Hospice New Zealand

Hospice Awareness Week: 11 – 17 May 2026 

For over 20 years we've been a proud supporter of Hospice across New Zealand. 

Hospice Awareness Week begins on 11 May and we are working together to raise awareness of Hospice and the essential free specialist care services they provide to over 20,000 people, their families and whanau each year. 

We're raising awareness by sharing real life stores to help ensure these vital services remain available for all who need them. 

Please show your support by sharing your own Hospice story and consider making a donation  - big or small, every donation helps. 

Our partnership

House of Travel is proud to have been in partnership with Hospice New Zealand since 2005.  Our commitment as a New Zealand owned and operated company ensures a commitment to the communities within which our people live and work.

Hospice’s philosophy of ‘Living Every Moment’ is core to our values at House of Travel. Each House of Travel store is partnered with their local hospice service and supports them in a variety of ways, including raising money, raising awareness and volunteering their time.

About Hospice NZ

Every year, hospices around New Zealand provide care and support for people living with a life-limiting condition and their families.

Many people think of hospice as a building, but hospice is really a philosophy of care. While most hospices in New Zealand offer in-patient facilities, the majority of people are cared for in the comfort of their own home.

Anyone living with a life limiting condition – such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, respiratory disease, motor neurone disease or dementia – can access and benefit from hospice services. Hospices aim to help people make the most of their lives, with the core philosophy of living every moment in whatever way is important to them.

Hospice care is provided free of charge to people and their families, but it does come at a cost. Each year hospices need to raise more than $45 million nationally to support their services.

To find out more about your local hospice service and what you can do to help, visit www.hospice.org.nz.

The need for hospice care is only increasing. People are living longer, with more complex health needs, and many are choosing to die at home, surrounded by whānau and family. This year alone, Hospice’s all over the country expect to care for over 20,000 New Zealander’s, and support hundreds more family members through grief, bereavement, and the emotional challenges that come with end-of-life care.

Hospice care is not just about managing pain or providing medications. It's about supporting the whole person—physically, emotionally, spiritually—and wrapping around the entire family. Most patients choose to remain at home, where they feel safest and most comfortable, and Hospice are committed to making that possible. 

This kind of care is only possible because of the support Hospice receive from their generous community.

Snapshot of Hospice Services

20,000 – Each year, hospice services across the country provide care and support for more than 20,000 people and their families, either before or after the death of a loved one.

1 in 3 – 1 in 3 people who die in New Zealand each year are supported by Hospice.

30% - Hospice services provide care and support for anyone with a life-limiting condition, not only people with cancer. Each year, approximately 30% of people in hospice care have a diagnosis other than cancer.

129 – People of around 129 different ethnic groups are cared for by hospice each year.

1,500,000 – Together, a generous team of volunteers give over 1,500,000 hours of their time each year to support hospice services.