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Work has restarted on Dunedin’s new $1.88 billion hospital, after a series of delays and public backlash.
The downsized design will house 351 beds and is due to be completed in 2031.
The hospital treats patients from across the lower South Island, which is a six-hour round trip from Cromwell for Roger Driver.
“The old hospital is where I’m visiting today and it is in a very bad state of repair,” he said.
“My wife has treatment monthly and we’ve been coming for five years every month.”
Delays on the project have caused outrage among locals, who have been dealing with the “really, really hectic and crammed” state of the old hospital.
“It’s a bit scary and frightening for the community,” one man told 1News.
"It definitely hasn't had the maintenance that it should've had on it," another added.
Health Minister Simeon Brown today told 1News construction had resumed after being "paused for a number of months”.
“The previous scope would have meant that the cost of this building could have blown out to around $3 billion."
The Government has now set itself a timeline for the 11-storey building.
Over the next six months, pile caps and remedial works will be finished. Substructure work will then begin at the start of next year, before installing base isolators in July 2026. Steel construction will then begin in August.
“There’s also been a letter of intent signed between Health New Zealand and [contractor] CPB, which is a good step forward,” Brown added.
“And that final construction negotiation is currently underway.”
The new inpatient building is the largest health infrastructure investment in New Zealand history, and will cover 70,000 square metres on the site of the former Cadbury factory.
As a stopgap, Health New Zealand is spending $23 million to keep the old building safe and functional, with waterproofing also part of its ongoing maintenance.
The new outpatient building next door, which is closing in on completion, will open next year.
The inpatient block is set to be done by 2031.
