Volunteers wanted to help at our Brook Street Depot with handling, sorting and storage of donated items and preparation for sale.We are also looking for Volunteers to help at our shops in Greerton and Fraser Cove.We urgently require Massage therapists to provide massage services to our patients and their families.  We would love to hear from you if you have a few hours to spare to be included in the rosterContact Elizabeth Tel 5526897 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . 

Waipuna Hospice volunteers are a very important part of our service and we would not be able to operate without them. Specially trained and supervised volunteers provide a wide range of supportive services to patients and families, both in the home, and at Waipuna Hospice.They are a special part of the Waipuna Hospice team and provide the helping link between the professional staff and patients and family members.

To make a serious commitment, in the spirit of partnership, to enhance the support and care given by the Hospice to patients and their families. Volunteers are deeply appreciated at Waipuna Hospice and in return we offer an opportunity for a person to truly make a difference.

What we look for in a volunteer

• Healthy motivation for wanting to work with Waipuna Hospice
• Genuine care for people, and ability to show warmth
• Non-judgmental attitude
• Respect for others beliefs, especially spiritual
• Ability to respect confidences
• Good communication skills
• Emotional maturity
• Willingness to learn and accept guidance
• Sense of humour
• Healthy attitude towards own mortality
• High self esteem
• Dependability
• Sensitivity and awareness
• Ability to work well in a team situation
• Flexibility

There are a wide range of opportunities to volunteer and many involve no direct patient contact.

Shop Assistants - our Hospice shops at Greerton and Fraser Cove sell used furniture, clothing and household items and play an important part in providing revenue to fund Waipuna Hospice. They are staffed almost entirely by volunteers.

Fundraising Support - volunteers give invaluable assistance to Hospice fund-raising initiatives by providing man power, making telephone calls, staffing appeal tables etc.

Gardeners - a team of keen gardeners meet regularly at the Hospice. They prune, weed and plant to ensure the maintenance of our beautiful grounds.

Car valets - Volunteers check and clean Hospice owned cars on a weekly basis to ensure safe and reliable transport for the nurses visiting patients in the community.

Help with Patients' Meals at Waipuna Hospice - Volunteers assist seven days a week with the serving of meals, prepared by our cook, to patients in our Inpatient Unit. Shifts run from 5pm (or soon after) in the evenings and from 10.30am onwards at lunchtimes. Some volunteers commit to regular slots while others prefer to be on standby, providing assistance if and when they are needed. The lunchtime volunteers also help to keep our patient and family lounges tidy.
There are a wide range of opportunities to volunteer and many of these involve no direct patient contact.

Community Visitors - these volunteers visit patients and their families in their homes. It may mean sitting with a patient to relieve the caregiver, making a cup of tea, doing the shopping, driving the patient to appointments or simply providing companionship. No nursing care or housework is undertaken.

Biographers - Trained volunteers assist patients' record their life stories. The volunteers then transcribe the recordings and organize a printed biography as a keepsake for the patient and their family.

Massage Therapists - Skilled and experienced massage therapists work on a rostered basis providing massage to patients and their families at the Hospice.

Reception/Administrative Support - these computer literate volunteers provide assistance to our receptionist by dealing with queries, answering the telephone and helping with administrative tasks.

Drivers - volunteer drivers assist with transportation of patients to doctors' appointments, the weekly Hospice Day Programme, supermarket shopping etc.

Other roles - Laundry delivery, handyman services, window cleaners, aviary maintenance, on call hostesses.

 Various levels of training are given depending on the role a volunteer is interested in taking on:

1. The initial two hour orientation training qualifies volunteers to work within the hospice environment. This work could include administrative support, serving meals in the Inpatient unit, helping with gardening, car-cleaning or working in one of the hospice shops.
2. Volunteers wishing to work independently with patients in their homes are required to undergo further training. This is usually run over three mornings or evenings and includes topics such as self-awareness; loss, grief and bereavement; cultural awareness; family dynamics; listening and communication skills.
3. Additional training is required for volunteers wishing to work as Biographers.

Please contact Elizabeth Nasey the Volunteer Coordinator with any enquiries or to receive an application form, email:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or phone 07 552 6897 with any enquiries or to receive an application form. Or you can download an application form clicking here