Totara Hospice

What Totara Hospice does

Tōtara Hospice is a registered charitable trust (Charities Act 2005, CC21683) founded in 1982 that provides free specialist palliative care to adults with life-limiting illnesses in South and South-East Auckland, one of New Zealand's most ethnically diverse catchments. Service delivery is hybrid: a 12-bed inpatient unit at the Manurewa headquarters (Tōtara Hub), community/home-based care covering roughly 84% of the patient caseload, and a 24-hour advisory phone line. A multidisciplinary clinical team — palliative medicine specialists, nurses, physiotherapists, social workers, cultural liaisons, and bereavement counsellors — delivers pain and symptom management plus whānau support, and the organization is authorized under the End of Life Choice Act 2019 to provide integrated voluntary assisted dying services.

The business model is a mix of contracted government funding (Health NZ contributes NZ$8.89M annually, covering roughly 56% of clinical service costs) and community-sourced revenue. The funding gap is closed through individual donations, recurring fundraising events (Long Lunch Gala, Walk2Remember, Auckland Marathon team, Christmas Night Markets), six retail charity shops including The 2nd Edition and the Tōtara Megastore, the on-site Aroha Eatery café, the Art with Impact community art space, and fee-for-service professional training delivered via the OLLI online learning platform and the Syringe Driver Competency Programme. Tōtara also co-developed the Mauri Mate Māori Palliative Care Framework with Mary Potter Hospice and Te ORA, positioning it as a national reference point for culturally appropriate palliative care.

The organization is currently under acute financial stress: clinical wages alone exceed NZ$12M annually, a $1.3M pandemic-era deficit was carried in 2022, and in 2025 Tōtara reduced headcount by nearly 20% and cut its monthly patient cap from 420–480 down to roughly 320–330. A separate fire destroyed the Takanini retail and distribution centre, removing a material revenue and logistics asset. Despite these pressures, the hospice continues to operate and was named Employer of the Year at the 2025 2degrees Auckland Business Awards.

Name

Totara Hospice

Legal name

Tōtara Hospice

Website

https://hospice.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Tōtara Hospice is a registered New Zealand charitable trust, founded in 1982, that provides free specialist palliative care — inpatient, community-based, and 24-hour advisory — to adults with life-limiting illnesses across South and South-East Auckland, funded by Health NZ contracts and diversified community fundraising, retail, and training revenue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospice and Palliative Care Services

NAICS

Home Health Care Services (62161), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Home Health Care Services (8082), Services-Skilled Nursing Care Facilities (8051)

akta.pro primary industry

Home Hospice (Routine Home Care) (HLADAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Inpatient Hospice (General Inpatient Care) (HLADAHAB), Routine In-Home Hospice Care (HSABAFAA), Bereavement, Grief & Family Support Services (Hospice-Linked) (HLAFAEAO)

Keywords

• Specialist palliative care
• Hospice inpatient services
• Community palliative nursing
• Bereavement support services
• Palliative care education

Headquarters

HQ city

Pukekohe East

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Tōtara Hospice receives partial government funding from Health NZ. According to RNZ reporting, the hospice receives $8.89 million from government, though this reportedly does not fully cover clinical wages alone ($12 million+).
2. Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations from community members, fundraising events (Long Lunch Gala, Christmas Night Markets, Auckland Marathon team, Gibbs Farm tours, Walk2Remember), and community appeals such as the May Street Appeal.
3. Retail Operations (Hospice Shops): Revenue from charity retail shops including The 2nd Edition (Manurewa, Pakuranga, The Gardens), Takanini Hospice Shop & Distribution Centre, Tōtara Hospice Megastore (Pakuranga), and Howick Hospice Shop. Sells pre-loved clothing, accessories, homeware, furniture, antiques.
4. Art Sales (Art with Impact): Community Art Space showcasing and selling artworks by local artists. Proceeds from artwork sales support Tōtara Hospice. Features works by artists like Julian Hindson and Lauren Mackenzie, with prices ranging from $460 to $5,800.
5. Aroha Eatery Café Revenue: On-site eatery open Monday-Friday 8am-3pm, providing breakfast, brunch, lunch, and catering services. Also offers bookable meeting rooms. Revenue supports hospice operations.
6. Training and Education Services: Professional development programmes including Syringe Driver Competency Programme and Fundamentals of Palliative Care offered to health professionals for a fee.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Tōtara Hospice is a registered charitable organisation that provides free, holistic specialist palliative care to adults with life-limiting illnesses in South and South-East Auckland. Its core offering includes inpatient care in a 12-bed unit, community/home-based nursing visits, a 24-hour advisory phone line, whānau support and bereavement counselling, integrated voluntary assisted dying services, and professional palliative care education through the OLLI online platform and syringe driver training programmes.

