The beginning... about Little Elms

In 1991 the road transport industry organised a nationwide “Ride in a Truck Day” with the focus on raising awareness of the trucking industry but also to fundraise for a worthy cause. The Child Cancer Foundation was chosen as the recipient. The day was extremely successful with over $70,000 raised nationally, and $7,100 of that in Hawke's Bay.

The intention then was to hold the event every two years. However the next date chosen was February 1995, a time that did not suit Hawke's Bay trucking companies as it was in the middle of the very busy fruit season. Local operators decided to hold their own event in October 1995 and all funds raised would stay in HB to support local families dealing with child cancer. The event became known as Trucking for Hawke's Bay Child Cancer (TFHBCC).

The local event continues to be run biennially and provides a great spectacle with a convoy of trucks leaving from Hastings and Napier, meeting in the Whakatu area where they are either on display for the day or providing short rides to members of the public. The day can attract up to 240 vehicles from around the country and grateful thanks must go to the road transport industry and the many volunteers who have been involved over the years and contributed to this event that is now unique to Hawke's Bay.

In 2005 a charitable trust, “Trucking for Hawke's Bay Child Cancer Charitable Trust” (TFHBCCCT) was formed. 

In 2007 the Trustees met with the staff of the Child Cancer Foundation (CCF) to discuss their needs. Their dream was to have a place of their own, near the hospital, with office space and one or two accommodation units for families from out of town to use while their child was in hospital.

A meeting was held with the Elms family who owned a property in Orchard Road, Hastings that was on the market and they offered it to the Trust at a heavily reduced price. The association with the Elms family was also very appropriate as they have been involved in the transport industry for three generations and the property in question was their former trucking depot.

Staff from Carters in Napier were approached about providing the materials required for the original concept. Some of the Carters staff had been involved in an earlier construction project that raised funds for the local hospice and were keen to be a part of this project too. The original plans were enhanced to include an administration building, six chalets, a holiday house and storage shed.

It was decided to expand the use of the chalets to include families of children with other health issues as CCF did not have the need for that total amount of accommodation, therefore no reference to child cancer was included in the name chosen for the property, Little Elms – “Little”, in reference to children and “Elms” to acknowledge the tremendous support from the Elms family.

A huge amount of community and volunteer input was called on for the complex to be built over a period of just 6 days! At 6.00am on 6 October 2008 approximately 400 workers began the construction process and on 13 October 2008 the complex, complete with landscaping was officially opened!