New $35m Child Health Centre opens at Whangārei Hospital, sod turned at rebuild site
Whangārei Hospital’s new Child Health Centre and car park extension opened today, paving the way for the hospital’s highly anticipated redevelopment.
Health Minister Simeon Brown attended the openings and turned the sod at the site of the new acute services building and 158-bed ward tower.
The new $35m Child Health Centre will provide medical and non-medical outpatient and community services for children aged 0-16 and up to 21 in some cases.
Provisions would include paediatric medical services, paediatric community nursing, healthy lifestyle programmes, eczema and allergy clinics, visiting specialist clinics, and electroencephalogram (EEG) clinics.
The new centre is connected to Whangārei Base Hospital by a link bridge, making it easier for families to move between facilities, like the Special Care Baby Unit, paediatrics, and maternity services.
“A hospital visit can be daunting for a young child, so this centre has been designed around them, with comfortable waiting areas for families, therapy and play spaces inside, and a playground and landscaped areas outside,” Brown said.
The Car Park 14 extension also opened today, costing $18.5 million.
Brown said both projects were a “critical step” toward the wider Whangārei Hospital redevelopment.
The former Child Health site would make way for the new acute services building and ward tower.
“Seeing both projects completed is a significant milestone for Northland, and I want to acknowledge Dr Shane Reti, who turned the sod for the Child Health Centre in December 2024 and for the carpark extension late last year,” Brown said.
Brown said much of Whangārei Hospital dated back to the 1950s and was no longer equipped to meet Northland’s growing needs.
“We need facilities that support modern models of care and provide greater capacity,” he said.
The acute services building would include an expanded emergency department, 10 operating theatres, and modern intensive-care facilities.
The 158-bed ward tower would provide beds across four medical-surgical wards and an acute assessment unit, delivering a net increase of 53 beds for the campus.The 158-bed ward tower would provide beds across four medical-surgical wards and an acute assessment unit, delivering a net increase of 53 beds for the campus.
Brown said delivering the ward tower and acute services would improve efficiency at the hospital and accelerate the wider redevelopment.
The Government committed to the ward tower in Budget 2026, which would also fund piling works for an additional ward tower in future.
“The redevelopment is expected to contribute around $233 million to Northland’s GDP and support more than 2700 fulltime equivalent jobs through construction and associated industries,” he said.
“As construction progresses, this investment will build confidence in Northland’s future while delivering the modern hospital facilities the region needs.”
Brodie Stone covers crime and emergency for the Northern Advocate. She has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.
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