Construction begins on new $88 million mental health centre in Lower Hutt
Health Minister Simeon Brown.
Photo:
RNZ / REECE BAKER
Construction has begun on a new $88 million mental health unit in Lower Hutt, which the government says will improve mental health outcomes for New Zealanders.
The Sir Mark Dunajtschik Mental Health Centre will provide 34 adult acute inpatient beds - ten more than the existing Te Whare Ahuru.
The government was investing $38 million in the construction of the facility, while $50 million was being donated by Wellington philanthropist Sir Mark Dunajtschik.
Sir Mark also donated $50 million towards the new Wellington Children's Hospital in 2017.
This morning Health Minister Simeon Brown, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and Hutt South MP Chris Bishop all took part in a sod-turning ceremony to celebrate the start of a project.
Doocey said Sir Mark's contribution would leave a legacy of hope and care that would benefit generations to come.
He said the purpose-built centre would help ensure New Zealanders in distress receive timely, appropriate care.
"This project is about more than bricks and mortar. It's about improving lives and delivering the mental health outcomes New Zealanders deserve," he said.
Doocey said people experiencing severe distress deserved care in the right environment, at the right time.
"It's not only better for them, but it also helps take pressure off our busy emergency departments," he said.
"That's why mental health care must be underpinned by high-quality infrastructure that enables clinicians and support staff to deliver the safe, effective, compassionate care Kiwis deserve."
Brown said it was an important milestone for Lower Hutt and the wider region.
He said the new facility would be purpose-built to support modern models of care, which would help to deliver better outcomes for patients and their families.
"It will also enhance the region's mental health infrastructure, offering safer, more therapeutic spaces for those in urgent need."
The current Te Whare Ahuru acute inpatient unit was built in 1995.
In 2021, it came
under fire from the Chief Ombudsman
for being not fit for purpose.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero
,
a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
12 hours ago
- RNZ News
Tā Māui Pōmare day: Sir Richard Faull pays heed to Māori health pioneers
Peter Buck (Te Rangi Hiroa), Apirana Ngata, and Maui Pomare at Avondale camp on 20 October, 1914. Photo: public domain Cars lined the streets leading to Ōwae Marae in Waitara on Saturday to celebrate Tā Māui Pōmare, a 20th century medical doctor and New Zealand's first Māori Health Minister. Sir Māui Pōmare Annual Commemorations happen every third Saturday in June at Ōwae Marae, sometimes at Urenui Pā (Ngāti Mutunga). "[He] was a local rangatira and a doctor who was concerned for our people and the infrastructure around how we lived," Manukorihi Pā Reserve trustee and Marae Kaitiaki Roina Graham said. Pōmare (Ngāti Mutunga and Ngāti Toa) graduated the American Medical Missionary College in Chicago in 1899 and returned to Aotearoa the following year to give back to Māori. In 1911, he was elected to Parliament representing Western Māori and in 1923 he became the Minister of Health. Sir Māui Pōmare died in 1930 in Los Angeles, but was buried at Ōwae Marae. Tā Māui Pōmare statue during the Ōwae Marae carving restorations in 2024. It is where Pōmare was buried Photo: RNZ / Emma Andrews Surrounded by mana whenua, Māui Pōmare's great-grandaughter Miria Pōmare, and current Māori doctors, New Zealand's leading neuroscientist Sir Richard Faull (Te Atiawa) gave an impromptu speech paying homage to his heroes Tā Māui Pōmare and Te Rangi Hīroa (Sir Peter Buck). Although Pōmare was New Zealand's first Māori doctor, Te Rangi Hīroa was the first Māori doctor to have graduated in Aotearoa. Te Rangi Hīroa was a Māori medical officer under Pōmare, both came together to improve the sanitation of Māori settlements and the health of the tangata Māori. Faull, a Waitara High School alumni of 1963, said he was a 'book nerd' and was awarded dux and received the Te Rangi Hīroa medal in his final year "That medal is a beacon for me," Faull said. It gave him a nudge into health care. "You can only look after the health of your people by having your people as your leaders, your doctors." Growing up, Faull knew he was Māori, but when he was doing medicine and brain research in the USA at Boston's MIT and Harvard, he needed more financial assistance to continue, so he asked for it in a letter to his dad. His dad wrote back and said kaumātua from Te Atiawa wanted to give him $1000. It was like gold to him, but he didn't "feel Māori" back then and didn't want to accept the offer. Faull recalled the letter from his dad that read 'they have said that you will come home, and they want you to take this [koha]." It stirred his Māori whakapapa. Richard Faull Photo: University of Auckland / CBR In 1986, Faull delivered a speech about Parkinson's and Huntington's disease to a group of people in Taranaki where he noticed a group of Māori from Te Atiawa. The group asked Faull to help them with their Huntington's disease which is an inherited gradual decay of nerve cells in the brain affecting movement, thinking, and emotional problems. "I didn't know how I was going to help them, but they were asking me home." Every year he had met with the whānau from Te Atiawa, but it was during Friday's 'special' hui with them that he was able to deliver assurance. Faull, and other researchers have been working to find a way to 'turn the gene off' that causes Huntington's. "For the first time I gave them hope, for the first time it felt like Māori helping Māori. "We have come home to help our whānau, nothing is going to stop us." Faull had spent 50 years on brain research, and for the past five years he and Dr Makarena Dudley - a clinical neuropsychologist and 'expert' on dementia in kaumātua Māori - have been to 17 different marae to talk to iwi Māori about what they're finding in the neuro space. "We're not there to tell them what to do. We're there to listen to what they need and then we help them," Faull said. Faull was one of many who developed MAPAS (Māori and Pacific Admission Scheme) at the Auckland Medical School to support and increase the number of Māori and Pacific health professionals. According to the Medical Council for New Zealand's most recent data from 31 March, 2025, it's a steady incline for Māori who now make up 5.11 percent of