New East Wing Opens at Taranaki Base Hospital

Health Minister Simeon Brown said the new facility is the centrepiece of the $462.6 million redevelopment project and will begin treating patients from Monday.

Patients across the Taranaki region are set to receive improved healthcare with the official opening of the New East Wing at Taranaki Base Hospital, marking the completion of the second stage of the hospital's large-scale redevelopment.

Health Minister Simeon Brown said the new facility is the centrepiece of the $462.6 million redevelopment project and will begin treating patients from Monday. The project was supported by an additional $59.2 million in Government funding last year to address rising construction costs and ensure the development could be completed. The new wing has been designed to bring key hospital services together in one integrated acute care precinct, helping medical teams respond more quickly to patients requiring urgent treatment.

New facilities increase capacity and improve patient care

The New East Wing increases patient capacity from 96 spaces to 151, representing a 57 per cent increase to meet growing healthcare demand across the region. The building has also been planned with room for future expansion as healthcare needs continue to grow.

Among its major additions are a significantly larger emergency department with almost twice the existing capacity, a new intensive care unit located alongside emergency and diagnostic services, and co-located radiology and imaging facilities that will help speed up diagnosis and treatment.

The redevelopment also includes a modern maternity unit featuring new delivery suites, postnatal wards, improved family spaces, a dedicated primary birthing unit, and a neonatal unit integrated with maternity services. A new Acute Assessment Unit has also been established to allow earlier senior clinical decision-making, helping reduce unnecessary hospital admissions.

Other improvements include upgraded laboratory services with 34 workstations, a rooftop helipad providing direct access to emergency, intensive care and operating theatres, and a new Integrated Operations Centre to improve coordination across the hospital campus.

Redevelopment strengthens long-term healthcare for the region

Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey officially opened the New East Wing during a ribbon-cutting ceremony, describing the project as an important investment that will improve access to healthcare for Taranaki residents. He said the expanded facilities will provide more treatment capacity, reduce delays for patients, improve the flow of people through the hospital, and allow more care to be delivered closer to home. The New East Wing forms part of the wider redevelopment of Taranaki Base Hospital, which has already delivered a $56.1 million cancer centre, a mental health facility, a renal unit, an energy centre, resilience upgrades, and an earlier inpatient building.