Opened in 1992 in an old wing of Southland Hospital and moved to the present site in 2003 Hospice Southland will enter its 30th year in 2022.
The founding Deed of Trust for the Hospice Southland Charitable Trust signed in 1994 illustrates the vision held by those early pioneers of the Hospice movement in Southland.
The first four objects of the trust state:
- To provide care and support and to promote generally the physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs of terminally ill patients and their families.
- To bring to the notice of family, nursing and medical staff, lay helpers, administrators and the public in general, the special needs of terminally ill patients and to encourage those practices which have a beneficial effect in maintaining the comfort and morale of terminally ill patients.
- To promote the independence of terminally ill patients and to assist them in making their own decisions.
- To provide support to existing services to maintain terminally ill patients in their own homes where this is their wish.
The Deed of Trust was signed by Kevin Wall, Peter Muller, Dr Hardy Hunt, Richard Henshall Helen Young, Jack Faul and John Prendergast.
This Deed and these far thinking people have meant that almost 30 years later we are going stronger with a Charitable Foundation to assist with financial security into the future and excellent well qualified and dedicated staff. Seven shops raising over $2 million, a very supportive DHB and a community that is very engaged, generous and hardworking. The vision that Hospice Southland will add value to the lives of thousands of patients, families and whanau in the Southland and Whakatipu area has come to fruition. The need for a palliative care service free from any costs to its recipients goes on. We needed the community support in the early days, and we still need it today. In the words on Nicki Kitson one of the first CEO’s, “Your determination to support us and see us succeed has been our strength . . . it has been legendary” Long may it continue. Our vision of “Living every moment” is paramount to us.
