Waipuna Hospice Warns It Could Disappear Without More Funding

Waipuna Hospice, one of the largest of New Zealand's 28 hospices, is facing a funding crisis that its chief executive says could see it disappear from the community within three to five years if the situation is not turned around. CEO David Bryant says the organisation needs to raise $8.1 million in the coming financial year just to cover the shortfall between what it costs to deliver services and what it receives from Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora, which currently covers only 44 percent of its total operating costs. Last year the hospice recorded a $1.7 million deficit.

The hospice is currently caring for 243 people — the majority in their own homes — who are living with terminal illnesses, supporting both patients and their whānau. Bryant says demand in the Western Bay of Plenty is growing as people live longer with more complex health needs and increasingly choose to die at home. "The cost of delivering care has increased significantly, but the contract we have with Health NZ has not increased much at all," he said, adding that the gap continues to widen.

Health New Zealand acting national director Jason Power said the agency provided $113.6 million in funding to 28 hospices in the 2023/2024 financial year and remains committed to ensuring palliative and end-of-life care meets the needs of all New Zealanders. Power said hospices would be advised of any funding uplifts once confirmed. A report by advisory firm Martin Jenkins, commissioned by Hospice New Zealand and released in March, found that for every $1 the Government spends on hospice care, at least $1.59 in health benefits is returned to the taxpayer.

Local MPs have weighed in on the issue. Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford recently visited Waipuna Hospice's Te Puna base and met with Bryant, saying he was acutely aware of the fundraising challenges and grateful for the work the team does. Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell said investing in hospice care made both moral and economic sense given the proven return on investment, and praised the Waipuna team for their tireless work. NZ First list MP Tanya Unkovich previously presented a Member's Bill in Parliament seeking to establish palliative care as a right, though it has not yet been drawn from the ballot.

Originally published in Katikati News (Sun Media).