Hospice medical leader Grahame Tosh said the response to the additional night care support had been overwhelmingly positive.
''The night carers support family and friends to provide home-based care and are also giving family members time to get much-needed rest so that they can continue to look after their loved ones at home,'' Dr Tosh said.
The decision to employ night carers was part of the hospice's commitment to keeping patients in their own homes for as long as possible, he said.
''We measure our success by being able to support our patients wherever they want to be and, for most of them, that's at home.
"We expect to be able to care for the whole person, and their family, at home and we work with their GP, district nurse or rest-home carers to ensure that's an option for as long as possible.
''When hospice gets involved with a family, they sometimes fear that they will end up being admitted to our inpatient unit, but our goal is really the opposite.
"The hospice has hundreds of people on its programme, cared for in their communities, but only a small proportion need to be admitted to the inpatient unit.''
Hospice nurse leader Sharon Stewart said the additional night support was ''huge for the families as well as the patients''.
''At this time of their life, they don't want to have to come into an institution but families can struggle sometimes, so this is another way we can offer care and support so they can continue to be looked after at home.''
Those employed as carers said they felt privileged to be in the role, she said. The night support was particularly relevant as ''nights are the loneliest, the time when the patients and the families feel most alone and it can be a time they have higher anxiety''.
The provision of the service would be ongoing, and it showed the hospice was paying attention to meeting a need in the community, Mrs Stewart said.
Dr Tosh said some people who required very complex care might still be admitted to the hospice's inpatient unit in Dunedin for symptom management, respite care or to die, but the majority of hospice patients would be able to be cared for at home this Christmas.
