Why your help matters
We are a community charity and want to keep our services free of charge.
We are only partially funded by the government through Te Whatu Ora. The amount we’re funded is only about half of what we need each year.
It currently costs about $2 million per year to provide the specialist palliative care services for local people living with a life-limiting condition or terminal illness in our communities. As a result, we need to raise approximately $50,000 every week, just over $7,000 every day!
We manage this by fundraising, event contributions, donations and bequests. We also apply for grants we are eligible for and receive the proceeds from the North Haven shops in Whangārei and Waipu.
Every dollar we raise in our community, stays in our community.
Volunteering with North Haven.
North Haven Hospice was established by volunteers over 35 years ago and has been supported by volunteers ever since. We simply could not provide North Haven care to people, their families and whānau without our volunteers.
What can I do?
You’d be surprised at the range of things our volunteers do and can offer to support North Haven! We have some regular volunteer tasks and roles you may be interested in, and you can find more detail by clicking on the options below.
Some provide direct support to people in our care and their families and whānau. Some work at the North Haven Hospice shop either processing incoming donations of goods or on the shop floor and counters. Some work at our Tikipunga In-Patient Unit (IPU) and others are out in the community. Whatever you think might suit you, full training is provided with ongoing support and development.
If you have skills or experience in something that isn’t shown below, let us know anyway – we may have a project going on you could help with.
Opportunities to volunteer can be during the day, the evening, on weekdays and on weekends – it just depends on what is likely to work for you.
North Haven truly appreciates any time you can contribute on a regular basis or for a specific event and knows this will need to fit in with your personal life and other commitments.
To register your interest or find out more, please contact our Volunteering Services team on 09 437 3355 (weekdays) or volunteer@northhavenhospice.org.nz
Volunteering FAQ’s.
What training will I need to do?
It depends on the role you are interested in. All training (including resources) will be provided by our volunteer leaders and Volunteer Services Coordinator, Toni Wilkinson.
What is the time commitment?
Once you have completed the required training, the time commitment is what you are able and prepared to give. We appreciate your contribution and will fit around you where we can.
What if I can only volunteer after work or at the weekend?
We have some flexibility depending on the volunteer role.
Our In-Patient Unit (IPU) runs 365 days of the year and shifts here are from 8:00 am to midday, midday to 4:00 pm and 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm. We can be flexible with start times if you coming to help after work or study. If everything the volunteer is required to do has been completed and the IPU is quiet, the volunteer usually goes home early.
Community Support, Life Reflections biographies, and Nurturing Touch therapeutic massage can be provided during the weekend and depends on volunteer availability.
Do you provide work references?
Yes, we can provide a work reference after a minimum of three months volunteering on a regular basis to show consistent and reliable support.
Will volunteering affect my benefit?
No, not necessarily. Volunteering is a great way to learn new skills while helping your community. It can keep you connected socially and possibly assist you in finding paid employment. For example, 95% of our health care assistants have come from our volunteer workforce and 5% of nurses started out as volunteers. People from all walks of life have used volunteering as a step to finding their first or a new job.
What if I have a disability?
Many people with disabilities volunteer. We simply ask if you can carry out the work required for the role. Some of our existing volunteers have visual or hearing impairments, mental health challenges, and intellectual disabilities.
What if I have a police record?
It may not be an issue. We look at all applications on a person by person basis. NZ Police vetting needs to be done for every prospective patient support volunteer and for every prospective Hospice Shop volunteer.
What if I am on a visa?
There is a myth that volunteering can affect visa and refugee applications. We have investigated and been advised that volunteering does not affect application status.
Community patient support
Support for patients at their homes and for their families/whānau.
You’ll phone or visit lonely or socially isolated patients, even taking them on short outings such as for coffee, shopping or to a small event. You can offer welcomed respite support by staying with a patient so their families/whānau can sleep or go out and have time away from caring duties. You may also be able to drive patients to and from appointments with their GP, specialists or other social support services. You can also help out with general household activities such as hanging out or bringing in the laundry or preparing and serving light meals.
If you’re looking for a volunteering role that really does offer practical support and makes a positive difference in someone’s life, community patient support is it.
To register your interest or just make enquiry, please contact our Volunteering Services team on 09 437 3355 (weekdays) or volunteer@northhavenhospice.org.nz
In-Patient Unit support
Help look after patients and their families/whānau in our in-patient unit (IPU) at Tikipunga, Whangārei. We have four-hour shifts available seven days a week, and you’ll be part of our care team enriching the experience our IPU guests have.
While duties such as delivering pre-prepared meals to patients in their rooms may be one core task, simply being available to chat with or even just sit and be with a patient who appreciates you being with them is a real privilege.
While most patients receive our care entirely in their homes, our IPU is available for those who need a closer level of monitoring or their symptoms cannot be managed at home, otherwise if their family/whānau/carers need respite. Most patient stays are for between five and seven days, until they are ready to return home.
