Herne Bay House: A 'controversial' hospice that became a refuge for people with HIV

Friday, 28 January 2022

Herne Bay House was a hospice for people with HIV and Aids from 1990 to 2005.

At a time when people with HIV were “treated like lepers”, an old Victorian villa in Auckland created a loving environment for the sick and dying. Melanie Earley reports.

Michael Stevens was sure his days were numbered when he was sent to Herne Bay House in his early 30s.

“I’d been living in a flat in Auckland but had to be hospitalised as my sickness worsened, and my social work team suggested I go there rather than back to my flat.

Michael Stevens was told he would be dead within two years after being diagnosed with HIV.

“When I was admitted I thought I was going there to die. I had an oxygen tank and could barely walk.”

Former Auckland City Mission chief executive Sir Chris Farrelly.

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Ultimately, Stevens rallied thanks to new HIV treatments, and recently celebrated his 60th birthday. He was one of a number of patients who passed through Herne Bay House, which provided a safe place for people who were sick or dying from HIV or Aids.

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Former Auckland City Mission chief executive Sir Chris Farrelly said the opening of the house in 1990 was “controversial”, as many people with HIV were openly discriminated against at the time.

“It wasn’t until 1992 in New Zealand that it was no longer legal to discriminate against someone with a specific disease or sexual orientation.

“People with HIV were treated like lepers. Nobody else would establish a hospice for people with HIV, so the City Mission stepped in.

“The amount of vitriol towards people with HIV during that time was immense, and sadly many of those men who were around in that time died. I can remember going to so many funerals for these amazing people.”

Dame Diane Robertson, Farrelly’s predecessor as Auckland City Mission chief executive.

The creation of Herne Bay House was a “phenomenal part” of New Zealand history, Farrelly said.

The Jervois Rd property had been a children’s home since the late 1950s, and by the 1980s it had become a home for teenagers and “street kids”.

In 1990 the NZ Aids Foundation, St Matthew’s Church and Auckland City Mission created Herne Bay House, and by the end of the year, the mission took sole responsibility for running the home. Its purpose was to “foster a safe, loving and supportive environment for people living with HIV”.

Michael Stevens, who recently turned 60, found out he had HIV when he was 27.

Herne Bay House provided predominantly long-term residential care from 1990 to 1995. It offered basic nursing, but was not marketed specifically as a nursing facility.

Dame Diane Robertson, Farrelly’s predecessor as Auckland City Mission chief executive, agreed there was huge stigma around HIV when Herne Bay House opened.

‘Sooty’ an elderly black cat who lived at Herne Bay House.

“It was a virus we knew nothing about, and people didn’t know how it was transmitted. People who had HIV were excluded from all kinds of things; some dentists and doctors were scared of treating them.”

Robertson said the mission took on the facility as part of its philosophy to work with marginalised communities.

“It was a very brave thing the mission did by opening Herne Bay house,” she said.

A man reads an issue of POZ magazine, which chronicled the life of those with HIV, while staying at the house.

Michael Stevens found out he was HIV positive in 1988 while living abroad in Istanbul, Turkey, and spent a number of months living at the hospice from 1994 to 1996, when he became increasingly sick.

Stevens said he said a number of people die at Herne Bay House during his time there, and one woman, an African refugee, killed herself in her room.

“I had been very angry and bitter about the situation up until this point. My attitude almost got me thrown out of the hospice, but eventually, I came more to terms with it and began to plan my death.”

Only a handful of people were still living at Herne Bay House by 2005.

Despite this, Stevens said the home itself was an “amazing place” with a high level of care.

There were around six or seven bedrooms for people who were sick, Stevens said, and the house had nurses and a cook onsite. Stevens said the house had a “1960s, institutional feel”.

Robertson spent a lot of time at the house helping out with day-to-day management, and agreed there was lots of laughter and support.

In 1996 the house was reviewed and upgraded after concerns were raised about appropriateness and safety. The facility was upgraded, staffing increased, 24-hour nursing care, policies and procedures were established, and funding was obtained from Auckland District Health Board (ADHB).

Stevens thought he would die in the hospice, but his health improved drastically as antiretrovirals became widely available in New Zealand.

He believed his life was saved by the new medication, along with the kindness and care he received at Herne Bay House.

Herne Bay House is now a private residence, which the owner says has a “beautiful feeling”.

“It was absolutely essential to my recovery. When I went there I was frightened, angry and sick, and these people took care of me so well.

“I did see a couple of friends die in there, but not everyone did. I saw it transform from a hospice to respite care, and eventually there wasn’t a need for it any more.”

In late 2004 Herne Bay House became a registered hospital, and by 2005, it was announced Herne Bay House would close its doors for good.

Robertson said in later years the house became more of a drop-in centre.

“By that time it was very high-cost for the mission when we only had one or two people living there.”

The decision to close in 2005 caused a “huge emotional reaction” within the gay community, Robertson said.

“Some ex-clients were very angry at the time, but by that stage hospices for people with HIV were closing all around the world.”

When Stevens heard news of the closure he said he and many others who were HIV-positive were worried about the potential impact.

“I was scared there’d still be a need in the coming years, but I’ve realised now it just wasn’t needed.”

After the hospice closed the property was turned into a family home. When the current owner bought the house from the mission, she said it was still set up like a hospice with a number of small rooms that had been used for patients.

She said the front of the house has stayed the same, but the rest had to be completely gutted and rebuilt.

Despite the fact people had died in the home, the homeowner said the house had a “beautiful feeling” to it.

Over the years she has had a number of exorcists come into the property to help spirits she felt could be lost or trapped.

“For me, it’s the most special home and I really believe there is a presence of beautiful spirits here.”

Stevens said many of those who lived at the hospice chose to have their ashes scattered in the garden there, which spoke to how loved it had become.