Kawakawa health centre will be built

An artist's impression of Te Hauora o Pukepuke Rau, the wellness centre that was to have been built by the Ngati Hine Health Trust next to a redeveloped Bay of Islands Hospital in Kawakawa. Photo / Supplied

A multi-million-dollar project to upgrade Kawakawa's Bay of Islands Hospital, and build a new health centre will continue, according to the Northland DHB, despite its partner, the Ngati hine Health Trust, no longer being able to make its $8 million contribution.

The DHB said last week that its $9.9 million hospital rebuild was progressing as planned, and it would now also build the adjoining 'integrated wellness centre,' Te Hauora o Pukepuke Rau, which was to have been built by the health trust, which is understood to have pulled out on Friday.

Part of the existing hospital has already been demolished to make away for the centre.

DHB chairwoman Sally Macauley said she could reassure the people of the Mid North that the hospital rebuild would continue as planned, while the board would now take over the wellness centre project, which would bring together the three current GP practices in Kawakawa and Moerewa, along with community health, outpatient, pharmacy and dental services.

Details of how the extra cost would be met would be available this week.

As well as housing most of the area's primary health services, the wellness centre will form the entrance to Bay of Islands Hospital, trust chairwoman Gwen Te Pania-Palmer saying at the launch in May that the combined DHB-trust project would offer the best care possible for all people of the Mid North.

The wellness centre would be by far the trust's biggest investment to date, she added, easily eclipsing Te Mirumiru early childcare centre, built in Kawakawa in 2012.

The decision to build the combined facility on the hospital site was made after years of debate over whether to rebuild the hospital or start again on a new site elsewhere in the Mid North.