I was born in the USA and attained a B.A. in Liberal Arts in 1971, and went to Europe because I didn't know anyone who had travelled there. After meeting a New Zealander, William Hursthouse, in France in Nov 1971, we travelled through Africa, and were married in South Africa in Nov 1972. We are still happily married with two adult sons, who have families. We continued travelling through Asia and we studied Mahayana Buddhism from Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche in Nepal in March-April 1973. We arrived in NZ, July 1973. In Oct 1974, we invited our gurus, the first Tibetan Buddhist teachers to NZ. With my husband and Bruce and Claire Barwell, we started the first Tibetan Buddhist Centre in NZ, Dorje Chang Institute, in 1976. I was a Registered Nurse from 1992-2016. My nursing experience led me to specialise in Palliative care. In 1995, I founded Amitabha Hospice Service Trust because I saw a need to help District Nurses support people with cancer and aged people in their homes who didn't have available family support. Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave us the name "Amitabha Hospice". After training two groups of Volunteers, Amitabha Hospice started to help Aucklanders in 1996.
In February 2025, I resigned from being Managing Director and Claire Barton was appointed Chief Executive Officer. I am still the FPMT Director of Amitabha Hospice because it is affiliated with the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition, which necessitates having an FPMT student as Director.
I have been on the Executive of the New Zealand Buddhist Council since 2009. I was Vice-chair from 2015-2022.
In January 2008, I was critically injured in a car accident, which gave me a lot of experience of being on the other side of the caring equation.
In my work as a nurse with dying patients in their own homes, I often felt my usefulness was more as a spiritual companion supporting their transition than as a medical practitioner. This led me to start training NZ Buddhist Chaplains with my dear friend Venerable Thubten Khadro in 2013.
Ecie Hursthouse - Amitabha Founder and Director
Our Board of Trustees
Heather Kempton
Chairperson
I am originally from North Devon, England, but also have strong connection to Wales, having lived in North Wales for 10 years, where I completed her BSc and PhD in Psychology at Bangor University. I then moved to Auckland to take up a position as Associate Professor in the School of Psychology at Massey University. My teaching and research interests are in cognitive psychology (attention, memory, emotion etc.) and my current research focus is on mindfulness/meditation. I have lived here for 14 years, am a practicing Buddhist (Vajrayana: Karma Kagyu tradition), and have completed Level 1 training of Buddhist Chaplaincy, with Ecie as my supervisor. I am a mother of one, and am delighted to be able to support Amitabha Hospice by Chairing the Board of Trustees.
Shelley Corbett
Treasurer
I’m a Chartered Accountant with over 30 years of experience, born and raised in Auckland. I hold a Bachelor of Management Studies from the University of Waikato and an MBA, and in 2026 I’m continuing my commitment to lifelong learning by studying through the Chartered Governance Institute. My professional life has taught me the importance of integrity, accountability, and compassion—values I believe are essential in both business and community. Supporting the Amitabha Hospice Service Trust gives me the opportunity to contribute to something that fosters kindness and positive change in the world.
Outside of work, I love spending time with friends and family, exploring new places through travel, reading, and staying curious about the world. I also have a keen interest in lifelong learning and creative pursuits, which help me maintain a balanced and well-rounded perspective.
Thubten Khadro
Trustee
Venerable Khadro was born in Venezuela of European parents, raised in Argentina and after completing a degree in Business Administration, she emigrated to New Zealand in 2004, where she first encountered Tibetan Buddhism. She took ordination in 2014 with the Great Master Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Since then she has engaged in formal Buddhist studies, including the completion of the Master Programme in Buddhist Philosophy. She has also spent months in solitary retreat including at Lawudo, a remote hermitage in the Himalayas, Nepal.
She has served the FPMT for the past 20 years in various roles, and is currently the Resident Teacher at Yeshin Norbu Center in Stockholm. She has led various courses & retreats in NZ, Australia, Sweden, Colombia, India, Nepal and Germany. Her "international" background allows her to have an open, friendly and warm manner. She is an FPMT registered teacher, a Buddhist Chaplain and an accredited Foundation for Developing Wisdom and Compassion facilitator-FDWC.
Katrina Robertson
Secretary
Katrina lives in Coromandel and has served on several not-for-profit boards over the last 10 years and has extensive governance experience. She is an accredited Buddhist chaplain and is committed to serving the communities that Amitabha Hospice supports as she believes very strongly in the values and philosophy that Amitabha Hospice Service Trust represents.
Our Team
Vijay Kumar
Accountant
I have been a NZ Charted Accountant since 2001 and have more than 30 years of experience across 3 continents. For me, accountancy is a service; that’s the very reason I have supported Amitabha Hospice for over 10 years as their accountant.