Tips

 Keep your letter very short – about 100 words. Look out for the guidelines that most newspapers have (online or in the paper itself) for writing Letters to the Editor.

Make your most important point in the very first sentence. For example;

Hospice is an essential health service that has been under-recognised and under-valued by successive governments and now faces an uncertain future through lack of funding.

Use the next two or three paragraphs to say what are the challenges faced by hospice sector and why the Government needs to act now.  For example:

Currently, many people miss out on hospice care due to factors largely beyond their control; their diagnosis, ethnicity, age and where they live. In addition, our society is ageing, and it is predicted the number of people needing palliative care will increase by over 50% in just the next 20 years.

Our Government needs to act now and commit to investing in a fairer, sustainable funding model for hospice that underpins communities’ right to equitable and accessible palliative care across Aotearoa New Zealand.

Include some strong facts, which you can find here.

Include a personal touch – what is your experience?

Avoid jargon, acronyms, and get someone else to read it before sending.

Consider writing a longer piece, e.g. a blog or opinion piece (around 800 words – find some tips here)