Fund us Fairly
Our government needs to do more to support and invest in hospice and palliative care.
Dying is a natural part of life and every person has the right to die well. As such, hospice is an essential health service, but one that has been under-recognised and under-valued by successive governments.
A landmark report released in March 2025 has found that local hospices are providing taxpayers at least $1.59 in health benefits for every dollar of government funding.
Read more about the Sustainable Funding for Hospice Services Report and its findings and why the government must act now.
For New Zealanders, all hospice care is provided free of charge. Last year, it cost $226 million to run the country’s hospice services, but the government only provided $114 million. Hospices raised $112 million from community donations, fundraising, and other sources just to keep going.
Relying on community and op-shop fundraising is not sustainable. And it’s not fair on communities struggling with cost-of-living pressures.
Our society is ageing. The number of New Zealanders needing hospice care is rising annually and, by 2045, the need will have doubled. Under the current system, hospices will be unable to meet this demand because they are already struggling to stay afloat.
Hospices are facing significant deficits this year, some in the millions of dollars, and these are expected to increase next year. As a result, hospices are either already making, or considering, service cuts to remain financially viable.
The Report also found that
- Hospice care saves the health system $110m per year in reduced ED visits and hospital admissions
- Hospice care helps bereaved whānau cope better and return to work and school sooner
"Immediate government investment is needed to stabilise the sector, maximise these system wide benefits and keep hospice care available and free of charge to those who need it," says Wayne Naylor, CE Hospice NZ
Right now, the survival of hospices is not guaranteed if nothing is done by Government and its health agencies. If hospices can no longer operate, it would place considerable pressure on already overburdened hospitals and primary care.
Address workforce issues
Workforce issues for the hospice sector are at crisis point. Nurses along with Allied Health and family support staff in hospices are still being paid considerably less than equally qualified and experienced staff in Te Whatu Ora services – despite efforts last year to address pay parity. And now the Government has changed the standards by which pay equity claims can be made and all current claims - including the hospice nurses one - have to reapplied for under the new rules.
If nothing is done to address workforce issues there is significant risk of further staff loss and as a result, reducing hospice services, which will ultimately result in more patients needing care from other health services, including our GPs and emergency departments.
Our Government must act now.
What we need
- Immediate government investment and a national funding framework are required to ensure long-term sustainability of hospices and maintain the current service levels
- The Government honours its pledge to ensure pay parity for the critical primary and community ‘cradle to grave’ health care sector, with steps and timeframes outlined on how this will be addressed.
- A clear strategy to address workforce shortages including immigration, undergraduate and post-graduate training and specialist medical training.