current practicing doctors in Aotearoa. Faull was proud to say his son was a second-year health surgeon in Whangārei who aimed to form a general practice with Māori. "We have to have our Māori doctors to look after our Māori people and that is non-negotiable." "Māui Pōmare knew that. He went out and he turned health around for Māori. Māori were declining in population and Māui Pōmare, Te Rangi Hīroa, Apirana Ngata, they changed the horizon... and that horizon is still threatened." Sir Māui Wiremu Piti Naera Pōmare while a student at Battle Creek College in Michigan, USA, in 1899. Photo: Supplied / Alexander Turnbull Library Te tiriti is the 'goal standard' Faull pleaded to politicians. "It's about partnership. Partnership is not about one partner being dominant over the other partner, it is about shared values, a shared vision, it is about equality for all. "Never forget what partnership is about, it's not about dismantling te tiriti, we are here to honour the words of our ancestors, our tīpuna." He said Māori look to their tīpuna to chart for their future. "Their words, their actions, they did this to guide us. Māui Pōmare did it [and] Te Rangi Hīroa - Sir Peter Buck." Although Faull said it's wonderful to see the number of Māori doctors celebrating the life of Tā Māui Pōmare, there was a big task ahead. "It's not a task that's special or different for Māori, it's a task about giving equity to Māori. About self-expression helping them to determine their future. That is a partnership. "We've come a long way, but we've got so much further to go." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
17 hours ago
- RNZ News
Pasifika Medical Association rejects claims public funds used inappropriately
Pasifika Medical Association group chair Kiki Maoate. Photo: Pasifika Medical Association Group The Pasifika Medical Association (PMA) is rejecting claims that public funds have been used in an inappropriate manner. Te Puni Kōkiri is launching an independent review into allegations that money was used inappropriately for Whānau Ora commissioning services. It relates to allegations of funds misused by two agencies, including Pasifika Futures Limited, where it is alleged that [ Moana Pasifika received $770,000 a year] from a Whānau Ora contract with the Pasifika Medical Association. However, Pasifika Medical Association group chair Kiki Maoate said no public funding has been used to support the professional rugby team. "We strongly reject any claim that public funds have been used in an inappropriate manner," Maoate said. Moana Pasifika became part of the Pasifika Medical Association Group (PMA) on 1 July 2024. At that time, the Moana Pasifika Charitable Trust was formally established to hold both the professional rugby team and the Moana Pasifika Community Sports Programme, Maoate said. "Moana Pasifika has always been more than a rugby team. From the outset, it was established as a platform for social good and long-term transformation for Pacific people. That founding purpose made it a natural strategic fit for PMA, which recognised the opportunity to strengthen and expand Moana Pasifika's reach. With that alignment of values and mission, PMA invested to optimise the organisations positive impact, capability and connection to Pacific communities. "In 2021, a small amount of funding was provided to the Pacific Business Trust to support the development of a business case for the establishment of the Moana Pasifika Charitable Trust. This was consistent with broader support for Pacific-owned and delivered initiatives under the economic domain of Pasifika Futures. "Since that time, any public or Whānau Ora funding has been directed solely to the Moana Pasifika Community Sports Programme. No public funding has been used to support the professional rugby team." the statement from PMA said. RNZ has approached the PMA for further comment. Te Pou Matakana, otherwise known as the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency Limited, is also being investigated after Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka seeked urgent advice on "electioneering concerns". The concerns related to an advertisement encouraging Māori to sign-up to the Māori electoral roll paid for by Te Pou Matakana, which was released this week. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
19 hours ago
- Scoop
New Digital Platform To Help Women Detect Breast Cancer Earlier
Minister of Health Around 135,000 women across New Zealand who are eligible but not currently enrolled for breast cancer screening will benefit from the successful national rollout of a new digital platform, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. 'The launch of Te Puna across the country is a major step forward for delivering faster and smarter screening services,' Mr Brown says. 'Te Puna replaces an outdated legacy system with a modern, streamlined platform that makes it easier for women to enrol, book, and manage their breast screening appointments – helping more women get screened earlier.' The new system, which began rolling out in February, is now live nationwide. It introduces a more proactive approach to screening, with women now automatically identified when they become eligible and invited to book a mammogram – shifting from an opt-in to an opt-out model. 'This change will significantly boost participation and help close the gap for the 135,000 eligible women who aren't currently getting screened. 'Early detection through regular mammograms is critical. Women diagnosed through screening are about 34 per cent less likely to die from breast cancer. This new system will make it easier for more women to get the checks they need, when they need them.' Te Puna significantly enhances data tracking, accuracy, and reporting – helping providers identify and reach women who have never screened or don't screen regularly. It also improves convenience for patients, allowing women to book or change appointments using a secure personalised link or QR code sent via text, email, or letter. 'This Government is focused on lifting screening rates to save more lives and improve treatment outcomes. Te Puna will play a vital role in achieving that. 'We're also delivering on our commitment to extend breast screening to women aged 70 to 74, with rollout of the expansion beginning later this year. 'Every woman deserves the chance for early detection and timely treatment. Te Puna is about putting the right tools in place to deliver better care, faster – and ultimately, to save lives,' Mr Brown says.
