House of Travel and Hospice.Partnership guide.

House of Travel is the largest New Zealand owned and operated retail travel company, with more than 75 stores across New Zealand and just over 1,000 employees. The House of Travel Group includes Orbit World Travel, a specialist corporate and business travel service; HOT Events, a conference and incentive management company; and Mix & Match, the online branch of House of Travel. House of Travel also owns a number of companies in Australia, including TravelManagers, HOOT Holidays and World Travel Professionals.

House of Travel was founded by Chris Paulsen, who remains the Executive Chairman of House of Travel today. The first House of Travel store was established in 1987. By 1990, House of Travel had opened 20 stores across the North and South Islands. By 1998, there were 50 House of Travel stores in New Zealand.

In 2001, House of Travel identified the growing market segment of corporate travel, resulting in a number of existing locations being rebranded as Orbit Travel to focus almost exclusively on corporate and business travel. House of Travel launched the first online booking solution in New Zealand in 2004, offering full flight aggregation. House of Travel Online was branded Mix & Match in 2009 and is now the largest New Zealand-owned online travel agency.

Today there are more than 75 House of Travel stores across New Zealand, from Kerikeri in the North to Invercargill in the South.

History.

Our Partnership. Welcome to House of Travel.Hospice New Zealand and House of Travel have been national partners for more than

10 years; an association we are extremely proud of, and which continues to go from strength to strength.

Over the past decade, House of Travel stores throughout the country have supported their local hospices in ways as diverse as their communities; raising both funds and awareness and helping to educate the public about the services hospice provides. The partnership also provides unique character and team-building opportunities for House of Travel teams.

House of Travel CEO Mark O’Donnell says, “The work Hospice does to provide physical and emotional care for people with life-limiting illnesses and their families is close to all of our hearts.”

• Employing “travel nuts” – fun people with a depth of talent and a passion for travel that challenges the status quo.

• Ensuring the customer is at the forefront of everything we do.

• Building long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships with our suppliers.

• Being part of the communities within which we operate.

• Having a strong positive culture as the founding stone on which we continue to build a successful business.

House of Travel believes in...

• Be upfront, open and honest.

• Ensure our customers’ needs always come first.

• Maintain independence so we act as the consumer’s advocate.

• Be proactive and creative, so our customers are kept informed about the special products and services we have to offer.

• Do the basics brilliantly so we tell it how it is, move with the pace and get things done.

We strive to...

House of Travel is fiercely proud to be New Zealand owned and operated. We understand New Zealanders and take great pride in the contribution we make to this country. We are committed to the communities within which House of Travel staff live and work.

Committed to our communities

Every year, hospices around New Zealand provide care and support for people living with life-limiting conditions and their families. Many people think of hospice as a building, but hospice is really a philosophy of care. While most hospices in New Zealand offer in-patient facilities, the majority of people are cared for in the comfort of their own homes.

Anyone living with a life limiting condition – such as heart failure, motor neurone disease, MS or cancer – can access and benefit from hospice services. Hospices aim to help people make the most of their lives, with the core philosophy of living every moment in whatever way is important to them.

Hospice care is provided free of charge to people and their families, but it does come at a cost. Each year hospices need to raise more than $45 million nationally to support their services.

About Hospice.

Introducing Hospice.

• Hospice is not just a building; it is a philosophy of care. The majority of people receiving support are cared for in their homes.

• Our goal is to help people make the most of their lives; to live every moment in whatever way is important to them.

• Hospices can provide care and support for anyone living with a life limiting condition – e.g. heart failure, motor neurone disease, MS or cancer.

• We care for the whole person, not just their physical needs but also their emotional, spiritual, and social needs too.

• We care for families and friends as well, both before and after a death.

• Hospices are independent charitable organisations providing care and support completely free of charge to people using our services.

• Whilst free of charge to people using hospice services, it costs a lot to provide – over $100 million nationally each year.

• As an essential health service provider, hospices receive funding from the Government, however financial support is essential to meet the shortfall. The total required from fundraising efforts each year is over $45 million nationally.

All hospices throughout the country share the same vision: Anyone who is dying has the opportunity to celebrate their life with the help of hospice.

Hospice – Key information. 18,000 - Each year, hospice services across the country provide care and support

for more than 18,000 people and their families, either before or after the death of a loved one.

1 in 3 - 1 in 3 people who die in New Zealand each year are supported by hospice.

30% - Hospice services provide care and support for anyone with a life-limiting condition – not only people with cancer. Each year, approximately 30% of people in hospice care had a diagnosis other than cancer.

