National Volunteer Week – A Heartfelt Thank You

This National Volunteer Week, we want to shine a light on the incredible people who form the heart of Lake Taupō Hospice — our volunteers.

From the moment you walk into one of our Hospice shops, stroll through our gardens or attend an event, chances are a volunteer is behind the scenes helping to it all happen. Whether they’re sorting donations, baking for patients, helping with patient activities, writing patient biographies, delivering equipement, fundraising, or offering their professional skills — our volunteers are everywhere, and they are essential.

At last count, we had an amazing 302 volunteers on our database. In May alone, they contributed over 3,200 hours of their time. If we were to pay even minimum wage for that mahi, it would have cost Lake Taupō Hospice nearly $76,000 — the equivalent of 20 full-time staff members. That’s an extraordinary gift, and one that we never take for granted.

Our CEO, Christine Rankin, recorded a special thank-you video this week to express her gratitude. It was a small but meaningful way to acknowledge just how much you all contribute — and we hope it reminded you how valued you truly are.

Volunteering at Lake Taupō Hospice comes in many forms — from retail to gardening, patient support to governance, fundraising to storytelling. In fact, even our Board of Trustees is made up entirely of dedicated volunteers who give their time, experience, and leadership to help govern our organisation.

To every one of our volunteers, past and present: thank you. You help us deliver our mission of free, specialist palliative care to people with life-limiting conditions across the Taupō and Tūrangi region. Your generosity, compassion, and commitment are what make Hospice more than a service — you make it a community.

Ngā mihi nui,
The Lake Taupō Hospice Team 💙