Minister Jones praises ‘tenacity’ of Mātai chief

Minister Shane Jones gives credit to Mātai chief executive and research director Dr Samantha Holdsworth (second from right) and chief operating officer Leigh Potter for their hard work and vision in bringing the cutting-edge medical research institute to Tairāwhiti before pronouncing the Mātai building officially open yesterday. Kaumatua Taina Ngarimu (left) was part of the opening ceremony which took place in front of a large audience made up of politicians, civil servants, medical people, community stakeholders and the public. A powerful and moving pōwhiri by Rongowhakaata welcomed Minister Jones and his party on to the site at Childers Road. Picture by Liam Clayton

Mātai Medical Research Institute’s new building on Childers Road was formally opened yesterday by Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones, in front of a large crowd of politicians, civil servants, medical people, community stakeholders and the public.

Minister Jones acknowledged the tenacity of chief executive and research director Dr Samantha Holdsworth and chief operating officer Leigh Potter in bringing their vision to life.

Manawhenua and kaumātua welcomed the Minister and his party on to the site with a pōwhiri.

Mātai is a cutting-edge medical research institute with a vision to shape the future of medical research and innovation.

It is their mission to unlock the mysteries of the brain and body for predictive and preventative medicine.

It has taken three years and a budget of $7 million to build the new premises with funding from Kānoa - Regional Economic Development & Investment Unit, Lottery Significant Projects Fund, Mangatawa Beale Williams Memorial Trust, Hugh Green Foundation, QUEST Enterprise Trust, and the JN & HB Williams Foundation.

“It was so wonderful to see this day come alight,” said Dr Holdsworth.

“We extend a heartfelt thank you to all our donors, the governance, advisory boards, research and education funders, in-kind supporters and of course our dedicated team and collaborators who we feel so lucky to work alongside.”

The project began in August 2022 with the stabilisation of the ground at the site at 466 Childers Road preparing it for construction which began in late November. The site has been vacant since St Mary’s Catholic Primary School moved to Campion Road in 2007.

The 1000 square metre building was designed by Kingsbeer Architecture and built by Dawson Building Company. There were delays due to Cyclone Gabrielle and the resulting supply chain disruptions. Project manager Peter Gourlay of Dawsons said it also took some time to get the technical specifications to build the scanning bay for the MRI machine.

The building consists of several pods with the clinical MRI and consulting rooms on one side, research and office space and a public seminar and cultural room on the other. There is also a dedicated space for Tōnui Collab as well as a small outdoor courtyard in the centre. Considerable thought has gone into the placement of artworks with fine art pieces and carvings on display from established local artists and Gisborne school students.āBefore declaring the building officially open, Mr Jones spoke of the need to create opportunity in the regions to stop talent from leaving New Zealand. He gave credit to Dr Holdsworth for injecting her own “human capital” and bringing her vision to Te Tairāwhiti after a substantial career overseas.

A group made up of students from a number of Tairāwhiti schools contributed to the waiata and mahi toi (art exhibition).

After the official opening lunch, MC  and radio host Mātai Smith introduced a number of speakers including Mātai board chair John Pittar, CEO of Turanga Health and Mātai board member Reweti Rophia, Mayor Rehettte Stoltz, Dr Holdsworth and Leigh Potter of Mātai, and Kobus Mentz, director of Urbanismplus Ltd who explained the stages of his vision for the Mātai campus.

This was followed by a tour where people interacted with the Mātai team as they explored the new facility.

Mātai has become a leading force in medical imaging, with a state-of-the-art GE 3 Tesla MRI machine and a team of experts.

A full feature on Mātai Medical Research Institute will be in next Saturday’s paper.