The Last Breath — A Podcast About Death And Dying

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.