Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey officially opened a new multimillion-dollar mental health and addiction care facility at Gisborne Hospital on Wednesday, marking a significant milestone in the region’s healthcare infrastructure. The new facility, Te Whare Āwhi Ora, is set to enhance early intervention efforts and will be fully staffed and operational by January 2025.
Replacing the previous eight-bed unit, the $31.1 million facility offers increased capacity with 10 beds, including five general ward rooms, three high-dependency rooms, and two short-stay rooms. Doocey expressed his excitement about the new purpose-built facility, emphasizing its role in providing therapeutic care for the community.
“It’s really important for the community to have a whare like this, a building designed to provide therapeutic care,” Doocey told the Gisborne Herald. He also noted that, historically, New Zealand’s mental health facilities lacked the design and infrastructure to truly support recovery. “Now we have a purpose-built facility that is focused on therapeutic outcomes,” he added.
One of the key features of the new facility is the addition of two short-stay beds, which allow patients to seek care before reaching a crisis point. “It’s more about prevention and early intervention,” Doocey explained, adding that some individuals with lifelong mental health conditions can learn to recognize the signs of becoming unwell and use the facility to stay well.
Doocey further outlined the Government’s broader commitment to strengthening the mental health and addiction system, stating that increasing access to mental health services was a priority. “Upgrading our mental health infrastructure and increasing bed numbers is central to this,” he said.
The new unit was originally proposed and developed by the previous Labour Government and forms part of a wider initiative funded by Budget 2019’s $1.9 billion investment into mental wellbeing. Te Whare Āwhi Ora is one of five projects funded under this investment.
John Swiatczak, Hauora Tairāwhiti’s group director of operations, expressed pride in the project’s completion, describing the new unit as a milestone for the community. “It reflects our commitment to providing the best care for the people in our community,” Swiatczak said. He highlighted the facility’s dual focus on meeting physical health needs while offering a supportive environment for healing.
The unit, which will open in January, is largely built on the site previously occupied by the maternity hospital, known as the Morris-Adair Building. Swiatczak acknowledged the team’s dedication, saying, “Countless hours of planning, innovation, and teamwork went into the facility.” He thanked the staff for their commitment to excellence, calling the unit a space the Tairāwhiti community could be proud of.
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