Spiritual Care

31 March 2025

Palliative care is about caring for the whole person and their family/whānau, not just their physical needs but also their emotional, social and spiritual needs - tinana, hinengaro, whanau, and wairua.

Spirituality and Spiritual Care

Spiritual is a word that means different things to different people. Some people think of the spiritual in religious terms – about finding peace with God. Others may see spiritual as being much broader – about who we are and why we are here, and how we make sense of our life.


The focus of spiritual care is on supporting, valuing, reconciling, nurturing and empowering people in whatever situations they find themselves.


When you ask: “What’s really important in my life?” you may think about family/whānau, friends, health, places, work or something else. You may also wonder about the future, what lies ahead, or about God. Spiritual care is about assisting you to explore these things, it’s not about doing, it is about being with people.

Who provides spiritual care?

All members of our team can offer spiritual care. Additionally, we have a trained Spiritual Carer and a team of Pastoral Care Volunteers. They accept everyone regardless of values, beliefs, identity, religion, spirituality or the way you question or express these things. They are available to listen, to reflect with, to explore questions about life and death, to give support in decision making and to lead prayer if requested.

What is spiritual distress?

It may include

  • Loss of meaning and purpose
  • Reduced abilities, increased dependence
  • Loss of control and uncertainty
  • Feeling like a burden
  • Sense of unfairness
  • Loss of peace of mind
  • Sense of regret
  • Loneliness
  • Anxiety about dying
  • Worry about leaving family/whānau behind
  • Unfinished business


What might spiritual care involve?

  • Listening
  • Encouraging
  • Supporting
  • Sharing joy and sorrow
  • Praying
  • Assisting in meeting religious and spiritual needs
  • Nourishing sacramentally
  • Creating rituals
  • Helping in questioning the meaning of life
  • Offering thanks
  • Counselling
  • Blessing
  • Contacting your own minister, priest or religious/spiritual advisor if requested


Spiritual care is available to patients and their family/whānau. Please feel free to discuss your spiritual needs with your nurse or health professional who can refer you to our Spiritual Care Team if required.

Hei huarahi mirimiri

i te hunga tāngata

a i te mate tangihanga

me muri ake hoki

he pou āwhina ki te whānau


To provide a therapeutic

pathway for people

before death and also

after death providing

support with the whānau

Two new appointments headline on a blue gradient slide with two silhouetted figures.

Nurse Maude announces two executive appointments

20 July 2026
Nurse Maude appoints Kelvin Mason as Chief Financial Officer and welcomes Rowhan Kelly as General Manager, Service Development, strengthening its leadership.
Press release announcing new partnership to shape home care for kaumātua, with brochures on a blue gradient background

Shared history, shared purpose: new partnership to shape home care for kaumātua

8 July 2026
Nurse Maude Association and Te Puawaitanga ki Ōtautahi Trust have entered a new partnership to co-design the future of home care for the community in Ōtautahi, bringing together more than a century of community care experience with a kaupapa Māori approach to whānau support. The organisations have signed a Memorandum of Understanding formalising their shared commitment to design and deliver home care services grounded in whānau, responsive to Māori, and connected to the wider needs of the community. The partnership brings together Nurse Maude's long-standing expertise in home and community health care with Te Puawaitanga ki Ōtautahi Trust’s kaupapa Māori approach and extensive experience supporting whānau from māmā and pēpi through to our kaumatua services such as our Taurite Tū; Wai Ora and Oranga Tonutanga programmes. Together, the organisations will explore new models of care that support whānau and kaumātua to remain well, connected and living independently at home. The signing, held in the lead-up to Matariki, reflected the shared values and whakapapa of both organisations. Matariki is a time to remember those who have gone before us, give thanks for the present, and look ahead with hope. A strong theme throughout the day was the legacy of Dame Aroha Reriti-Crofts and Sibylla Maude, two remarkable wāhine whose vision, compassion and commitment to their communities continue to shape the work of both organisations. This partnership honours that legacy, while creating opportunities for future generations. While the partnership has a strong focus on improving outcomes for Māori, both organisations believe the learning and approaches developed through this mahi have the potential to strengthen home care services for everyone in Ōtautahi.