Excellence in Foster Care Awards - 2026 recipients

Excellence in Foster Care Awards 2026

The 2026 Awards were held in March at Parliament. We had the honour of bringing together and celebrating 18 incredible caregivers/caregiving couples, who between them received 10 Excellence in Foster Care Awards.

Scroll down to see more photos from the Ceremony and read a little about each recipient.

A big thank you to our 2026 corporate sponsors: Barnardos, Open Home Foundation, and Kia Puāwai.

Our 2026 Recipients

Evaluating the nominations we receive for the Awards is always an extremely tough job. The selection panel for 2026 was made up of representatives from Barnardos, Caring Families Aotearoa, Kia Puāwai and Open Home Foundation.

Our 2026 Recipients

Michelle Beaver
Cherie Dean and Kirini
Kaea Flight and James Nansen
Daphne and Roger Hawken
Rachel and Jason Hockly
Paula and Fred Hohua
Donna Illingworth
Natasha and Piripi Phillips
Lena and Phil Stirrup
Melissa and Dean Sumner

2026 Stories

All our award recipients have incredible stories, please read the book below to find out more. From one caregiver who has cared for vulnerable children for over 40 years, to a young couple who have overcome massive challenges to provide outstanding whānau care.

Click the image below to read the flipbook, or the button if you wish to download a copy.