In this study, we have aimed to characterise the survival of all 0–14 year-old New Zealand children who were diagnosed with cancer during 1990–1993. Four hundred and nine children were followed up using two largely independent sources. We calculated Kaplan–Meier survival probabilities and investigated various prognostic factors using the Cox model. Five-year survival for all cancers was 66% (95% confidence interval (CI) 62–71%) and for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia it was 70% (CI 62–79%). Cancers with particularly favourable prognoses (followed by their respective 5-year survival probabilities) included: retinoblastoma 100% (CI 74-100%), Hodgkin’s disease 93% (CI 79–100%), non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma 87% (CI 73-100%) and osteosarcoma 91% (CI 74–100%). Cancers with poor prognoses included: neuroblastoma 35% (CI 14–56%), rhabdomyosarcoma 42% (CI 14–70%) and central nervous system tumours 49% (CI 38–60%). Girls with any cancer had a significantly lower risk of death than boys. Generally, survival for childhood cancers in New Zealand increased greatly between 1961–1965 and 1990–1993. Nevertheless, outcomes for some cancers remained poor.