Last year’s campaign generated $38,400 for the hospice.
Waipuna Hospice provides palliative care to people and their whānau across Tauranga and Western Bay of Plenty.
It cares for about 261 people. It also provides free counselling and bereavement support for families.
Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora covers 44% of the hospice’s operating costs.
However, the hospice needs to raise $8.3 million to bridge the shortfall.
Waipuna Hospice chief executive David Bryant said the organisation was grateful for The Northern Group’s ongoing commitment and generosity.
He said the agency continued to support hospice care in a meaningful way.
“Most of the care we provide happens in people’s homes, helping patients remain in familiar surroundings with the people they love most.”
Bryant said the campaign resonated with the hospice.
“From one home to many, the sale of a single property can help us care for more people in the homes they know and love.”
He said every sale through Homes for Hospice translated into real care for patients and their families.
“We cannot thank everyone involved enough.”
The Northern Group owner Lee Stringer said the campaign was about using business as a “force for good”.
“Homes for Hospice is about giving back to an organisation that gives so much to our community.”
Stringer said the hospice supported families through some of life’s most challenging moments.
“This donation is our way of turning a sale into something bigger.”
He advised anyone interested in the next campaign to contact him or a Northern Group team member.
Stringer thanked Boundless Vision, OneRoof, Trade Me, and Realestate.co.nz for their campaign support.
NZME owns OneRoof, the Bay of Plenty Times and SunLive.
The Northern Group real estate agent Jayden Ashton said between $20,000 and $25,000 was expected for the final commission.
He said the property had received decent interest from first-home buyers at its first open home.
“The first-home buyer market is pretty nuts.”
Ashton said there was a lot of competition and properties were moving fast.
The property’s owner, Dyllan Turnbull, said he had been involved with The Northern Group’s previous charitable work.
“I was thinking of selling the house anyway and decided, why don’t we use this one?”
Turnbull wanted to support a local charity.
“It helps people who really need it.”
He felt “bittersweet” to be parting with the house but wanted to do “as much as we can” to support the hospice.
Bijou Johnson is a multimedia journalist based in Bay of Plenty. A passionate writer and reader, she grew up in Tauranga and developed a love for journalism while exploring various disciplines at university. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Classical Studies from Massey University.