The Last Breath — A Podcast About Death And Dying

Andrew Johnstone

A Podcast About Death And Dying. Exploring the work of Hospice Waikato through the voices of volunteers, palliative care professionals, the bereaved and the dying.

  1. 10H AGO

    The Last Breath Series 2 Ep 8 – Paul Turney - The Long Echo of Loss

    Paul Turney was 17 when his older brother Michael died in a sudden accident. The loss reshaped Paul’s life, and in this interview he reflects on grief, memory, and what it means to carry loss across time. Hospice Waikato, in association with Free FM, presents The Last Breath – A Podcast About Death And Dying.

    45 min

  2. FEB 28

    The Last Breath Series 2 Ep 7 - Jeanette Macdonald - Rural Palliative Care

    Jeanette Macdonald - Rural Palliative Care Jeanette Macdonald is a Rural Community Registered Nurse with Hospice Waikato. She talks about caring for patients on farms and in rural communities across the Waikato, where geography, isolation, and deep personal bonds shape end-of-life care.

    49 min

  3. FEB 21

    The Last Breath Series 2 Ep 6 - Perspectives with Phil Grey and Caitlin Smith

    As a society we seldom talk about death but as I have learned, given an opportunity, people have a lot to say about a topic often regarded as uncomfortable. For Series 2 of The Last Breath, I have asked all sorts of people to share their perspectives on death, dying and grief, assisted dying, and the afterlife. In this episode the General Manager of Free FM Phil Grey and musician Caitlin Smith share their perspectives. Hospice Waikato, in association with Free FM, presents The Last Breath – A Podcast About Death And Dying.

    52 min

  4. FEB 14

    The Last Breath Series 2 Ep 5 – Julia Ward - Caring for Patients in Aged Care

    Julia Ward is a Clinical Nurse Specialist with Hospice Waikato. In this interview, she discusses her work supporting patients living in aged care facilities and the importance of dignity, continuity, and compassion at the end of life. Hospice Waikato, in association with Free FM, presents The Last Breath – A Podcast About Death And Dying.

    38 min

  5. FEB 7

    The Last Breath Series 2 Ep 4 – Costa in Hospice

    Filmmaker Costa Botes was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2015. After a period of remission, his health deteriorated in 2025, and in early November he was transferred to Wellington’s Mary Potter Hospice. I spoke with Costa just days before his death, in a conversation marked by clarity, courage, and grace. Hospice Waikato, in association with Free FM, presents The Last Breath – A Podcast About Death And Dying.

    58 min

  6. JAN 29

    The Last Breath Series 2 Ep 3 – Lauren Fenn – Children’s Palliative Care

    Lauren Fenn is the Clinical Nurse Manager at Rainbow Place, Hospice Waikato’s specialised paediatric palliative care service. In this interview, she talks about caring for children with life-limiting conditions and supporting families through unimaginable circumstances.

    42 min

  7. JAN 24

    The Last Breath Series 2 Ep 2 – Susan O'Regan - A Daughter’s Grief, A Public Life Remembered

    Susan O’Regan — A Daughter’s Grief, a Public Life Remembered Former Waipā mayor Susan O’Regan reflects on the death of her mother, Katherine O’Regan — a former Waipā MP, Cabinet Minister, and Associate Minister of Health. Katherine played a pivotal role in establishing New Zealand’s free national breast screening programme, the very illness that would later claim her life in 2018. This deeply personal conversation explores what it means to grieve a mother whose life was lived in public service, and how legacy is carried by those left behind.

    46 min

  8. JAN 17

    The Last Breath Series 2 Ep 1 – Kathryn Mannix - The Forgotten Art of Dying

    Dr Kathryn Mannix is a British palliative care physician, cognitive behavioural therapist, and author who believes we’ve forgotten the ordinary human knowledge of dying—and that we can learn it again. In this wide-ranging, compassionate conversation, she describes what happens near the end of life, how grief revisits us in waves, and why honesty, kindness, and clear words can help us live — and die — with less fear.

    1h 12m
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A Podcast About Death And Dying. Exploring the work of Hospice Waikato through the voices of volunteers, palliative care professionals, the bereaved and the dying.

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