Northern Advocate
  • Northern Advocate home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei
  • Kaipara
  • Mangawhai
  • Dargaville

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Northern Advocate

Three Northland hospitals in line for Covid upgrades

By Peter de Graaf
Reporter·Northern Advocate·
15 Dec, 2021 05:17 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Bay of Islands Hospital in Kawakawa is the biggest winner in the upgrade plan with a 20-bed dedicated pandemic response ward as well as oxygen system upgrades. Photo / Tania Whyte

Bay of Islands Hospital in Kawakawa is the biggest winner in the upgrade plan with a 20-bed dedicated pandemic response ward as well as oxygen system upgrades. Photo / Tania Whyte

The Government plans to spend $1.7 million readying Northland hospitals for an expected influx of Covid-19 patients as restrictions ease and the virus becomes more widespread.

The extra funding will allow the construction of a dedicated 20-bed pandemic response inpatient ward at Bay of Islands Hospital in Kawakawa along with emergency department and oxygen system improvements ($1.009m).

Kaitaia Hospital will get a six-bed pandemic response inpatient ward and an oxygen system upgrade ($340,000) while in Whangārei an administration area will be converted into a 24-bed pandemic overflow ward and air management will be improved in birthing, mental health and renal areas ($362,000).

Health Minister Andrew Little said the upgrades would allow treatment of Covid-19 patients while protecting other patients, visitors and staff from the virus.

However, Whangārei-based National MP Shane Reti, a former GP, said the plan was "too little too late" and in most cases involved converting existing beds into Covid-19 wards.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The creation of a new 20-bed Covid ward at Kawakawa, however, made sense and did not involve sacrificing any existing beds, Reti said.

Little said the projects had been chosen by the Northland District Health Board to strengthen the three hospitals in the age of Covid-19.

"With high vaccination rates and better treatments and prevention methods, we're shifting to better support planned and routine care while also safely caring for Covid-19 patients.''

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Treating people with Covid could disrupt other patients because of the precautions required for infection prevention and control. The upgrades aimed to minimise that disruption, Little said.

A timeline was not given but the minister said work would start as soon as possible in 2022.

In total 36 upgrades would be carried out at 24 hospitals at a cost of $100m in capital funding plus $544m operational funding.

An administration area at Whangārei Hospital will be converted into a 24-bed pandemic overflow ward. Photo / Tania Whyte
An administration area at Whangārei Hospital will be converted into a 24-bed pandemic overflow ward. Photo / Tania Whyte

Reti said the creation of new wards at Kaitaia and Kawakawa was the best part of the announcement.

Discover more

New Zealand

Utes towing boats, cars stuffed with luggage: Auckland holidaymakers at Tai Tokerau checkpoint

14 Dec 06:22 PM
New Zealand

Businesses call for split traffic light levels in Northland

14 Dec 04:00 PM

Reti: Hospital revamp requires collaborative effort from all stakeholders

12 Dec 04:00 PM

The Bay of Islands expansion in particular made sense because of the extra risk in tourist areas, and the distance to Whangārei where there were just eight ICU beds.

"But when you look through the other projects they're mostly reshuffles. There's very few new builds so you're robbing Peter to pay Paul."

The plan for Auckland was "too little too late" with the delay part of the reason the city had been in extended lockdown with many hospital procedures cancelled.

The real issue was not ICU beds or ventilators but staff, Reti said.

"Where on earth is the human resource around all of this build? It's always been an ICU nurse story, and I'm seeing nothing here that addresses that."

New Zealand was "really late to the game" and now had to compete with higher-paying countries such as Canada and Australia for ICU nurses.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Little said New Zealand's success in responding to the pandemic meant there had never been more than 11 Covid-19 patients in ICU at any time.

Most of the upgrades were geared at patients with mild to moderate Covid-19.

"The vast majority of people who get Covid won't need to go to hospital, let alone need an ICU bed."

He blamed the previous National government for the need to upgrade facilities, saying it had massively underinvested in health infrastructure including ICUs.

Save
    Share this article

Latest from Northern Advocate

Northern Advocate

The inspiring lives behind this year's Civic Honours recipients

Northern Advocate

'My children were washed away, one by one': Captain of the Capitaine Bougainville recalls the tragedy 50 years on

Opinion

Opinion: Gambling with the future of sport and recreation clubs


Sponsored

NZ’s convenience icon turns 35

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Northern Advocate

The inspiring lives behind this year's Civic Honours recipients
Northern Advocate

The inspiring lives behind this year's Civic Honours recipients

Alan Bayly, Harry Carter, Bett Harvey and Darrell Trigg are this year's recipients.

05 Sep 11:00 PM
'My children were washed away, one by one': Captain of the Capitaine Bougainville recalls the tragedy 50 years on
Northern Advocate

'My children were washed away, one by one': Captain of the Capitaine Bougainville recalls the tragedy 50 years on

05 Sep 05:00 PM
Opinion: Gambling with the future of sport and recreation clubs
Opinion

Opinion: Gambling with the future of sport and recreation clubs

05 Sep 04:50 PM


NZ’s convenience icon turns 35
Sponsored

NZ’s convenience icon turns 35

02 Sep 09:23 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northern Advocate e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Northern Advocate
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northern Advocate
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP