ONZM for Graeme Titcombe

The Home and Community Health Association congratulates Graeme Titcombe who is to be made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for his services to the home support sector and the community.

The award recognizes Graeme’s substantial service contribution and achievements in three areas: his leadership in New Zealand business; his national leadership in the home and community support services over many years; and his local Wellington community leadership.

Graeme was CEO of Access Community Health – a not for profit home support provider - for 16 years. Under his fine business leadership the organisation grew ten-fold to be one of the largest providers in New Zealand.

As a business sector leader, Graeme consistently raised his own vision and that of others above a single provider view, to consider the impacts of policy and regulation on the range of people (consumers, family carers, workforce, business, funders). He provided leadership and strategic support to the home support sector for many years, six as leader of the sector peak body. Graeme saw how important the service is to people who want to live independently in their homes, and that improvements were necessary to quality, infrastructure and funding mechanisms in order to manage increasing demand.

Graeme’s wisdom, knowledge and skills have been actively sought and used in multiple negotiations and consultations.

He has also used his management accounting, negotiation and influencing skills to proactively develop community services in Karori. As a Rotary leader he ran major fundraising activities to support the environmental projects at the Karori Sanctuary. He also chairs the Karori Community Bus Inc which has purchased and maintained a bus used extensively for outings for the elderly in rest homes in Karori and also by other Karori community services. Graeme was a founding trustee and now Chairs the Karori Community Hall Trust, which was established to undertake the completion of a multimillion dollar new Karori Events Centre.

This is soon to be completed. Graeme also provides voluntary accounting support for the Marsden Day Care Trust, which operates to provide a day care programme for people with memory loss.

We are very pleased that Graeme’s sector leadership and community contribution have been recognised.

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