Palliative Care Education Programme 2026

14 January 2026

Courses and workshops are offered for health professionals and carers. If you have specific requirement not listed, please contact us, we can work with you to tailor education to meet your needs.

Clinical Placements

Here at Nurse Maude Hospice, we welcome students and can offer a variety of clinical placements in our inpatient unit or with our multidisciplinary community team. We work closely with tertiary education providers to arrange visits and placements for nursing, medical, paramedicine, social work, occupational therapy and counselling students. 



During their time with us students are supported to develop their knowledge and skills relating to care of patients, families and whānau who are living with a life limiting condition.

Palliative Care courses and workshops

Nurse Maude Hospice Palliative Care Service is committed to ensuring that those providing care to patients with life-limiting illness feel confident in their skills and knowledge and have access to appropriate education and support.

Course Cost Code Time Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Foundations in Palliative Care $150 PC01 8:45am-4:40pm 21 22
Syringe Driver Workshop $80 PC02 1:30pm-3:30pm 19 11 11 2 / 25 6 / 27 15 6/29 10/24 2 7/19 4/23 14
Syrinde Driver Update $40 PC03 2:30pm-3:30pm 21 10 10 10 12 9 7 12 1 6 10 2
Palliative Care lecture Series Via webinar 7:30am-8:30am 5 5 5 7 4 2 6 3 1 5 3

Note for Fundamentals of Palliative Care course [FOPC]:
Online module must be completed prior to booking onto a workshop)

Course Code Time Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
The Palliative care Approach FOPC1 8:45am-4:40pm 15 13
Managing pain & long-term illness FOPC2 1:30pm-3:30pm 22 20
Care and support at the end of life FOPC3 2:30pm-3:30pm 29 27

Syringe Driver competency programme

Venue: Nurse Maude Hospice, 28 Mansfield Ave.


The Hospice New Zealand Syringe Driver Competency Programme is for registered and enrolled nurses and develops the knowledge and skills required to manage subcutaneous infusions using the Niki T34 / Bodyguard T syringe driver.

Initial certification provides 4 hours of professional development and involves completion of pre-reading, attendance at a two-hour workshop, demonstration of practical competence and completion of a written test. Certification is maintained by attending a 2 yearly update.

Foundations in Palliative Care

Venue: Ballroom, McDougall House


This 1-day workshop for nurses and allied health professionals aims to increase knowledge and understanding of the palliative approach and includes:


  • Principles of Palliative Care
  • Pain and Symptom Management
  • Care in the Last Days of Life
  • Communication and Goals of Care
  • Grief, Loss and Bereavement Support
  • Spiritual Care

Palliative Care for Caregivers

This Hospice New Zealand education programme is an alternative to Fundamentals of Palliative Care and helps caregivers, working in all care settings, explore their role in providing palliative care.


The course consists of four 90-minute seminars and is usually delivered on site to a group of 10 -15 caregivers. There is a small cost for the course workbook.


This programme is not intended for registered nurses who should either complete Fundamentals of Palliative Care or Foundations in Palliative Care.

Fundamentals of Palliative Care

Venue: Ballroom, McDougall House


The Fundamentals programme is for healthcare professionals and caregivers and aims to provide education and resources to enable the provision of skilled and competent palliative care.


The programme is delivered via a blended model of learning, consisting of 5 online modules and 3 face to face workshops. Complete the online modules first, starting with Essence, then you can book to attend the workshops at Nurse Maude. There is no cost for this programme.


There is further information about the Fundamentals of Palliative Care Programme on The Hospice NZ website.

Palliative Care Lecture Service

Hospice New Zealand provides lectures via Zoom webinar on the First Thursday of every month, February to December, 7.30 - 8.30am. Details on Hospice NZ website.

For further information about any of these courses, please contact

Raewyn Jenkins – Palliative Care Nurse Educator
Telephone: 03 375 4274
Email:
Raewyn.Jenkins@nursemaude.org.nz


To book a place on the course, please use the booking form attachment below.
If you would like to print this information, please open and print the attached brochure below.

Download Registration Form Palliative Care Education Brochure
Title slide reading “Suitcase Stories” with a crowd scene and purple gradient overlay
3 September 2026
A huge thank you to Chapter 1 and everyone involved in Suitcase Stories | Chapter1 , which culminated in the Runway Reveal event which was held on Sunday 30 August in the gallery. The event brought together Canterbury artists, supporters and the wider community around a very creative idea…transforming suitcases into unique works of art, with funds raised to support Nurse Maude Hospice and Koru Care Christchurch. Each artist was given a suitcase and invited to tell a story through art – there were 66 suitcases (most were vintage style) in total. The identity of the artists remained a mystery, so people have been purchasing the suitcases without knowing who had created them. Each suitcase is being sold for $500. The artists’ identities were revealed at Sunday’s event. The Runway Reveal was a great celebration of the project, with a group of young Koru Care recipients carrying the suitcases down the runway while wearing clothing they’d selected from our Nurse Maude op shops.
Press release graphic: older adult in wheelchair with caregiver and text “Aged care challenges need to be faced together”
18 August 2026
Nurse Maude has welcomed A Place to Grow Old as an important opportunity to rethink how New Zealand supports people as they age; moving from separate services and settings towards care that is connected around the person. Nurse Maude CEO Louise Zacest says the report provides a clear description of the key challenges facing the aged care sector and provides direction and recommendations on what is needed to address these. “As the report itself notes, these aren't challenges for the future – they are already here. We welcome the recognition that significant reform is needed, and that we need to start this work now.”