About the Wellington Hospital Chaplaincy Trust

Beginnings

The Wellington Hospital Chaplaincy Trust was founded in 2005 by Brian Cunningham, Jim Rowe and colleagues.

The immediate aim of the Trust was to weather a financial crisis the previous year. Funding from the health system towards chaplains’ salaries had been small and the necessary top-up from churches and the community had shrunk to a trickle. With no community support network in Wellington, chaplains were getting by on monthly contracts, uncertain as to where they would be the following month.

Those original Trust founders donated generously themselves, and appealed for help from friends and contacts. Jim Rowe and Brian Cunningham have since died, and Sir Patrick Mahony has retired.

However, thanks to their efforts and your generosity the chaplaincy service has survived, narrowly at first but more assuredly since 2008. Today the Ministry of Health funds the service which is administered through the Interchurch Hospital Chaplaincy Trust.

Each year, chaplains in Kenepuru, Porirua and Wellington Hospitals, supported by trained volunteers, provide spiritual and pastoral care to tens of thousands of patients and their families

Constitution

The Wellington Hospital Chaplaincy Trust is a discretionary charitable trust created by Deed date 26 July 2005.

Charity Registration number – CC21945

Purpose

The Wellington Hospital Chaplaincy Trust supports the provision of chaplaincy services at Wellington Hospital, including the Wellington Regional Hospital and Kenepuru / Rātonga Rua O Porirua Hospitals.

The Trust advocates for chaplaincy services and raises the funds needed to support chaplains in their work.