Waipuna Hospice faces raising $8.1 million in the next financial year to cover a funding shortfall to keep providing its services to the community, which is putting its operation at risk.

“I want to speak honestly about our challenges and raise awareness about the uncertain future of hospice care,” said CEO David Brant.

“While our commitment to compassionate care has never wavered, the growing gap between what it costs to provide our services and the funding we receive from Health NZ Te Whatu Ora is putting that future at risk.”

Waipuna Hospice – one of the largest of 28 hospices in the country – has just 44% of its total operating costs covered by Health NZ.

The service is caring for 243 people, the majority in their own homes, facing terminal illnesses, ensuring they and their families feel supported and safe, Bryant said.

“And the care we provide is not only for the patient but wraps around the whole whānau.”

At risk of disappearing

“The key message is that we are at risk of disappearing from our communities because the lack of funding from Health NZ,” said Bryant.

“I think in the next three-five years, if we haven’t turned around this situation [by then], then we’re at risk of not being here.”

Bryant said as much as Waipuna Hospice does try to raise the annual shortfall of funds, it never meets the target.

“No – last year our result was a $1.7 million deficit.”

Bryant said in the Western Bay of Plenty region, the need for hospice care was only increasing.

“People are living longer, with more complex health needs, and more are choosing to die at home.”

And the costs of delivering care are rising.

“Fuel, wages, medicines, and a number of things we need to buy to deliver our services have gone up significantly,” Bryant said.

“Most people will be aware of the huge impact high inflation costs have had over recent years – and certainly our cost base to deliver the same amount of care has increased significantly. However, the contract we have with Health NZ has not increased much at all, in fact very marginally… and so the gap keeps on widening”.

Bryant said Waipuna was doing everything it can to prevent this happening.

“We are being very deliberate in the services we provide and we continue to do everything we can to control costs – but there is a bottom-line cost for funding this service and Health NZ is not supporting it.”

Health NZ responds

Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora acting national director – planning, funding and outcomes Jason Power said hospices were a valued provider of specialist palliative care services in our communities.

“We recognise the care and support they provide to patients each and every day. We are committed to working with hospices and a range of other services to ensure palliative care meets the needs of all New Zealanders and their families.

“We regularly engage with hospices and Hospice New Zealand, and they are very much front and centre of our National Palliative Care Work Programme that is under way.”

Power said Health NZ provided $113.6 million in funding to 28 hospices for the FY 2023/2024.

“We also fund or provide palliative care across a range of other services and settings, like aged residential care, hospitals, primary care and at home.

“We are currently working through uplifts or increases for the funded sector, which includes hospice.

“Hospices, including Waipuna Hospice, will be advised of the level of uplift, along with other contracted providers, when the uplift is confirmed.”

Power said Health NZ remains committed to ensuring palliative and end-of-life care is of high quality and meets the needs of all New Zealanders and their whānau.

“To achieve this, we established a national palliative care work programme in 2023. The purpose of this programme is to build on previous work and develop a nationally consistent approach to palliative and end-of-life care planning, funding, service delivery and outcomes.”

According to Hospice New Zealand, of the nearly 38,000 people who died in New Zealand in 2024, 10,860 received hospice care.

Last October, NZ First list MP Tanya Unkovich presented her Member’s Bill, ‘Improving Access to Palliative Care’ – “to start the debate on implementing palliative care as a ‘right’” – to Parliament’s ballot box, but it has not been drawn.

Bryant said Hospice New Zealand’s commissioned report by advisory firm Martin Jenkins, which was released in March, found that for every $1 spent by the Government on hospice care, there’s at least $1.59 in health benefits for the taxpayer.

Local MPs comment

Bryant said he had approached local MPs about the situation that Waipuna Hospice is in.

Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford said he recently visited Waipuna Hospice’s Te Puna base and met with Bryant.

“David [Bryant] did talk to me about their fundraising and financing challenges - $8.1 million that they have to raise this coming financial year just to deliver the level of the care. I’m acutely aware of those challenges and just am incredibly grateful for the work they do for the community.”

When asked if he had brought up Waipuna Hospice’s financial situation with the Minister of Health Simeon Brown, Rutherford replied: “I haven’t spoken to him [the Minister of Health] specifically about Waipuna Hospice’s situation but we have had broader party discussions around health funding and funding towards people like Waipuna Hospice for example, and what we can do as a government to support organisations like them”.

“You will have seen in our Budget last year we put in $16 billion extra dollars into health – it’s a lot of money," Rutherford said.

“We’ve put a lot more into the health budget every single year – and we’ve got our Budget coming up again next week. Our health spending and what we can deliver in this space is a real priority for us.”

Rutherford also wanted to thank Bryant and his team at Waipuna Hospice “for doing an incredible job”.

“We are really grateful for the service they provide; and we are really to have them in our community.”

Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell said he supports investment in hospice care. “With a proven Return On Investment of $1.59 per $1 and $110m per year in savings across the health system it is not just a moral obligation but makes economic common sense.”

Uffindell said the team at Waipuna Hospice do an incredible job.

“We are so lucky to have them and their service in our community. Thank you to everyone at Waipuna Hospice for your tireless service to our community.”

Appeal

Bryant said hospice was the only organisation that is there to be a safety net for people facing dying alone “so having some place like hospice which is there and can provide wraparound support is something the community should be proud of”.

“Waipuna Hospice is full of a bunch of people that are so passionate about caring for the community that we are going to fight very hard to keep being here for the community – and everyone believes in the purpose of supporting those that are in need.”

Waipuna Hospice asked people to donate generously. Donations can be made at: https://waipunahospice.org.nz, or call 07 552 4380.