A Short History

During 1982-1983 the Franklin branch of the N.Z. Nurses Association became concerned with the distances terminally ill patients had to travel for treatment and the stress this put on them and their families. Similarly, the fact that if they were admitted to Greenlane or Auckland hospitals, it made it difficult for families and friends to visit. A public meeting was held and a Steering Committee was elected to help bring the idea of starting a local hospice into being.

The main focus was to provide support for families in the community, giving patients a better quality of life and the choice to remain in their own homes as far as possible. In 1986 the Franklin Hospice was registered as a Trust with a Board of Trustees being ultimately responsible for the Trust, and a Management Committee which was authorised to handle the day to day running of Hospice services throughout the Franklin District.

As Hospice grew, it required more and more staff, and more funding. In June 2008 Franklin Hospice opened a retail shop at 27 King Street. This shop received donated items and sold them to the public. Shortly after opening the shop, it soon became clear that there was an urgent need for storage space to hold stock that can be sold at a later date. The Franklin Woman’s Club came to the rescue and allowed hospice the free use of the basement of their premises at 29 Hall Street. This began a close association between the two organisations.

In August 2010, Franklin Hospice appointed its first grief and loss counsellor. In 2012 the Franklin Womens' Club gifted their building at 29 Hall Street to Franklin Hospice Development Trust and during 2013 the interior of 29 Hall Street was transformed to allow Franklin Hospice to move its base to 29 Hall Street. This move took place on the 20th of February 2014. The Prime Minister of New Zealand Rt Hon John Key officially opened the new facility on the 26 June 2014.

On the 4th of February 2015 the Franklin Hospice nursing team began a 24/7 telephone service. This meant that patients could contact a duty nurse at any time by telephone. More recently a contract has been awarded so that Franklin Hospice can provide weekend nurse home visits. This has proved to be very valuable to patients.

The majority of the work done by Hospice continues to be made possible by the wonderful support and donations received from individuals in the community and community groups. The Government, through Te Whatu Ora Counties Manukau provides a funding contract for certain specific services.