99 - People from around 99 different ethnic groups are cared for by hospice each year.

1,000,000 - Together, a generous team of volunteers give over 1 million hours of their time each year to support hospice services.

Snapshot of Hospice services.

Hospice New Zealand is the national organisation representing all hospice services in New Zealand. We work alongside members and guide and support rather than direct and manage. We have no mandate to make decisions or commitments on behalf of members: we work in partnership at all levels of the organisation.

All hospice services in New Zealand are independent charitable trusts, owned by the community they serve. All 34 services have individual governance and management structures which guide the strategic direction of the organisation. Day to day operations and services vary from service to service and are dictated by the community need.

Hospice organisational structure

• Make contact with your partnered hospice/store

• Get to know each other, the team, the business

• Brainstorm ways in which you might work together – you will find some suggestions on the following pages

• Brainstorm ways in which you can promote the partnership and your work together to supporters, customers, suppliers and the general public

• Plan to meet regularly and keep each other up to date

• Be open minded to all opportunities to engage with one another, sharing ideas and support or awareness raising

How to get involved - first steps:

House of Travel Holdings and Hospice New Zealand will primarily focus on raising awareness of the partnership and of course, hospice services. We will support the community relationship and monitor and evaluate achievements on an annual basis. Specifically, we will:

• Have details and links on both websites – www.hospice.org.nz and www.houseoftravel.co.nz

• Profile the partnership in each other’s national publications

• Work on resources and materials that outline the partnership and also raise awareness of hospice services

• Facilitate local introductions where requested

• Continually look for opportunities to collaborate for the mutual benefit of our members/stores.

Our national partnership

Each House of Travel store and hospice service is unique with different needs, interests and ways of operating. The strength of our partnership is that we operate in the same community and this is why the partnership is as flexible as possible. We want to ensure that everyone involved enjoys a mutually beneficial relationship – which means together you can set the terms and agree on activities that work for all.

Most member hospices and House of Travel stores share a mutual presence in local communities.

House of Travel & Hospice working in partnership

Donate items on the hospice wish listMany hospices regularly publish ‘wish lists’, outlining tangible items they require. These may be for anything – from photocopy paper through to petrol vouchers, kitchen supplies to specialist nursing equipment.

Sponsor a running cost or special projectSome House of Travel stores ensure their local hospice’s drinks trolley is always stocked for people in hospice care and their families. Others sponsor an Art Therapy table, or even the running costs of a nurse’s car to enable hospice to visit people in their own homes.

Collect and donate items for your local Hospice ShopDoubling as a great excuse to spring clean your home, organise a collection of second-hand clothes, accessories, homeware etc. to donate to your local hospice shop.

Attend or sponsor a hospice eventYour local hospice may run a number of fundraising events for you to attend. Treat your clients to a hospice house and garden tour, entertain them at a black tie dinner, enter a team in your local hospice’s golf tournament or invite them to a concert. You’ll have a great time and also support the work of hospice.

Fundraise in storeOften hospices will run fundraising initiatives which you can support in-store. You may be willing to pull out your boardies in support of ‘Shorts for Hospice Day’, enjoy some home baking as part of a ‘Hospice Cuppa’, or perhaps sell Entertainment Books or raffle tickets on behalf of your local hospice.

Armchair TravelWhisk patients, caregivers and volunteers away to foreign countries and places of interests by hosting an ‘Armchair Travel’ session with stories and photos.

Run a fundraising eventMovie screenings, quiz nights, sports tournaments, book fairs, cake stalls, art auctions, cooking competitions – the options are endless. This is a great team building opportunity and a way of engaging your customers with the work of hospice, while raising much needed funds for your local service.

VolunteerThere are many opportunities to volunteer with hospice. You may like to volunteer on an ad hoc basis, such as assisting with street collections, supervising a Tree of Remembrance or helping to host hospice volunteer functions. Or, you may prefer to volunteer on a regular basis – joining the hospice fundraising committee, gardening or helping out at your local Hospice Shop.

Hospice giftsMany hospices have products such as Christmas cakes, greeting cards, diaries and calendars or Christmas ornaments for sale. Perhaps these could be gifts for clients, colleagues, family and friends.

Talk About HospiceUse your experience to be an ambassador and help raise awareness of the work of hospice in your community.

House of Travel stores support their local hospices in all sorts of ways – the opportunities are endless. Please find some ideas below. Whatever you decide to do, please discuss your ideas with your partnered hospice during the planning stage. They have lots of experience and might have suggestions or be able to help in some way.

Working Together – Ideas And Suggestions

‘Live each day to the fullest’