Before you arrive
Important: You must have a referral from your Doctor or District Health Board or Social Worker to make a booking at Ronald McDonald House Auckland or the Ronald McDonald House Family Room, we cannot accommodate you without this.
Who may stay?
Families of children sent to Auckland for diagnosis or to receive treatment at Starship may stay at Ronald McDonald House Auckland for the duration of their treatment cycle, or until diagnosis is complete and they are discharged.
Caregivers of children in intensive care or high dependency units in Starship can stay at the Ronald McDonald House Family Room short term. Usually the parents (two people maximum per room) are booked initially for 24 hours and then this is reviewed on a daily basis. When the child moves to the ward, if the family lives more than 100km from Starship it may be appropriate for them to move across to Ronald McDonald House Auckland.
Transplant children sometimes stay in the House with their families while waiting for surgery and while recovering from their operation, as do some oncology patients during longer treatment regimes.
A child is considered to be anyone under the age of 18. Sometimes when a family stays with us regularly (for oncology treatments or follow-up visits, etc), we can waive this age limit as these children and their families have become a part of our extended House family.
A family is best described as caregivers (parents, step parents, grandparents, foster parents, occasionally aunts or uncles) of patients, and their siblings (brothers or sisters or half brothers and sisters).
If a child other than those we’ve described usually lives with you as a permanent member of the household we may (depending on occupancy at the time) be able to accommodate them with you. Please ask if you need our help with this.
Site map
The RMH Auckland Trust funds and governs Ronald McDonald House Auckland (48 rooms) and the Ronald McDonald House Family Room (13 short stay critical care rooms) in Starship Hospital. It is a registered community charitable trust comprised of the following partners: Auckland District Health Board, Child Cancer Foundation, Heart Children, The Rotary Club of Downtown Auckland, Ronald McDonald House Charities and 2 community representatives. The House and Family Room provide a ‘home away from home’ for over 3,000 families of children with life-threatening illnesses each year. The Trust through its staff and partnerships actively fundraises throughout New Zealand to achieve the $2,300,000 p.a. it needs to run the facilities and support its families. Charity Registration number: CC23591