As seen in the West Auckland Hospice newsletter
As General Manager of Davis Funerals, Mike Powell has been a sponsor and active supporter of Hospice West
Auckland for more than a decade. But for Mike, the partnership is much more than just business.
“We do it, because it is the right thing to do,” he says.
Mike’s is a Westie through and through. He was born in Helensville and grew up in Waimauku; now currently
residing in Kumeu. Having spent most of his working life overseas, he eventually returned home to West
Auckland in 2015.
Mike’s reasons for supporting hospice landed very close to home. Mike lost his father to Non-Hodgkin
Lymphoma when he was a teenager in the late 1980s.
“A tough age for a child to lose a parent. I was coming to that age where the relationship with my Dad was
changing. You’re starting to move from being a rebellious adolescent and building that special friendship; whilst
still a parent, I was seeing dad as that trusted advisor, not a restrictive authoritarian”.
It was a hard time, but it strengthened Mike’s belief that his community should have access to the best possible
end-of-life care.
“Back then, the hospice movement here was in its infancy. We had no support. As a family, and particularly for
my mother, we went through 18 months of looking after my father. While it was the right thing to do, and it gave
him his wish of being able to die at home, it came at a significant physical, mental and emotional cost to us. It’s
given me a very, very clear lens to be able to see and talk to families about the value of hospice care today.”
Mike hopes the team at Davis are seen as a trusted advisor, a friend to hospice, and a place where families
can receive support and advice.
“If families gain a sense of care from us, it would be a privilege to work with them.”
He also has advice for businesses thinking about supporting Hospice West Auckland.
“Businesses have to be involved in the life of their local community because, invariably, a lot of their employees
come from that same local community. Not every business can support financially, but support can come in
many ways such as by volunteering.”
Mike is proud of the hard work and generosity of his fellow Westies, and he often sees families he has
personally helped giving back to Hospice.
“Having had the opportunity to properly manage their grief journey, they’ve got on with life and moved forward.
You see them wanting to repay their gratitude by giving back.”