Product overview

Tōtara Hospice is a registered charitable organisation providing free, holistic specialist palliative care services to South and South-East Auckland. The organisation operates as a single unified service offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture, encompassing core clinical services (inpatient care, community-based care, 24-hour advisory line), retail operations (Hospice Shops, Aroha Eatery), educational offerings (OLLI learning platform, Syringe Driver Competency Programme), community programs (Art with Impact, Te Puna Ora o Tōtara groups), and various fundraising events. The OLLI platform represents the organisation's digital education product, while retail and events operations fund the gap between government funding and actual service costs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Specialist Palliative Care Services Free, holistic specialist palliative care provided to adults with life-limiting illnesses in South and South-East Auckland, including inpatient care, community-based care, 24-hour advisory phone line, and whānau support.
• Hospice Shops (The 2nd Edition and sister stores) Retail charity shops selling pre-loved clothing, accessories, homeware, furniture, and antiques, with proceeds funding hospice care services. Locations include The 2nd Edition (Manurewa, Pakuranga), Tōtara Hospice Megastore, Howick Hospice Shop, and The Gardens Shop.
• Aroha Eatery On-site café open Monday-Friday offering breakfast, brunch, lunch, catering, and bookable meeting rooms, with proceeds supporting hospice care.
• Art with Impact Community Art Space showcasing local artists' work that brings comfort and creativity to patients and whānau while supporting the creative community through artwork sales.
• OLLI (Organisational Linked Learning Interface) Online learning platform that advances specialist palliative care education for health professionals, offering courses that integrate evidence-based research with practical insights and interactive content.
• Syringe Driver Competency Programme Blended learning training programme for Registered and Enrolled Nurses covering syringe driver usage in palliative care, combining online and face-to-face workshop components.
• Assisted Dying Service Integrated voluntary assisted dying service delivered under the End of Life Choice Act 2019, providing patients with an additional end-of-life care option.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced hospital admissions and Emergency Department visits, saving the public health system $110 million annually across the hospice sector
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• Davis FuneralscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 12 August 2025Davis Funerals is a principal sponsor of the Long Lunch Gala (since 2012) and has deepened their partnership to fund the Talanoa group programme, increase volunteer engagement, and share knowledge through outreach activities. They are a key corporate partner providing ongoing financial and promotional support.
• Hospice New ZealandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTōtara Hospice is a member of Hospice New Zealand, the national body representing hospice services. Collaborates on sector-wide initiatives including funding advocacy and the Sustainable Funding report.
• Te ORA (Te Ohu Rata o Aotearoa - The Māori Medical Practitioners Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated to develop Mauri Mate: A Māori Palliative Care Framework for Hospices of Aotearoa. The framework was created by Māori, for Māori, focused on quality, equity, and compassion to improve whānau manaaki.
• Mary Potter Hospice (Wellington)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Tōtara Hospice and Te ORA to develop the Mauri Mate Māori Palliative Care Framework, the first such framework for Aotearoa New Zealand.
• End-of-Life Choice Society NZminorOthersTōtara Hospice is a proud member of the End-of-Life Choice Society NZ, supporting the rights of terminally ill people to choose their own pathway. The hospice provides integrated voluntary assisted dying services under the End of Life Choice Act 2019.
• Waikato Hospice, Otago Hospice, Harbour Hospice, Nelson Tasman HospicemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-commissioned the Martin Jenkins Sustainable Funding report along with Tōtara Hospice and Hospice NZ. Working together on advocacy for sustainable government funding for the hospice sector.
• New World Papakura, PAK'nSAVE Papakura, PAK'nSAVE Highland Park, New World Botany, Ormiston Town Centre, Westfield ManukauminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal supermarkets and retail centres that supported and hosted the May Street Appeal for Hospice Awareness Week 2025, raising $7,461.59.
• 2degrees (Auckland Business Awards Sponsor)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the Auckland Business Awards where Tōtara Hospice won Employer of the Year. Provides platform for business recognition and community engagement.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Otago Community Hospice: Otago-based hospice providing specialist palliative care, inpatient unit, and community services. Direct peer: another co-commissioner of the Martin Jenkins funding report, similar nonprofit model and fundraising dependency.
• Nelson Tasman Hospice: Top-of-the-South-Island hospice offering free specialist palliative care. Direct peer: co-commissioner of the Martin Jenkins report, similar charitable trust structure and reliance on community fundraising.
• Mary Potter Hospice: Wellington-based hospice providing free specialist palliative care, including inpatient and community services. Direct peer: co-developer of the Mauri Mate framework with Tōtara, similar charitable trust structure, similar government-funding-plus-community-fundraising model.
• Hospice Waikato: Waikato-region hospice and co-commissioner of the Martin Jenkins funding report. Direct peer: free specialist palliative care, inpatient unit, community care, charity retail, Syringe Driver training through PalEd platform that Tōtara uses for its blended learning programme.
• Mercy Hospice Auckland: Another Auckland-based specialist palliative care provider offering free hospice services. Directly comparable: nonprofit model, inpatient unit, community-based care, and community fundraising; operates in overlapping/partially different Auckland catchment.
• Harbour Hospice: North Auckland hospice providing community-based palliative care, inpatient services, and retail operations. Direct peer: charitable trust, similar service mix, also co-commissioner of the Martin Jenkins funding report.
• Te Omanga Hospice: Lower Hutt-based hospice providing free specialist palliative care and community services. Direct peer: comparable charitable hospice model in NZ, similar clinical services and community fundraising approach.
• Dove Hospice: Auckland-based hospice (Warkworth) providing specialist palliative care and community-based services. Direct peer: comparable nonprofit hospice model operating charity retail stores to fund clinical services.

Others

• Hospice New Zealand: National umbrella body for NZ hospices, of which Tōtara is a member. Not a direct operator but a sector partner: leads advocacy, including the Martin Jenkins funding report, that determines Tōtara's funding environment.
• Te Whatu Ora (Health New Zealand): Government funder providing ~$8.89M annually to Tōtara. Comparable as the financial partner underpinning hospice economics; not a peer in the competitive sense but the single most consequential counterparty shaping Tōtara's sustainability.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/totarahospice
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/totara-hospice
• Instagraminstagram.com/totara_hospice

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Totara Hospice