Meet Tony Gray

CEO Nelson Tasman Hospice

On Monday 21 June, Nelson Tasman Hospice welcomed Tony Gray as the new CEO, with a pōwhiri, supported by local iwi. Chair of Nelson Tasman Hospice, John Peters, said “A pōwhiri is an excellent way to formally welcome Tony to the role. We look forward to introducing him to the team and wish him a strong start at the helm of this great organisation.”

Tony and his wife, Miriam, are excited to be coming back to Nelson, where Tony was CEO of Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology from 2007-2017.

Tony adds;

I feel honoured to be taking the lead in such a well-respected and supported community organisation. I’m looking forward to learning about the opportunities and challenges for us in the region and in the health sector as a whole.

It’s still very early days but I have really enjoyed the opportunity to meet with individuals and teams. As I’m doing that, I begin to learn more about what makes the Hospice tick; the levels of excellence that we aim for, as an organisation, but at the same time learning some of the challenges to maintaining and developing the organisation, ensuring we retain that level of excellence.

Colleagues here have been incredibly welcoming. It appears everyone has been really open with me about their roles. I’m learning about what they do in the organisation, aspects of the role that the individual finds exciting, the challenges they have, and the opportunities they seek going forward.

Before taking on this role for Hospice, I didn’t fully understand the service, nor do claim to yet. I’m excited to continue to learn as I grow in to the role.

I think the nature of what the organisation does, both within the specialised care unit and the community/aged residential care units, will continue to give us opportunities to educate the public about the range of services Hospice offers, as well as the level of service and care we provide to the community.

From all the team at Hospice, welcome, Tony!

Image credit: Ross Wearing