By the temporary access to the Mary Potter Hospice shop in Paraparaumu are Iride McCloy (left), Peter Sewell, Chris Garvey and Rob Pearce. Photo / David Haxton
By the temporary access to the Mary Potter Hospice shop in Paraparaumu are Iride McCloy (left), Peter Sewell, Chris Garvey and Rob Pearce. Photo / David Haxton
Mary Potter Hospice’s Kāpiti store has been suffering “major income loss” due to essential stormwater upgrades in Paraparaumu, but thanks to the generosity of the Kāpiti Lights Body Corp, they have been able to stay open.
The stormwater upgrades were recently completed on Rimu Rd and have now moved to Kāpiti Rd, causing road closures and making the Mary Potter Hospice store effectively inaccessible to both customers and people who donate.
However, the Kāpiti Lights Body Corp and Kāpiti Coast District Council decided to make a gate through a fence at the back of the store so vehicles could enter off Kāpiti Rd and exit through Kāpiti Lights, which was completely funded by the council.
Manager of the Kāpiti Lights Body Corp, Iride McCloy, said it wasn’t all up to the body corp and council though, and that neighbouring business owner Jon Wane was also happy for it to happen.
Wane owns two businesses on the west side of the gate and the body corp had to get his permission before installing it.
“We were really lucky to have Kāpiti Lights come on board ... or we would have only had foot traffic, and people are not going to park up the road and come in here,” store manager Chris Garvey said.
Major roadworks outside the Mary Potter Hospice shop in Kāpiti Rd, Paraparaumu. Photo / David Haxton
Despite having the new gate, Mary Potter Hospice retail director Peter Sewall said the store has suffered a “major income loss” and its profit had declined by about 20 per cent, and as the work progresses that could even reach 40 per cent.
“The gate mitigates it down to about 40 per cent, but without it, we would have closed.”
He said every year $16 million is needed to run Mary Potter Hospice, and while about 45 per cent of that is funded by the Government, $3m of that comes from the eight shops in the Wellington region.
“The financial cost [on Mary Potter Hospice] this month alone is around $20,000.”
Garvey said beside the roadworks out front the store, which opened in Kāpiti in 2020, is going well.
Currently, there are 51 volunteers helping out at the shop, herself, their driver Rob Pearce, and a newly hired assistant manager, Jo McKinney.
Garvey said they’ve just had a bit of a reshuffle of the shop and are mainly focusing on secondhand clothing, and have been expanding their selection of men’s clothing, which is now the biggest it’s ever been at about four or five racks.
“We’re very particular about what goes out.”
Sewall said they rely on three groups of people to make the hospice run smoothly – the people who donate items, the people who donate time in the form of volunteering, and the people who purchase things from the store.
All proceeds from the hospice shops go directly towards Mary Potter Hospice, which allows them to provide free-of-charge hospice care for people with life-limiting illnesses and support for their loved ones across Wellington, Porirua and Kāpiti.
Secondhand clothing has taken centre stage in the Mary Potter Hospice shop in Paraparaumu. Photo / David Haxton
“This has got to be one of the top organisations for helping people,” McCloy said.
People’s support of Mary Potter Hospice helps provide vital palliative care in the community.
In a typical year 890-plus patients are cared for, 8500-plus home visits are made by hospice staff, 7600-plus meals are prepared for patients, 2600-plus bed nights of specialist accommodation is provided in the hospice’s inpatient unit, and 190-plus arts therapy sessions are conducted for children dealing with grief and loss.
All Mary Potter Hospice services are provided free of charge to patients, families and whānau.
