Children facing surgery at Tauranga Hospital will receive a personalised teddy bear - thanks to a renewed partnership with LT McGuinness and The Surgical Research Trust.

The LT Teddy Bear Programme has been extended for another two years and has been expanded to include the Bay of Plenty.

A special launch event was held in the hospital’s children’s ward on Friday, September 26, where each child on the ward received their own LT Teddy

“On behalf of the Surgical Research Trust, I would like to extend our warm welcome to Tauranga Hospital in joining our LT McGuinness Bear Programme,” said Surgical Research Trust chairman Grant Kiddie said in a statement.

“We are most grateful to have LT McGuinness as our sponsor for the past two years, bringing more smiles to children undergoing surgery in New Zealand.”

The first LT Teddy at Tauranga Hospital was gifted to a six-year-old patient on July 24, ahead of the official launch.

From now on, around 80 bears per year will be donated to children aged eight and under who are undergoing surgery at the hospital.

“We have been pleased to support the Surgical Research Trust for the last two years, providing LT Teddies to children in hospitals across the country,” said LT McGuinness Tauranga regional manager Jack McGuinness.

“We are proud to continue our support with the launch of LT Teddies at Tauranga Hospital.”

Patient Harlan Shaw with Yas McGuinness from LT McGuiness who sponsored the bears. Photo / Supplied

First launched in 2023 with funding from LT McGuinness and oversight from the Surgical Research Trust, the LT Teddy Bear Programme aims to ease the stress and anxiety of young surgical patients.

Each bear comes with a personalised adoption certificate, which allows children to name and “adopt” their LT Teddy—a small but meaningful gesture during a challenging time.

Hospitals currently participating in the programme include Hutt Hospital, Waikato Hospital, Christchurch Hospital, Bowen Hospital, Wakefield Hospital, Boulcott Hospital, and Royston Hospital, with Tauranga Hospital joining the programme this year.