'Overwhelming' surprise party for terminally ill boy

Surprise birthday parties are always special occasions, regardless of the recipient.

But when it could be your last, it makes it even more special.

Tama Hubbard, who turned 4 on Sunday, was thrown a surprise birthday party, which may be his final one.

The child, who suffers from a degenerative disease called spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), arrived at Brookfields Winery to find the surprise of a lifetime.

Mother Lisa Geddes said Tama, who has been in and out of hospital all his life, was met with a range of special guests and activities.

"There was someone juggling, party balloons, a bubble guy, a DJ booth, photo booth, cake, a grazing table," she said. "The amount of love that went into it was incredible.

"It was unbelievable. I'm still in shock and Tama loved every second of it. He's been talking about it non-stop all day.

"He started off very shy, but once he got out of his shell he was blown away."

The party was organised by Tama's aunty, Alana Geddes.

"I'm surprised they managed to keep it a surprise from Tama and I," Lisa said. "We thought we were going there for family photos and then off to the movies.

"I knew my sisters were hiding something but could never have imagined that it would be anything like this."

A visit from police constables Shelby Jordan and Alex Gunn, along with some police dogs, sealed a "perfect day".

"It was overwhelming and emotional, but amazing. You could see the love in the room," Lisa said.

"Not only all that, but businesses had donated and helped make the birthday happen."

SMA is a genetic disease affecting the central nervous system, peripheral nervous system and voluntary muscle movement (skeletal muscle). It involves the loss of nerve cells in the spinal cord and is classified as a motor neurone disease, according to Muscular Dystrophy Association.

There are fewer than 100 people in the country with the condition.

Lisa said the party will never be forgotten, even if it is Tama's last.

"It's hard to say if this will be his last birthday," she said. "If he gets really sick and goes into hospital, there is always a risk.

"He has deteriorated so much already in his short four years of life."

Students from Napier Boys' High School performed a haka and gifted the child a shield with his name on it, while former All Black Zac Guildford gave Tama a signed rugby ball.

"They were absolutely amazing with meeting him. For the young boys to come out on their weekend to do this was special," Lisa said.

"For all these people to take time out of their day to make it as amazing as it was is incredible. The day was perfect. It couldn't have gone any better."