to your family attending, please contact us. 

Absolutely! Although we would encourage families to enjoy their time together, if an older member of your family wants to serve as a volunteer at camp, please indicate this on your family’s registration form. See the volunteer information section to learn more about volunteering at Elevate Family Camp. 

Each family is assigned one (sometimes more, depending on availability and the size of your family) volunteer - a new friend to serve as a helper, encourager and supporter throughout the weekend. Depending on your family’s needs, they will attend the programmes and activities with your children, sit with your family during mealtimes and be an extra pair of eyes and hands during the evening activities to allow all family members, even yourselves, to participate in and enjoy camp.  

Each of our volunteers will be provided training and be police vetted prior to camp. 

Don’t worry, you won’t be sleeping in tents! 

Elevate’s South Island Family Camp is being held at Teapot Valley Christian Camp, a beautiful rural campsite, only 25 minutes out of Nelson. Families will be assigned their own cabin (heated) but may need to share a bathroom with another family. Each cabin is made up of bunk beds and most have one bunk with a double bed at the bottom (these rooms will be prioritised for couples). If your loved one needs a double bed for easier transfers, etc. please contact us to discuss this: familycamp@elevate.org.nz.   

Our North Island Family Camp is being held at Willow Park Christian Camp a seaside camp within 30 minutes of Auckland. Families will be assigned their own cabin (heated) with an ensuite. Each cabin is made up of two single beds and one set of bunks. 

UPDATE: All ensuited cabins are now booked for our North Island camp. There are still cabins with shared bathrooms available upstairs, but you will need to bring your own linen. If your family requires a wheelchair-accessible room, please contact us before registering to discuss options.

Depending on the location, you may need to bring all your own pillows and linen/sleeping bags, however, there may also be a limited supply of linen that can be hired for a small fee on a first-in-first-served basis. If you wish to hire the linen, please indicate this on your registration form. 

The camp staff serve us delicious food and are able to cater for most diet requirements and food allergies. Please note this on your registration form.  

Yes. Each family is assigned a volunteer helper who will support your family to participate in the various activities and programmes at camp, but they are not responsible for any medical, toileting, bathing, or transfer needs of the campers. Parents, spouses and family members of campers are responsible for these.   

If you require special equipment or medical supplies to support your loved one over the weekend, you will need to bring these with you.  

There will be a first aid officer on camp, but they are responsible for only minor injuries and illnesses. If a camper requires urgent medical attention, emergency services will be contacted. 

Each camp might require you to bring different items and you will be notified of this closer to camp, but here are some of the basics: 

• Bedding – pillows, sleeping bag/linen and duvet 
• Medication –bring enough for 3 full days 
• Toiletries and towels  
• Comfortable cold weather clothes for 3 days (including a warm jacket for night activities) 
• Swimming gear & towel 
• Sunscreen 
• Hat  
• Rain jacket  
• Torch 
• Bible, notebook and pen 
• Camera, phone, chargers, etc. 

Other special items if you need these: 

• Nappies/Products, Catheters, etc. 
• If you normally use a mattress protector at home, please bring it with you  
• Electric wheelchair charger 
• Transfer belts, Hoist, Commode, etc. 
• Special drink cup and/or cutlery

What not to bring: 

• Your own food, chewing gum, firearms, illegal drugs or alcohol 
• We recommend you don’t bring electronic devices (e.g.iPods, DVD players, computers) 

Elevate Family Camps typically begin at 4:30pm for volunteers and from 6pm for families, however, please check your camp information pack for specific times closer to the date.

Dinner is NOT provided on Friday so please have something before you arrive.    

Camp finishes after lunch on Sunday (approximately 1:30pm).

Our highest priority is to the physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing of our camp community, as such we are we are closely monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic and will take every precaution necessary to provide the healthiest experience for our campers and volunteers. In order for our camps to run, we will be adhering to the latest government guidelines. 

Such precautions may include: 

• Not coming to camp if you are feeling unwell 
• RAT testing if needed
• Encouraging using face masks 
• And social distancing 

We understand that not everyone will be able to work within these. Although our desire is to provide a camp for all families, we have decided it is better to hold a camp with some restrictions than no camp at all. If you and your family are not able to partner with us in this way to provide the safest environment we can, Elevate Family Camp may not be the right fit for you during this season of Covid-19, and that's okay. Please check out our website for any other ways that we might be able to support you and your family at this time.