To register your interest or just make an enquiry, contact Volunteering Services on 09 437 3355 (weekdays) or volunteer@northhavenhospice.org.nz
Reception
Help our full-time receptionist to greet visitors to our IPU and answer phones. You can even lend your hand to various administration tasks that keep Hospice services running smoothly.
Our friendly reception volunteers do four-hour shifts on weekday mornings or afternoons.
To register your interest or just make an enquiry, contact Volunteering Services on 09 437 3355 (weekdays) or volunteer@northhavenhospice.org.nz
Therapeutic Massage
For people with a terminal illness or life-limiting condition, complementary therapies such as our Nurturing Touch therapeutic massage can provide patients with comfort and relaxation, as well as other positive benefits such as enhancing physical and emotional wellbeing.
Massage is provided to a patient’s hands and feet, and with further training to their neck, legs and back.
Our Nurturing Touch volunteers work in patients’ homes and in our IPU at our premises in Tikipunga, Whangārei.
To register your interest or just make an enquiry, contact Volunteering Services on 09 437 3355 (weekdays) or volunteer@northhavenhospice.org.nz
Life Reflections patient biographies
This service will see you make visits to a patient and record their unique voice to produce short and/or long version biographies, a eulogy, cards and/or letters to family/whānau and friends.
The patient may want to share significant memories to pass on to loved ones. Sometimes a dying parent wants to leave letters marking significant future events in their children’s lives.
The final biography is a written transcript of recorded interviews and may include scanned photos or documents. It may be a few pages or a few dozen pages if the person has time to review their life fully.
This process can be therapeutic for the dying person and produce a treasured keepsake for their family/whānau and friends.
As a volunteer biographer, spending time with the patient recording their life, you will have a unique privilege and profound experience to spend time with a dying person, providing you with personal enrichment and life perspective.
To register your interest or just make an enquiry, contact Volunteering Services on 09 437 3355 (weekdays) or volunteer@northhavenhospice.org.nz
Hospice Shop volunteering
Enjoy social interaction in a retail environment, knowing you are contributing to North Haven Hospice’s essential fundraising efforts. We have two Hospice Shops; a large one in Whangarei and a small one in Waipu. Both offer opportunities to work in their showrooms, where you’ll gain valuable experience, retail knowledge and customer service skills.
Or, if you prefer to be behind the scenes, at our Whangarei shop you can help sort, price and merchandise donated goods ready for sale in the showroom.
Either way, you’ll enjoy being part of friendly team making a positive difference.
To register your interest or just make an enquiry, contact Volunteering Services on 09 437 3355 (weekdays) or volunteer@northhavenhospice.org.nz
Hospice Shop truck loaders/assistants
Enjoy being out and about with our truck drivers, visiting people’s homes to collect donated goods or deliver larger purchased items. You’ll need to be reasonably physically fit as this role involves lifting and carrying items, including furniture.
When you’re not out in the truck, you’ll help in our Whangarei shop’s Drop-Off Zone, greeting and serving people delivering donated goods.
To register your interest or just make an enquiry, contact Volunteering Services on 09 437 3355 (weekdays) or volunteer@northhavenhospice.org.nz
Home-based volunteering
Volunteer and do good, feel good, supporting North Haven Hospice from the comfort of your own home. For example, you could use your green thumb to pot-up seedlings, use your sewing/knitting/crocheting talents to create something or upcycle it for sale to help our fundraising, use your DIY skills to repair and improve an item to be sold in our shops, or even offer graphic design or social media to help promote North Haven Hospice services.
Whatever your skills, we’d love for you to offer them to help us support patients and their families/whanau.
To register your interest or just make an enquiry, contact Volunteering Services on 09 437 3355 (weekdays) or volunteer@northhavenhospice.org.nz
Gardening
Help tend to the beautiful gardens so that they can be enjoyed by patients, their families/whanau and other visitors to our Tikipunga premises.
Our friendly team of gardening volunteers meet monthly on a Wednesday for a couple of hours of light gardening, followed by morning tea. Some volunteers also help with light gardening at patients’ homes.
To register your interest or just make an enquiry, contact Volunteering Services on 09 437 3355 (weekdays) or volunteer@northhavenhospice.org.nz
Floral artistry
Create floral displays for our Tikipunga premises where they’ll be admired by patients, their families/whanau and other visitors. Our team of floral artists welcome new volunteers interested to join the fortnightly roster.
To register your interest or just make an enquiry, contact Volunteering Services on 09 437 3355 (weekdays) or volunteer@northhavenhospice.org.nz
Memory Trees volunteers
Support our annual Memory Trees event at Christmas by sitting with one of the trees at a public location for a two-hour shift (or more than one) over the two week campaign.
Members of the public are welcome to choose a Memory Tree star or heart card, on which to write a message in remembrance of someone special, and then place it on the tree. Donations are optional. After the campaign, all the cards are cremated (by event sponsor Morris & Morris Funerals) and, during a ceremony in the new year, are blessed and scattered over the gardens at North Haven Hospice’s premises in Tikipunga.
To register your interest or just make an enquiry, contact Volunteering Services on 09 437 3355 (weekdays) or volunteer@northhavenhospice.org.nz