Back row, from left: Nigel Ramsden, Jayden Ashton, and Lee Stringer; (front row) Sarieta Visser, David Bryant and Sara Davis are bringing the Homes for Hospice campaign to life. Photo / Boundless Vision
Back row, from left: Nigel Ramsden, Jayden Ashton, and Lee Stringer; (front row) Sarieta Visser, David Bryant and Sara Davis are bringing the Homes for Hospice campaign to life. Photo / Boundless Vision
The full commission a real estate agency earns from a Mount Maunganui property listing will be donated to a Bay of Plenty palliative care provider.
Waipuna Hospice and The Northern Group have partnered for the new campaign, Homes for Hospice.
A tidy Mount Maunganui home, at 100 Russley Drive, hasbeen chosen as the listing at the heart of the campaign, with the owners’ blessing.
It is on the market now for a deadline sale on December 11.
The Northern Group expects the commission from the sale to exceed $30,000, all of which will be donated to Waipuna Hospice.
“We have charity shops that support bridging that gap, but we still have quite a significant gap outside of that. One of our funding streams is to try to connect with local businesses.”
The Northern Group stepped up to the plate.
The money it donates will fund the hospice’s specialist care, including in-home nursing, pain management, bereavement support and counselling.
Last year, Waipuna Hospice looked after 937 patients and their family members.
“At any one time, we’ve got an average of 260 people on our books,” Bryant said.
It delivers 98% of its care to patients in their homes. Less than 2% visit its Te Puna hospice.
Bryant said most people wanted to spend their last days at home, where they were more comfortable than in a clinical setting.
He expects demand for hospice services to increase and the funding gap to grow.
Homeowner Tonya Dowman describes the Russley Drive property as a "sanctuary". Photo / Boundless Vision
In 20 years, the number of people seeking Waipuna Hospice’s services was likely to be 50% higher.
“With an ageing population, [funding] will be even more imperative.”
Lee Stringer, owner of The Northern Group and agent for the Homes for Hospice property, had already been thinking of ways to support Waipuna Hospice when he was approached about a partnership.
The agency was involved in another charitable house sale for the Blind Foundation last year.
He said his team reached out to see if anyone would be willing to offer their house.
Tonya Dowman was keen to be part of the fundraiser: “It’s a win-win for everybody." Photo / Boundless Vision
As soon as he mentioned the opportunity to Tonya and Aaron Dowman, they said: “How do we be a part of this?”
The marketing campaign comes at no cost to the homeowners.
OneRoof, Trade Me and Realestate.co.nz, along with photography and video business Boundless Vision, have all donated their services. OneRoof is owned by NZME, owner of SunLive and the Bay of Plenty Times.
The brick-clad 200sq m home is on a 689sq m section and has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and two-car garaging.
It is described as a “private paradise” with open-plan living, tropical gardens, a spa and rockfall water feature, close to Omanu Golf Club, Bayfair and the beach.
Bijou Johnson is a multimedia journalist based in the Bay of Plenty. A passionate writer and reader, she grew up in Tauranga and developed a love for journalism while exploring various disciplines at university. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Classical Studies from Massey University.
