St John is axing its volunteer-run pets therapy, hospital volunteers and community carers programmes, a move that has left many long-serving volunteers devastated.
An email sent to volunteers, seen by Chris Lynch Media, outlines the decision to wind down the programmes over the next 10 months as part of a broader restructure in St John’s community health directorate.
The decision stands in sharp contrast to St John’s own Māori strategy released in 2022, which promised to “improve mental wellbeing for more people by expanding our Therapy Pets programme and mental wellbeing education and support.”
St John has not confirmed whether internal initiatives, such as its Manaaki Ora Māori strategy, Pride events, or Matariki celebrations, will also be reviewed as part of its wider organisational changes.
Volunteers from the Friends of the Emergency Department programme, those who visit long-stay hospital patients, and volunteers who assist in hospital foyers are all being cut. The caller service that supports lonely people is staying.
St John has not confirmed whether internal initiatives, such as its Manaaki Ora Māori strategy, Pride events, or Matariki celebrations, will also be reviewed as part of its wider organisational changes.
Volunteers from the Friends of the Emergency Department programme, those who visit long-stay hospital patients, and volunteers who assist in hospital foyers are all being cut. The caller service that supports lonely people is staying.
Photo: St John / file
In the email, Deputy Chief Executive for Community Health, Pete Loveridge, acknowledged the “tough choices” made in response to evolving strategic priorities.
Chris Lynch Media understands the decision was not a financial one.
Health New Zealand and ACC jointly provided nearly $357 million of funding to St John in the financial year 2024/25 for emergency road ambulance and communication services.
The news has already had a significant emotional impact on volunteers who give their time freely each week to support vulnerable members of their communities.
One St John Therapy Pet volunteer told Chris Lynch Media “I thought it was in the public interest to know that the programme we do for free every week is being slashed. I see firsthand the difference our visits make, people who haven’t been out of their rooms for a month, coming and talking to my dog.
The caregivers every single week talk about the difference it makes in their residents’ happiness. Now all to be gone. I’m so gutted.”
Photo: St John / file
In the official email sent to volunteers, St John explained that the change comes after 18 months of internal strategy work aimed at aligning resources to the areas of highest community health impact. That new focus will be on three main areas: health education, health access, and health monitoring programmes.
“It marks a shift in focus to helping communities nurture healthier futures,” the email said.
Are you affected by this decision? Email chris@chrislynchmedia.com
“As part of this shift, and to progress our broader goal of improving health outcomes for our communities, we’ve made the incredibly difficult decision about the future of our Therapy Pets and Hospital Volunteers & Carers programmes.”
The email states that St John will no longer be the provider of these services.
“Over the next 10 months, we’ll begin exploring whether these programmes can be transitioned to other organisations, such as hospitals, rest homes, or community groups, so the positive impact you make through volunteering can continue,” the email reads.
St John said it would work with volunteers to help identify other opportunities within the organisation, and that in the meantime, the current programmes would continue and remain fully funded.
“We know this news may be difficult. This decision hasn’t been made lightly, and we want to acknowledge the incredible difference you’ve made,” the email said. “Your dedication, care, and commitment have touched many, and we are deeply grateful for everything you’ve contributed.”
One volunteer told chrislynchmedia.com the impact of the programmes, particularly in aged care and hospital settings, is immense, often helping to alleviate loneliness and bring comfort to patients who rarely receive visitors
Broadcaster Chris Lynch is an award winning journalist who also produces Christchurch news and video content for domestic and international companies. This article was originally published by Chris Lynch Media and is published here with kind permission.
9 comments:
St John. Wokest of all of them... losing their way.
I stopped donating to St John when they renamed it.
Well, one piece of good news, no mention of Hato Hone anywhere, nor even on the ambo shot in the news the other night. Finally, some good sense to pull that nonsense that, no doubt, has cost them quite dearly.
Pleased that my will does not include a bequest to St John.
They are likely to spend it on more woke promotion of Maori with their internal programs, and signage on ambulances.
Why were they ever taken over by white woke management ?
Great people at ground level, hopelessly useless in the upper echelon.
Will never donate while they have the HH name.
Chris Lynch - "DO not let St John tell you their actions with 'axing' volunteer programs is not based on financial factors".
Fuohy. St John has a long history of financial issues, especially in operating the ambulance service, hence the "annual hand out", with twitchy fingers to the Ministers of Health & ACC for greater funding.
Many years ago they introduced 'partial funding', that is presenting an invoice, for those who-
- had a medical event, either new or issues with an ongoing problem
- had sought Ambulance Services intervention
- found it also applied, when the patient had presented to their Doctor, who then had them transported by Ambulance to the Hospital ED.
People ' got up in arms ', St John "stated that Govt funding did not cover these interventions".
They were the first to establish a Maori "desk" the purpose was to engage with Staff in going forward, particularly when dealing with Maori patients. Later we saw the "steps taken" to adorn the exterior of Ambulances with Maori Motif work and was seen [by St John] as promoting that engagement.
To many New Zealander's, it was " a step to far ".
The recent 'discarding volunteers' who worked in the domains you have mentioned, will feel "guttered" - and it will be interesting to find, how they viewed their past time, diligence & involvement, now they are being discarded.
Depending on how they were advised, I think you find many "will develop an apathy toward St John".
Another factor, that may have propelled this decision is that "the volunteer force" is aging, and not being replaced by another generation of people, willing to volunteer time.
They have also, recently, re-organized their Public Education Administration staffing, and in doing so lost people who had worked, with diligence (across many years) to ensure that it worked smoothly. For those staff involved, their departure was not met " with wine, roses, kisses & cuddles ", more something else!
So we now wait and see - "when the hand goes out, for more funding, just how much more in $$'s they will be seeking"??
I notice their ambulances are named' Hato Hone' (prominent) then 'St John', not the other way around. I thought the "Order of St John" was an international organisation
Anonymous 3:26pm. Volunteerism is a dying sport around the world. Probably a good thing, volunteers are never as competent as a trained professional who relies on the activity for their income.
To My Good Colleague - Anon @8.47AM 10 August.
The Venerable Order of St John in Jerusalem - is an Organization founded on the Works of Monks, during the Holy Land Wars.
The English took this a step further and created an Organization that included both Men & Women to be trained to "the arts of rendering aid, to the Sick & Injured".
Those that "heard the call" became the volunteer force, the Men working in the domain of Ambulance, the Women in the domain of Nursing. It is from these "first steps", particularly in England, came "the people power" that provided those who served in uniform as -
- Men front line field medical staff, many having no more than a First Aid Certificate
- Women - as nursing personnel both in France at "at Home" (England).
The establishment of St John in NZ, Dunedin first, then across NZ, was promoted more by the Medical fraternity, who saw a need for the general public to more involve in "out of hospital emergency work".
From that came -
- those who volunteered at Weekends at sports fields
- those who created the first ambulance service (again with no more that First Aid Training, provided by a Doctor)
NB. on the above in later years, many of above become the first to be trained at the St John Ambulance Officer, Training School in Auckland - which also trained those who would work for Wellington Free Ambulance
- the Youth Divisions
- the people, once trained, who became the first of many First Aid Instructors, across NZ.
There are many New Zealander's over the years who have benefited from The Volunteer Force of St John and the services provided by them and yes "the replacement element" is no longer there - " but that is from Societal changes ".
When you read above, also keep in mind that across NZ, there are sports clubs who are now facing those same issues - "a lack of volunteers".
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