Health Minister Simeon Brown said the rapid-build projects will provide for 140 new beds nationwide at Middlemore Hospital, Waikato Hospital, Wellington Hospital and Nelson Hospital. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Health Minister Simeon Brown said the rapid-build projects will provide for 140 new beds nationwide at Middlemore Hospital, Waikato Hospital, Wellington Hospital and Nelson Hospital. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Four hospitals will open new wards during the second half of 2026.
Health Minister Simeon Brown said the rapid-build projects will provide for 140 new beds nationwide at Middlemore Hospital, Waikato Hospital, Wellington Regional Hospital and Nelson Hospital.
They will open at the same time as a new ward atHawke’s Bay Hospital that was announced in February.
Major rebuilds were currently under way in Wellington, Nelson, Whangārei and Dunedin.
“These new wards will make a real difference for both patients and staff. They will ease pressure on emergency departments, support faster admissions and discharges and improve patient flow right across the hospital,” Brown said.
The minister said the wards would be constructed offsite and installed on hospital grounds.
Each hospital’s unit will serve a specific role in improving performance and patient care:
Middlemore Hospital: The ward will expand general medicine capacity to relieve pressure on the emergency department and help meet the shorter stays in emergency departments target.
Waikato Hospital: The ward will operate as an assessment and diagnostic area near the emergency department, providing brief observations and treatment outside the main wards.
Wellington Regional Hospital: The ward will expand in-patient capacity to support acute flow by caring for lower-acuity patients and help meet the shorter stays in emergency departments target.
Nelson Hospital: The ward will enable services to be relocated while seismic strengthening work is carried out on existing buildings. Once complete, it will provide additional inpatient capacity to help address current bed shortages and improve patient flow until the new in-patient tower is built.
Hawke’s Bay Hospital: The ward will be used for short-stay surgical patients and surgical assessments, helping to streamline care for this patient group and free up surgical and medical in-patient beds elsewhere in the hospital.
