Patients and families facing terminal illness will continue to benefit from palliative support services in the Western Bay of Plenty region, following a generous donation of more than $600,000.

The Trust of Josephine Parish, managed by Perpetual Guardian and established in accordance with Mrs Parish's Will, has donated more than $600,000 to the Waipuna Hospice in Tauranga.

Josephine passed away in 2003 and was grateful for the help and support of the hospice at the end of her husband's life – so much so that she changed her will to make Waipuna Hospice the final beneficiary.

Josephine and her husband immigrated to New Zealand from England, where she taught in Auckland for a number of years before the couple retired to Omokoroa. They had no children and when Mr Parish became ill, Waipuna Hospice helped her look after him in their home until his death.

When Josephine updated her will she was aware that Waipuna Hospice was a fledging charitable organisation and accordingly her will dictated the funds would be held in a Trust for 15 years.

The income earned during that time of nearly $400,000 was paid to Waipuna Hospice on an annual basis.

The period of 15 years has now expired and a final distribution of the Trust assets of more than $600,000 has been donated in full to Waipuna Hospice.

The Waipuna Hospice services are predominantly community-based, with round-the-clock care provided by specialist palliative care nurses and medical staff for people from Waihi Beach to Paengaroa.

The services allow patients to remain in their own home among family, friends and neighbours.

The dedicated nursing team is supported by a palliative specialist, with nurses' rounds taking them on home visits to assess wellbeing, check on medication, address patient or caregiver concerns, and review the individual care plan to ensure the best possible comfort level and quality of life.

The hospice offers a nine-bed inpatient unit and a day service clinic which provides introductory assessments, specialist consultations and day respite care. The organisation fully relies on government funding and community support to provide its services free of charge.

Sue Bacon, Client Manager at Perpetual Guardian, visited Waipuna Hospice recently to present the large donation in person.

She says it was an honour to present this on behalf of the Parishes.

'It is a prime example of how strategic funding can really make a difference to communities. This donation illustrates the far-reaching benefits of philanthropy when operating under good structure and management.

'Such structures allow recipient organisations to forward plan a little more easily and confidently, while giving Perpetual Guardian as a manager the opportunity to distribute funds to interesting and important projects and observe how they develop over the years.

'We look forward to hearing how this generous grant will be spent and have no doubt the contribution will go towards supporting the hospice's outreach and services. The hospice does such a great job at providing support and care; it is a vital part of the community and would not be able to survive without donations like this one, which is much deserved.”

Richard Thurlow, CEO at Waipuna Hospice, says: "We were extremely humbled when we learned of the kind gesture from Josephine Parish.

'The funds generated over the 15 years covered a significant dent in our operational costs. These are the patient-facing costs of the organisation, especially salaries.

'This year it will cost $7.6 million to serve the Western Bay of Plenty community, and $3.7 million of this will come from fundraising.”

Every year, Waipuna Hospice serves around 1,000 patients and families – this figure is forecast to grow in advance of population growth, with a predicted increase of 75 per cent in the next 20 years.

'Waipuna Hospice Foundation, a separate trust to the operational part of the organisation, will invest the capital from the estate of Josephine Parish to ensure her legacy endures. As a not-for-profit we don't receive funds of this magnitude very often. This type of donation/bequest allows us to plan for the long-term and to build a fund to ensure future services for our community."

Perpetual Guardian administers more than 550 Charitable Trusts on behalf of the generous legacies of its clients.