Bay of Plenty District Health Board reveal how $45m mental health fund will be spent

Construction on the two facilities is expected to get underway in the next 12 to 18 months. Photo / File

The Bay of Plenty District Board (BOPDHB) have revealed how their $45 million mental health funding boost will be spent.

It was announced earlier this week that the BOPDHB would receive $30 million for the creation of a new mental health and addictions facility in Tauranga and $15 million for one in Whakatāne.

BOPDHB interim chief executive Simon Everitt said the money would be spent on purpose-built facilities that would take cultural appropriateness to the forefront of its design.

Within the new facilities, specialist psychiatric care, intensive psychiatric care and detoxification facilities will all be enhanced, he said.

BOPDHB board chairman Sir Michael Cullen said the funding would allow them to upgrade their inpatient mental health and addiction facility to one which more appropriately reflects modern care practices.

He said it would be built around modern design principles and better reflect the need of the high Maōri population in the area.

"In Tauranga, our rapidly expanding population means that bed capacity is an issue we will now be able to address."

Construction on the two facilities is expected to get underway in the next 12 to 18 months.