Hospice travels to Hinemoa St site

The building has been moved to the new site for Community Hospice. Photo / Ben Fraser

A new hospice facility worth more than $1 million has moved a step closer, with the first part of the building relocated onto its new site.

Community Hospice is moving from the Rotorua lakefront to a site on Hinemoa St.

As part of the development the old, unused Te Ngako building has been given to the hospice to be relocated and refurbished.

John Crean, who is overseeing the project, said Rotorua had proven it was a town with a big heart with plenty of people pitching in to help. He said not one person he had asked to help had turned him down.

Mr Crean said the core work was paid for but all the principals had given their time.

"Some have been big asks like Euan Campbell, who put his trucks and gear on site and personally operated the diggers and graders for long hours."

He also paid credit to Bart Yetsenga and his crew of engineers for getting the "suspect" piece of ground up to spec, as well as Jimmy Teat and Ross Gardiner who dismantled the old building, Tony Sargison at Rotorua Forest Haulage who also lent assistance and Darryl Church and his team, who were working on the redesign.

The building was being moved to Hinemoa St in three parts, then work would start on the piles and reassembling it.

"I guess that will be the first hurdle over but the real work will then begin, the internal reconfiguration and the new build of the service areas which are used to sanitise and store all the equipment."

It has taken five years to find a new home for hospice and the location was found after years of searching thanks to the help of Pukeroa Oruawhata Trust, which gave the hospice a long-term lease of the land at the end of Hinemoa St at a peppercorn rental. It also agreed to exchange the hospice cottage for the more substantial Te Ngako building.

Rotorua Community Hospice:

•Supports about 120 to 130 clients at any time.
•About 50 per cent have cancer, with the other half suffering other terminal illnesses.
•The number of referrals has increased by 50 per cent in the past five years.
•Provides services free including support for families, nursing support and equipment, and bereavement support.
•Hospice nurses cover from Lake Rotoma in the east to Mamaku in the north as well as Reporoa and Atiamuri.