A new hospital for South Auckland is a step closer, with Health Minister Simeon Brown announcing a major land search has begun for the new site.

Speaking at the Herald’s Project Auckland event today, Brown said Health New Zealand is seeking proposals from Drury landowners for the future hospital site.

“Health New Zealand has begun a targeted process to identify and purchase a large, suitable site in the Drury area that could support a major new hospital health precinct,” Brown said.

He said a Request for Proposal will be issued to landowners identified after a Request for Information released to the market in October last year.

“South Auckland and north Waikato are some of the fastest-growing parts of the country, and we know health infrastructure needs to keep pace,” Brown said.

Why was Drury chosen?

Brown said securing land now is a critical step to ensure they can plan with confidence and meet the long-term health needs of the rapidly growing population.

“South Auckland communities experience some of the highest health needs in New Zealand, including higher rates of infectious diseases and long-term conditions.

“At the same time, our major Auckland hospitals, including Middlemore and Auckland City, are already under significant pressure as they work to meet growing demand,” he said.

Middlemore Hospital has been under intense pressure for years and has one of the busiest emergency departments (ED) in the Southern Hemisphere.

A 2022 independent report into the death of a “healthy” 50-year-old woman at Middlemore Hospital found its emergency department was “unsafe, dysfunctional and overcrowded”.

Middlemore Hospital has been under intense pressure for years. Photo / Jason Dorday

“By moving now to identify the right site, we are making sure future investment is well planned, well located, and able to deliver the modern facilities patients and staff need,” Brown said.

He said the size of the land being sought would allow a wide range of future health developments, including a major general hospital.

Drury was chosen for its access to key transport routes and planned links.

Brown said this would make it easier for patients, staff, and visitors to access care.

He said this work was part of a broader programme to strengthen health infrastructure and future-proof services for growing communities.

“We are getting on with the job of planning, investing, and building for the future, so Aucklanders can have confidence that their health services will be there when they need them,” he said.

Last year, he spoke at the Herald’s Project Auckland event, where he announced the new hospital was planned for the 2030s.

In 2018, district health board chiefs, with backing from the Labour Government, announced plans for a 400-bed acute hospital in South Auckland over the following 20 years, and possibly a new hospital north of the city.