Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua has
confirmed its purchase of the old Masterton Hospital site
and an agreement with Masterton Medical to build a new
medical centre.
The healthcare facility will be
adjacent to Masterton Medical’s current premises, behind
Wairarapa Hospital on Te Ore Ore Road in
Masterton.
Settlement Trust Chair, Paora Ammunson,
said the deal has been a long time coming.
“I want
to acknowledge our investment team, led by Andrew Watters,
who have been working on this purchase for quite some
time.
“We’re thrilled to now confirm our
investment, which will help to uplift the Wairarapa
region,” he said.
“Our commercial partnership with
Masterton Medical is a build-to-rent agreement, and we will
work together to ensure the new building is welcoming to
all, fit for purpose and cost-effective.”
Trustee
and Te Ore Ore Marae hapū karanga representative, Huria
Robens, acknowledged the crucial role that mana whenua will
play as kaitiaki of the site.
“We will involve mana
whenua on appropriate tikanga at each stage of the build,”
she said.
Masterton Medical is one of the largest
medical centres of its kind in New Zealand and has been
living in temporary premises since 2014 following a fire at
its Lincoln Road base.
“We are so excited to finally
be planning our new building,” Masterton Medical General
Manager, Robyn Wilson, said.
“It will be
purpose-built to facilitate our model of healthcare, which
is driven by patient flow and continuity of
care.”
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The new centre will house all services
already available to patients including the pharmacy, health
coach and health improvement practitioner.
Investment
Trust Chair, Andrew Watters, confirmed the iwi purchased the
8.7 hectare site from the Crown, and said the medical centre
will occupy about one hectare.
“We will be working
through how to develop the balance of the land over the
coming years,” he said.
“Our decisions are made
with careful consideration for the long-term, and all future
development will require strong business cases, a solid
plan, and tenants that fit within our investment policy,
like we have achieved with Masterton
Medical.”
Wairarapa-based Concept Construction is
the lead contractor for the project, and local developer
David Borman is providing expertise.
The Investment
Trust says it will determine further procurement based on
supplier diversity and values-alignment.
Masterton
Medical Board Chairman, Bob Francis, said the partnership
with Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua is a
great outcome for both parties.
“We are really
excited to firm up a new and permanent home and to do so
with local iwi is a tremendous outcome for us all,” Mr
Francis said.
The timeline for construction of the new
medical centre is currently being
finalised.
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