Kia ora koutou,
As I sit down to write my first newsletter as CEO of Waipuna Hospice, I want to take a moment to introduce myself and share a little of my journey so far. I was born and raised in the Manawatu, before spending time in Sydney and then returning to New Zealand to start my family. We have lived in the Bay of Plenty for the last three years during which I travelled to Hamilton for my work. My wife Rachael and I have a full family life, with five adult children and two grandchildren.
In terms of my career, I’ve had the privilege of working in a range of leadership roles, from my time with Invacare in Auckland, Ecolab in the Waikato, and most recently at Hamilton City Council. Along the way, I’ve always been drawn to organisations that put community and wellbeing at the heart of what they do – and that’s what excites me most about joining Waipuna Hospice.
As I write this, I am just finishing up my first week and it has been a whirlwind of learning, meeting some incredible people, and immersing myself in the work that makes this organisation so special. I’ve already seen firsthand the amazing care and compassion our team brings to families, and I am truly honoured to be a part of it.
I am also starting to understand the incredible and generous support from our community. This is very humbling indeed given that not all of what hospice does is funded so without this support we simply could not achieve the amazing things we do.
That said, like many organisations, Waipuna Hospice is not immune to these challenging financial times. We will continue to work hard to treasure every dollar we receive to maximise the impact we can have in the community. We remain deeply committed to ensuring that hospice care continues to be accessible, sustainable, and of the highest quality for generations to come.
Looking ahead, I’m eager to dive deeper into this role and continue the important work of supporting our community. I look forward to meeting many of you, especially our generous donors, volunteers, and supporters who make what we do possible. But most importantly, I am here to support our team – the heart of Waipuna Hospice – so they can continue doing what they do best: providing care, comfort, and dignity to those at the end of life’s journey.
With Christmas drawing near, I want to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year. This time of year brings reflection, and I feel blessed to have joined such a warm and caring whānau here at Waipuna Hospice.
Ngā mihi nui,
David Bryant