Highlights from Dying Matters Week 2024

For a first time event, we had some incredible online engagement with over 12,000 new visitors to the Go With Grace website and 100,000 views on our Facebook page where events were hosted. National organisations such as The Grief Centre, Honohono Tātou Katoa, Grownups Lifestyle Website and Hospice NZ actively shared events on their online channels supporting us to reach more people.

Community of Experts

We are so fortunate to have a community of experts across the country, passionate about promoting death literacy and supporting people to begin what, for many, can be very challenging conversations. We’re grateful to have been part of this journey, helping to open up these vital conversations.

We’re especially grateful to the National Libraries Association for creating safe and supportive spaces for these crucial conversations and to New Zealand End of Life Doulas, Henderson Reeves Lawyers, Honohono Tātou Katoa and Hospices around New Zealand that helped to help bring this important new national event to life.

We loved partnering with North Haven Hospice in Whangārei for Dying Matters Week and received this wonderful endorsement from Helen Blaxland, North Haven Hospice CEO.

“North Haven Hospice was delighted to partner with Go With Grace for the inaugural Dying Matters Week in Whangārei.  We had several of our staff contribute and hold workshops on different subject matters and enjoyed the opportunity to connect directly with our community.  As we seek to grow awareness, educate and inform the public about who we are and what we do, this was an ideal platform to share and learn what people wanted to know.  We often strike barriers in discussing death and dying so it was beneficial to be part of a wider conversation and group for all to engage with.  We will definitely be back next year!”

Meet our Dying Matters Week 2024 Champions…

Important conversations

It was amazing to see speakers and attendees from all over Aotearoa discuss these really important topics. From discussions on legal matters and natural deaths to conversations about advanced care planning and end-of-life plans, the week was filled with meaningful connections, which resonated deeply with many New Zealanders. Below are just a few of the comments we received from attendees.

“ I wanted to take a moment to express my heartfelt thanks to the entire team for amazing presentations. Each workshop I attended the presenters did an exceptional job, and I found myself deeply engaged with the content. The presentations not only prompted me to reflect on my own affairs but also inspired me to share the “Go with Grace” website with people in my life, including colleagues and clients. I believe it serves as a gentle and thoughtful resource for making the complexities of death a little easier to manage. Thank you again for your dedication and for providing such valuable insights.” – Nicole Ross, Emergency Planner and Response Mentor

“What an excellent week Dying Matters was. I so appreciated that we were in the library talking about death, dying, grief and loss. I love that all the library-goers who weren’t directly involved got to see the signs, and that ripples of conversation would have spread much further than those participating in the event. I really enjoyed the sessions I went to as a participant, and wish I could have gone to more. Thanks so much to the Go with Grace team for making it happen!” – Tanya Newman, North Haven Hospice

“So happy to know that my family and I can be among those not embalmed, but treasured at home until burial.”

“Brilliant, could have listened for a lot longer. Next year I’ll have to take days off as I would have loved to have been at all of the chats. THANK YOU FOR YOUR MAHI.”

“I feel reassured by hearing this information and more prepared to face my mothers and husbands approaching deaths”

“I feel very fortunate to have been able to attend this week. “Forewarned is forearmed”. Hopefully I won’t need help but at least I know”

“I feel comforted, knowing I can help my whanau and leave them in a better place than where I was when my parents died.”