1 What is the most important thing? It is people, it is people, it is people He aha te mea nui? He tangata. He tangata, He tangata The story behind the stained-glass window in Te Rangimarie Title: Mai Ranginui ki a Papatuanuku Artist Joanne Tito explains: ‘The pattern depicts the energy that flows between Ranginui (male) and Papatuanuku (female). It is about one’s journey in life and the balance needed to endure many challenges. The colours are those that have resonated well with me and depict the taha hinegaro – emotional (blue), aroha – love (pink), huarahi whakaaro – healing (green), and wairua – spiritual (purple). Dame Cicely Saunders’ multi-disciplinary philosophy of hospice care was: physical – emotional – psychological – family. We feel sure Dame Cicely would be delighted to see her universal, world-leading philosophy depicted in this way. 2 First published in 2017 Copyright © Hospice Taranaki Inc 2017 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. Published by Hospice Taranaki Inc PO Box 5122 Westown NEW PLYMOUTH 4343 A catalogue record for this book is available from the National Library of New Zealand ISBN 978-0-473-39962-7 Set in Times New Roman 11pt. Typeset by Graphix Explosion 3 CONTENTS Preface Introduction Acknowledgements SECTION 1 – HISTORY Chapter 1: Early vision Chapter 2: First hospice Chapter 3: Hospice pioneers Chapter 4: Battle to stand alone Chapter 5: Hospice people – the modern era Chapter 6: Te Rangimarie reborn Chapter 7: Growing pains SECTION 2 – HOSPICE TODAY Chapter 8: True to the Vision Chapter 9: Volunteer Army Chapter 10: Our HospiceShops Chapter 11: The future APPENDICES Appendix 1 – Team photos Appendix 2 – Office-holders Appendix 3 – Volunteers 4 Preface Mary Schumacher, Chief Executive, Hospice NZ For 25 years, Hospice Taranaki has been providing care and support to the people of Taranaki. I have been proud to be involved on many levels since the establishment of the trust in 1992, initially providing advice and support while CEO of Mary Potter Hospice and latterly in my role as CEO of Hospice NZ. Hospice Taranaki is a stand-out leader in the wider hospice whanau. I have always been impressed by the professionalism of the staff and trustees of the hospice, who go above and beyond to ensure the people of Taranaki get the best care possible at the end of their lives. Serving a large rural area has many challenges, requiring a flexible and responsive approach to care that ensures people are supported in the way that is right for them. Partnerships with other health care providers are essential. Growing up in Stratford showed me the strength of community that exists in Taranaki. This is evident today in the hundreds of people who donate, volunteer their time and continue to support the work of hospice. Personally, my family and I will always appreciate the support Hospice Taranaki provided for my mother and father. For my mother, this meant being cared for at home by family. During this time, we felt supported at all times by the Hospice Taranaki team and district nurses, who provided excellent palliative care for us all. For my father, the individualised care he was given meant he was able to be cared for at home, and then in his final days we were all supported by the team at Te Rangimarie inpatient facility. Both experiences were a very sad time for us – but the way in which we were supported and cared for demonstrated absolutely the values of hospice and the philosophy of care that underpins our organisation. Congratulations to all those past and present who have helped to govern, manage and shape Hospice Taranaki. You are an asset to the community as well as an important contributor to the national hospice picture. 1 Introduction Mike Brooke, Chair, Hospice Taranaki Inc The word “hospice” wasn’t one which I had a lot of familiarity with until Kevin Nielsen told me he was changing his occupation to take up the position of Hospice Taranaki Chief Executive Officer. A new building was to be constructed on David St, and Pukekura Lions Club of which I was a member took the project to heart and made a large donation. Kevin had spoken about it at one of our meetings, which was enough to convince me it was of significant benefit to our local community. I knew some of the people who were involved in the initiative and subsequently I became a member of the hospice board. Learning the history of the organisation and the passion of those who made it a reality was a turning point for me and I am sure that as you read this book you will appreciate the vision, drive and dedication that established this wonderful community asset. Since inception it has provided free palliative care when people are at their most vulnerable and continues to exceed expectations through its dedicated staff and its army of treasured volunteers. I know that I speak for all board and committee members when I say it is a privilege to be part of the continuing journey of Hospice Taranaki. Roger Malthus, Chair, Hospice Taranaki Foundation In the mid-1980s, I was asked to join a small community group called Friends of Taranaki Hospitals. I assumed I had been asked as I had been involved in fundraising for IHC and Egmont Lions. The word “hospice” was bandied round at this fledgling group by enthusiastic leaders, including chairman Jim Boyd, Dr Peter Van Praagh, Betty Wright and Michael Chong. They relayed the need for this community service from which other progressive provinces such as Hawkes Bay and Manawatu were benefiting. Subsequently, a hospice steering committee was formed, chaired by Peter van Praagh. Don Denham was persuaded to join and with Don driving we did a day trip via Palmerston North to Hastings and back to see what they had established. We were rapidly convinced our community also needed a hospice service. The initial steps were not without frustrations as we went through the dedicated-beds concept at Taranaki Base Hospital and Hawera Hospital, knowing we needed an integrated but stand-alone facility for Hospice Taranaki. I drifted across to other roles with Lions Clubs in the 1990s, but was subsequently approached in the late-2000 era by the then Hospice Trust chairman, Peter McDonald, to be again more closely involved. I was staggered at what had evolved from a fledgling group – it had become a well-structured, Taranaki-wide professional and volunteer-driven service involving hundreds of community- minded people. Hospice Taranaki had come of age with not only its own facilities in David St, New Plymouth, but also Hawera and Stratford. I’m sure this book will give many smiles as the stories from our proud 25 years are shared. I’m also sure it will inspire others to be involved as and when they are able, to support Hospice Taranaki services as the need for hospice support increases in our community. 2 Kevin Nielsen, Chief Executive, Hospice Taranaki (2002-2017) It has been my privilege to have the role as Chief Executive for 15 of the 25 years of the existence of what we now know as Hospice Taranaki. Reaching 25 years is a milestone of some note, and as you read this record of the “Hospice Taranaki story” you will see it has been an eventful journey. We owe a tremendous debt to those people who had the belief and the fortitude to follow their dream in the face of not inconsiderable resistance from different quarters. Desiree Frengley, Cecile Hadlow, Dr Peter van Praagh, Colin Muggeridge and others you will read about in this book, were not deterred and stayed true to their goal of establishing a stand-alone hospice service for the people of Taranaki. They could so easily have given it away and just accepted what the establishment was prepared to provide. However, they knew that more could be done by establishing a hospice service in its own right, out from under the wings of the hospital at that time. How right they were. From those very early beginnings with Iona House has grown an essential service to our province. We now have a well-supported and well-respected hospice service that provides quality palliative and end-of- life care for Taranaki people, their families and whanau. As you will read in this book, there were many trials and tribulations along the way to get where we are today. There are so many people who have contributed to this journey in so many ways that we could not possibly do justice to them all. Jim Tucker did extensive research from existing records and we have endeavoured to make the story as comprehensive and as inclusive as possible. The people who raised the funds over the 25 years that have made everything possible did a fantastic job. You will read about many of them in the book; some we may have missed, and we apologise in advance if we have. The transition from Iona House to the first Te Rangimarie in Taranaki Base Hospital and then to 5 David St has been a challenging but rewarding journey. The growth of our fabulous HospiceShops is an integral part of this story as the care and support our core services deliver would not be possible without those shops. The reputation of Hospice Taranaki is at a very high level.