# 2026 Stakeholder Profile — Hospice New Zealand

## Organisation Details

- **Official Name:** Hospice New Zealand
- **Official URL:** [hospice.org.nz](https://www.hospice.org.nz)
- **Type:** Health Charity / Advocacy / Service Coordination
- **Who They Represent:** The 24 hospice organisations across New Zealand that provide palliative care services. Hospice NZ is the national umbrella body representing these member hospices.

## Background

Hospice NZ is the national organisation representing the hospice sector in New Zealand. It coordinates the network of 24 community hospices that provide specialist palliative care across the country. While hospice care is for people of all ages with life-limiting illness, the majority of hospice patients are older people (typically 70%+ aged 65+). Hospice NZ is a significant voice in end-of-life care policy, health funding, and aged care.

## Policy Positions

- **Palliative Care Funding:** Advocates for sustainable, equitable funding for hospice services across all DHB/HNZ regions (current funding model is inconsistent).
- **Palliative Care Strategy:** Supports the national Palliative Care Strategy and advocates for its full implementation and resourcing.
- **Integration with Aged Care:** Advocates for better integration of palliative care into aged residential care settings (many older people die in ARC without adequate palliative care).
- **Advance Care Planning:** Promotes advance care planning (ACP) to ensure people's end-of-life wishes are documented and respected.
- **Pain Management:** Advocates for better access to pain management and symptom control for all people with life-limiting illness.
- **Grief Support:** Supports bereavement care for families.
- **Community Palliative Care:** Advocates for enabling people to die in their place of choice (usually home) with adequate community palliative care support.
- **End of Life Choice Act:** Hospice NZ has a position on supporting people's choice within the End of Life Choice Act framework (hospices engage differently with assisted dying — some provide, some refer, some are conscientious objectors).

## Relevant Submissions (in KB)

| Document                             | KB Location                   |
| ------------------------------------ | ----------------------------- |
| Hospice NZ — Guide for Carers (2024) | `10_Funeral_and_End_of_Life/` |

## Relevant Reports (in KB)

| Document                                                    | KB Location                   |
| ----------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------- |
| Hospice NZ — Palliative Care Core Service Components (2023) | `10_Funeral_and_End_of_Life/` |

## Public Campaigns

- **Hospice Awareness Week** — annual campaign raising awareness of hospice services
- **"Choose Your Place"** — promoting the ability to die at home with community palliative care support
- **Advance Care Planning Campaign** — encouraging people to document their end-of-life wishes
- **"Hospice — More Than You Think"** — public education about the breadth of hospice services

## Relationship to Government

- **Funding Relationship:** Hospices receive partial government funding through Health NZ contracts (typically 50-70% of costs — the rest from fundraising)
- **Policy Engagement:** Hospice NZ engages with Ministry of Health on palliative care policy and strategy
- **Workforce:** Engages on palliative care workforce training and development
- **Health NZ:** Works with Health NZ on palliative care service commissioning and integration
- **End of Life Choice Act:** Has engaged constructively with government on implementation of assisted dying legislation

## Relationship to Existing KB

- The KB contains Hospice NZ's Guide for Carers and the Core Service Components document. These provide evidence of the sector's approach to palliative care.
- Additional documents needed: Hospice NZ submissions on health funding, Hospice NZ annual reports, Hospice NZ position on palliative care in ARC, Hospice NZ workforce surveys.

## Business Implications

- **ARC Providers:** Increasing integration of palliative care into ARC is a growing trend — hospices provide consultancy, training, and direct care in some ARC settings
- **Home Care Providers:** Palliative home care is a growing area — partnerships with hospices
- **Pharmacists:** Hospice prescribing patterns and access to palliative medicines
- **Funeral Directors:** Hospice referrals to funeral services
- **Training Providers:** Palliative care training for aged care workers is a growing need

## Campaign Relevance

- **Palliative Care Funding:** Campaign for sustainable funding for hospice services
- **Palliative Care in ARC:** Campaign for better integration of palliative care into aged residential care
- **Advance Care Planning:** Campaign promoting advance care planning for older people
- **Dying at Home:** Campaign for adequate community palliative care to enable death at home
- **Pain Management:** Campaign for better access to pain relief for older people in ARC
- **Bereavement Support:** Campaign for bereavement services for families

## Cross-References

- See also: **[Health NZ](..\08_Government_Agencies_and_Regulators\2026%20Agency%20Profile%20-%20Health%20NZ%20Te%20Whatu%20Ora.md)** (palliative care commissioning)
- See also: **[Ministry of Health](..\08_Government_Agencies_and_Regulators\2026%20Agency%20Profile%20-%20Ministry%20of%20Health.md)** (palliative care policy)
- See also: **[Carers NZ](2026%20Stakeholder%20Profile%20-%20Carers%20NZ.md)** (shared interest in carer support)
- See also: **[Aged Care Association](2026%20Stakeholder%20Profile%20-%20Aged%20Care%20Association.md)** (palliative care integration in ARC)
- See also: `10_Funeral_and_End_of_Life/` directory for all end-of-life documents

## Last Updated

June 2026