About
To people throughout New Zealand, Blair Vining was an extraordinary man: a man who turned his own tragedy into a battle to ensure better cancer care for his community.
The Southern Charity Hospital Trust was established in 2019 following Blair’s highly-publicised battle with terminal bowel cancer. After his diagnosis in 2018, Blair was told he had weeks to live, but chronic under-resourcing of the health service in Southern meant he was unlikely to see a specialist before cancer took his life. Blair and his family decided that this needed to change. As a result, he and his wife Melissa worked tirelessly to reform the system and make access to cancer care equitable for all Kiwis.
One of the greatest legacies created because of their work is the formation of the Southern Charity Hospital. The hospital was founded by the community, for the community. Now open, the hospital provides free services to those living south of the Waitaki River who are unable to access care through the public or private health systems.
Who Do We Help?
The hospital currently provides colonoscopies and dental services to patients from the Health New Zealand Southern region (which covers Southland and Otago) and will expand the services it provides over time. The Southern Charity Hospital is modelled on the successful Canterbury Charity Hospital, which has helped thousands of patients since its inception in 2007.
The trustees elected to the Southern Charity Hospital Board are:
Chris Menzies (Chair)
Neil McAra
Melissa Vining
Janet Copeland
Matthew Russell
Wendy Findlay
Prof Frank Frizelle
Advisor to the Board: Dr Phil Bagshaw
The Southern Charity Hospital will not receive any Government funding. Instead, it will rely on donations, grants, and the generosity of the wider community keen to help southerners in need.
Together, we can make a difference to the health and wellbeing of our community.