Shareholders approve Wakefield name change

Shareholders have given Wakefield Hospital Ltd the go-ahead for a name change.

The company, New Zealand's second-biggest private hospital operator, will drop the word "hospital" and become Wakefield Health Ltd.

It owns the Wakefield and Bowen Hospitals in Wellington, and has had various titles since it was founded by a Catholic nursing order as Lewisham Hospital in Wellington in 1929.

The company listed in September 2001, and the shares last traded on Friday at $5.10 -- a year high.

They have climbed steadily since the Cushing family and Royston Hospital snared a 9 per cent holding after a stand in the market at $4.23 a share in May.

The Cushings already hold 7.8 per cent, giving the two groups about 16 per cent of Wakefield -- the single biggest block of shares.

New Zealand has about 38 private hospitals, 10 wholly and three jointly owned by the biggest operator, Southern Cross.

- NZPA