There are 1060 car parks at the hospital and by 2026 it will require another 300. The DHB wants to build new multimillion-dollar building at Whangarei Hospital to bring the 300 staff it has working at seven sites around Whangarei on to the main hospital campus.
Dr Chamberlain said redevelopment of the Whangarei campus was going to have an impact on the amount of parking that will be available.
"The new maternity wing, laboratory, cancer centre and staff administration block developments mean that we need to redesign parking facilities and roading. It is intended that staff will continue to have access to some free car parking, located in a designated area, with appropriate safe walkways to the campus," he said.
"We will also be exploring alternative modes of transport to reduce the demand for car parking."
During the next few months the DHB will consult with staff and the public and research what parking solutions are available.
DHB director of strategic projects Brett Halverson said any paid car parking would have to be self-funding and all options were on the table.
Mr Halverson said the board would ask for expressions of interest from anybody keen to get involved in providing paid parking. "It could be anything from somebody selling us parking equipment, like pay and display machines and barrier arms, to somebody coming in to run the paid parking through to somebody building and running a multi-storey carpark," he said.
The preferred site for any multi-storey building was the public carpark that now borders Maunu Rd, between the hospital's theatre/ICU block and administration block.
Dr Chamberlain said although introducing paid parking might not be a popular decision, it was one that needed to be made.
"Revenue from paid car parking will help fund the additional carparks and roading changes. It will also allow us to save our very scarce capital funds for improving and renewing our clinical buildings and continue to allow us to grow and develop clinical services in an increasingly tight fiscal environment."