NEW ZEALAND | Before Nurse Maude’s new Canterbury hospice opened in June, staff regularly visited a mock patient bedroom at the builder’s site and adjusted it as construction progressed. It was a practical way to test a room that would need to accommodate specialist care while remaining comfortable for patients and their closest supporters.
Nurse Maude Chief Executive Louise Zacest said the team had been closely involved in testing the design as construction progressed.
“We had a mock patient bedroom at the builders' site that we visited regularly, and made several tweaks to it during the build process.”
The team’s experience in the former hospice helped inform those decisions. Patient and whānau feedback also shaped the building, with privacy, natural light, access to nature, and space for loved ones to stay close and share kai considered essential.
The aim was to create a calm, welcoming, homelike environment that could support highly specialised clinical care. Staff input helped ensure the building supported safe, responsive care without feeling too clinical.
The team planned patient rooms and equipment with comfort and dignity in mind. The design included direct access to gardens, bariatric facilities, specialised bathing areas, and permanent ceiling hoists to support safe, respectful care. The design choices were intended to reduce unnecessary disruption, protect privacy, and allow staff to provide care centred on the individual.
The design also recognises the role loved ones play in a patient’s care. Patient rooms include day beds and enough space for whānau to spend significant time together, while shared family areas, kitchens, quiet rooms, and outdoor spaces provide somewhere to gather, rest, or take time away from the bedside.
“The hospice has been designed with the understanding that loved ones are not simply visitors - they are an important part of a patient’s care journey.”
These facilities help families maintain connection and routine during extended stays while preserving patients’ privacy. For children and young people receiving palliative care, the design is age-appropriate, flexible, and family-centred. An adjoining room allows whānau to stay overnight with their child or young person.
The hospice’s values were also incorporated into the architecture, based on feedback. Mahi kotahi, manaakitanga, tikanga, wairua, and whanaungatanga are expressed in wall pou. These values had long been central to the hospice’s care, and their inclusion was intended to communicate them to patients, support cultural safety, and give the building a sense of place.
Te Taumata Tapu o Ngāi Tūāhuriri provided ceremonial and tikanga support throughout the project. Its involvement included blessing the whenua before construction, supporting tikanga before the hospice opened, and assisting with the decommissioning and cleansing of the former space.
The Korowai Programme provides education for whānau who have a loved one who is dying. Run from the new hospice and some rural locations, it covers how to support someone physically, as well as navigating the emotional challenges of illness, dying, and grief.
Years of fundraising, donations, bequests, and community support helped make the hospice possible.
Zacest also acknowledged the patients and families whose experiences had helped shape the new hospice.
“We also feel it’s important to acknowledge the patients who have died in our care, and their whānau. Their experiences, trust, and stories have shaped our understanding of what matters most at the end of life and have informed the design of a hospice environment that honours dignity, compassion, and care.”
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