Hospice - there when you need it most
Lake Taupō Hospice ceo Christine Rankin.
A letter from Hospice to the Taupō community.
By Lake Taupō Hospice CEO Christine Rankin
As Hospice Awareness Week 2025 is next week, May 12-18, I want to take this opportunity to speak directly to you about the state of hospice care in New Zealand, and what it means for us here at Lake Taupo Hospice.
Across the country, hospices are facing growing financial challenges. While we are a vital part of our healthcare system, offering specialist palliative care to those living with a terminal illness, hospices receive only partial funding from the government. Here in Taupō, we must raise over 70% of our running costs ourselves—a huge and growing responsibility.
We do this through our hospice shops, generous donations, community fundraisers, and the incredible support of local sponsors. Without this, we simply could not continue to provide the level of care and support that people in our region deserve.
Lake Taupō Hospice is a community-based service. We don’t have an inpatient unit—we visit and care for our patients wherever they are: in their own homes, in aged residential care, or in hospital.
Our mission is to make sure that anyone in our catchment area who receives a terminal diagnosis can be supported with compassion, dignity, and expert care, whether they need us for months or even years.
And the reason we can do this is because of you.
So, thank you Taupō, your continued support makes all the difference. You allow us to keep our services free of charge for patients and their whānau, and you make it possible for us to walk alongside them through one of life’s most challenging journeys.
As we mark this important week, we ask you to keep standing with us—and to raise your voice in support of a more secure, sustainable future for hospice care in Aotearoa. Everyone deserves access to quality palliative care, no matter who they are or where they live.
This Hospice Awareness Week, please consider making a donation, supporting our shops, or getting involved in fundraising for Lake Taupo Hospice.
Every dollar helps us continue caring for those who need us most, for as long as they need us.
To donate, visit: www.laketaupohospice.co.nz/donate