3 July 2023
Jacky Ruck has volunteered for Harbour Hospice for 20 years, often as a voice for Māori patients and their whānau.
When you enter Tui House in Warkworth you feel a warm and welcoming vibe. Volunteer Jacky Ruck was on the Warkworth/Wellsford division of the Harbour Hospice Advisory Board, serving as a voice for Māori, when planning for the building of Tui House began and she is very proud of the completed whare. “It was a privilege to have been part of such an amazing group of people and to work collectively on a project that would have such a big impact on the community,” she says.
Jacky’s iwi connections are Ngāti Whātua, Ngāti Wai, Ngāti Manuhiri and Ngāti Tūwharetoa and it was important to her that New Zealand’s bi-cultural heritage was acknowledged in the building. “I enlisted the help of my family and iwi to ensure everything was done correctly, from blessing the site pre-build to blessing the building after completion, naming some of the rooms and holding a pōwhiri for the opening.
“The kōhatu (rock representing the life force of the building) in the foyer was given to me by my iwi for Tui House, a gift I was extremely humbled by. I am very proud of Tui House, it is an incredibly warm and welcoming building.”
Jacky began volunteering for Harbour Hospice 20 years ago, after our kaumātua John Marsden suggested she put herself forward. She completed a month’s training and became a family support volunteer, visiting patients and their families in their homes. “Most of the patients and families I looked after were Māori. I saw my role as providing a connection for Māori hospice patients and helping them see that there were all aspects of hospice care that they could access.”
Today Jacky helps facilitate the Open Doors day group programme, which is held on Tuesdays at Tui House, and she loves it. “I do enjoy the energy that the patients and their carers bring, and to hear their stories about their journeys which range from sad to funny, lively, moving and everything in between. To be in the presence of these people, especially when they are going through what they are going through, is indeed a humbling experience and I feel privileged to be walking my few steps beside them. I feel the same for my wonderful volunteer and hospice staff friends.”
