Hospice Care in New Zealand: What It Is and How to Access It
Hospice care is one of the most misunderstood parts of New Zealand's health system. Most people associate it with death — with a place you go at the very end. In reality, hospice services are available much earlier, cover far more than end-of-life care, and are almost entirely free.
This guide explains what hospice care actually involves in New Zealand, who can access it, how to get a referral, and what families can expect from the experience.
What Is Hospice Care?
Hospice care is a specialist service for people with a life-limiting illness — one that is unlikely to be cured and is expected to shorten a person's life. The focus is on comfort, dignity, and quality of life rather than curing the underlying condition.
In New Zealand, hospice care is provided by a network of hospice organisations — mostly independent, not-for-profit bodies that receive government funding. There are around 35 hospice providers across the country, covering all major population centres and many rural areas.
Crucially, hospice is not just about the final days or weeks of life. Many people access hospice services for months or even years before they die, and some are discharged from hospice care if their condition stabilises or improves.
What Hospice Care Includes
The range of support available through hospice services is broader than most people realise:
Medical and nursing care
Specialist palliative care doctors and nurses who focus on managing pain, symptoms, and discomfort. Palliative care medicine is a recognised specialty in New Zealand, and hospice teams include doctors with advanced training in this area. The goal is to keep the person as comfortable and functional as possible.
Emotional and psychological support
Counsellors and social workers who support both the person who is ill and their family. Serious illness affects everyone in a household — hospice teams understand this and provide support for partners, children, and other family members as well as the patient.
Spiritual and cultural care
Hospice services in New Zealand take cultural and spiritual needs seriously. Most hospices have chaplaincy or spiritual care services, and many have specific provisions for Māori patients and whānau, including kaupapa Māori support workers and space for tikanga practices.
Practical support
Help with the practical realities of serious illness — equipment loans, home modifications, help navigating the health and social services system, and coordination between different health providers.
Volunteer services
Many hospices have trained volunteers who provide companionship, practical help, and respite for family carers. This can include sitting with a person while their family takes a break, helping with transport, or simply being a friendly presence.
Bereavement support
Hospice support doesn't end at death. Most hospice organisations provide bereavement support for families after their loved one has died — this may be individual counselling, group support, or regular contact for a period following the death.
Where Hospice Care Is Provided
Hospice care is not necessarily provided in a hospice building. In New Zealand, the majority of hospice care is delivered in the home.
In the home
Community hospice nurses visit patients at home — sometimes daily during more acute phases. This allows people to remain in their own environment, which is where most New Zealanders say they would prefer to be. Home-based hospice care also supports family members who are providing care, giving them access to specialist advice and practical help.
In a hospice facility
Inpatient hospice facilities offer short-term stays for people who need more intensive symptom management, or who need a period of respite care to give family carers a break. Some people also choose to spend their final days in a hospice facility rather than at home or in hospital.
In a rest home or hospital
Hospice teams also work alongside rest homes and hospitals, providing specialist palliative care advice to staff and visiting patients who are in residential care. You don't have to be at home to receive hospice support.
Who Can Access Hospice Care?
Hospice care is available to anyone with a life-limiting illness, regardless of age. While many people who receive hospice care are older, hospice services also support younger adults and children with life-limiting conditions.
Common conditions that may lead to hospice referral include:
Cancer — the most common reason for hospice referral in New Zealand
Advanced heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Motor neurone disease (MND) and other neurological conditions
Advanced dementia
Kidney or liver failure
Any other condition where cure is not possible and the focus has shifted to comfort
You do not have to be in the final weeks of life to access hospice care. The earlier a referral is made, the more time there is to build a relationship with the hospice team, put plans in place, and provide support to the whole family.
How to Access Hospice Care in NZ
The most common pathway to hospice care is a referral from a GP or hospital specialist. If you or a family member has a life-limiting condition and you think hospice support might be helpful, the first step is to raise it with the treating doctor.
Many GPs and specialists don't raise hospice proactively — partly because of the mistaken assumption that it's only for the very end of life, and partly because it can feel like giving up. Don't wait for the suggestion to come from the clinical team. You can ask directly:
'Would hospice support be appropriate at this stage?'
'Can you refer us to the palliative care team?'
'We'd like to find out what hospice services are available — can you help with a referral?'
You can also contact your local hospice directly. Most hospices accept self-referrals, and many have a phone line specifically for enquiries from patients and families. They can advise whether their services are appropriate and, if so, coordinate with the treating medical team.
Is Hospice Care Free?
Yes — hospice care in New Zealand is free to patients and their families. Hospice organisations receive government funding through Te Whatu Ora (Health New Zealand) and are provided at no cost to the people who use them.
This includes home visits, inpatient stays, counselling, and most equipment and practical support. There may be a small cost for some items depending on the individual hospice and the person's circumstances, but the core services are funded.
The free nature of hospice care is one of the things New Zealanders are least aware of. Many families delay seeking a referral because they assume it will be expensive. It isn't.
Hospice Care and the Family
Serious illness is a family experience, not just an individual one. Partners, adult children, and other close family members are often deeply affected — physically exhausted from caring, emotionally overwhelmed, and uncertain about what comes next.
Hospice teams work with the whole family, not just the patient. This includes:
Explaining what is happening medically, in plain language, to family members
Helping families understand what to expect as the illness progresses
Providing counselling and emotional support to family members
Offering respite — planned breaks from caring, either through hospice volunteers or short inpatient stays
Helping families prepare for death, including conversations about what the person wants and how the family wants to be together at the end
Supporting children in the family who may be struggling to understand what is happening
Hospice Care and Advance Care Planning
Hospice services are closely connected to advance care planning — the process of documenting a person's wishes for future care. Hospice teams are skilled at facilitating these conversations and can help a person complete an advance care plan, discuss their wishes around resuscitation, and think through where they would like to spend their final days.
If advance care planning hasn't happened yet, a hospice referral is often the prompt that makes it happen. The conversations feel less abstract when a person is living with serious illness, and the hospice team can provide the right support to navigate them.
See our guide to Advanced Care Planning for more on this process.
Finding Hospice Services Near You
Hospice New Zealand (hospice.org.nz) is the national body representing hospice providers across the country. Their website includes a directory of all member hospices, searchable by region.
Your local hospice will be the right starting point for understanding what's available in your area — services vary between regions, with some larger hospices offering a wider range of programmes and facilities than smaller regional providers.
What Hospice Cannot Do
It's worth being clear about the limits of hospice care:
Hospice is not a substitute for medical treatment — it works alongside the treating medical team, not instead of it
Hospice cannot guarantee a person will die at home — sometimes medical needs or family circumstances make this impossible
Hospice inpatient facilities are not rest homes — stays are generally short-term, focused on symptom management or respite
Hospice care under the End of Life Choice Act is a separate process — hospice organisations have varying policies on assisted dying, and some conscientiously object. If this is important to you, ask directly when making contact