AM Edition: Top 10 Politics Articles on LiveNews.co.nz for September 12, 2026 – Full Text

Source: New Zealand Government

Transport Minister Chris Bishop and Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown have confirmed appointments to the newly established Auckland Regional Transport Committee (ARTC), an important step in strengthening Auckland’s transport governance.

“The ARTC will play a critical role in aligning central and local government priorities and ensuring Auckland has a transport system that meets the needs of a growing city,” says Mr Bishop. 

“For too long, Auckland’s transport system has suffered from fragmented decision-making and a lack of clear long-term direction.

“These reforms are about putting in place stronger governance, greater accountability and a clear strategic focus for Auckland’s transport future.

The ARTC is made up of three Ministerial appointees, three Auckland Council appointees and a jointly appointed Chair.

Daniel Williams will serve as Chair for a one-year term from 14 September 2026 to 13 September 2027. The three Ministerial appointees will also serve for the same term. 

The three Ministerial appointees are:

• Carl Blanchard
• Bronwyn Coomer-Smit
• Stuart Shepherd

The three Auckland Council appointees are:

• Cr Andy Baker
• Cr Shane Henderson
• Mayor Wayne Brown (to be replaced by Cr Maurice Williamson*)

The appointments are the next step in implementing changes made by the Local Government (Auckland Council) (Transport Governance) Amendment Act 2026, which came into force on 7 May 2026.

Mr Bishop says Mr Williams brings more than 30 years of experience across master-planned communities, major infrastructure and commercial developments in New Zealand and the Pacific.

“His extensive experience will be of significant value to the ARTC as it takes on its strategic role, and I am pleased to see him appointed as Chair.

“Alongside Daniel, the Ministerial appointees bring complementary expertise across infrastructure investment, transport planning, economics and spatial planning.

Mayor Brown says the appointments are an important step towards a more integrated approach to transport planning for Auckland.

“This is a significant milestone and an important step forward in finally delivering a more integrated and coordinated approach to transport planning for Auckland,” says Mayor Brown.

“The ARTC is a unique committee, established through transport reform that formed one of my cornerstone policies to fix Auckland’s transport system and improve how major transport decisions are made.”

The committee reflects the importance of genuine partnership, a key principle of the Auckland Regional Deal, and will play a critical role in bringing together local and central government to align priorities and provide long-term certainty for Aucklanders.

“Daniel Williams is a suitable chair. It has been an extensive search because we wanted a strong, experienced and credible chair for this important role.

“Major projects don’t go wrong overnight, they start wrong. That’s why it’s critical the committee gets the foundations right from day one and provides the governance and oversight needed to make good decisions early.

“Daniel brings significant real-world experience and is already well known to Auckland Council through his work as the independent Chair of the Regulatory Review Committee, where he successfully helped council and industry work together to resolve complex regulatory issues.

“His proven ability to build consensus, tackle challenges and drive outcomes will serve the ARTC and Auckland well as it begins this important work.”

Notes to editor:

• *Mayor Wayne Brown will sit on the committee for the first three months, with former Minister of Transport Cr Maurice Williamson replacing him thereafter
• The Auckland Regional Transport Committee was established as a statutory committee by the Local Government (Auckland Council) (Transport Governance) Amendment Act 2026, which came into force on 7 May 2026.
• The ARTC comprises three Ministerial appointees, three Auckland Council appointees and a jointly appointed Chair.
• The committee’s functions include providing long-term strategic direction for Auckland’s transport system, delivering a 30-year transport plan for Auckland and preparing the Auckland Regional Land Transport Plan.

Appointee biographies

Daniel Williams

Daniel has been a Director of Woods NZ for over 30 years and was Managing Director for over 20 of them. Daniel has over 35 years of professional experience as a surveyor with involvement in a broad range of projects, including master-planned communities, large infrastructure builds, and commercial developments throughout New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. Daniel successfully oversaw the growth of the Woods to be a significant contributor to land development throughout New Zealand. Daniel has been a major figure in the New Zealand surveying industry. He has contributed significantly to the profession, including serving as a board member and board chair for Survey and Spatial New Zealand.

Carl Blanchard

Carl is a highly experienced corporate finance and capital markets adviser with more than 30 years’ experience advising corporates, investors, local authorities and the Crown. He has deep expertise across infrastructure, energy, transport and property, and has led some of New Zealand’s most significant equity capital markets transactions, including major IPOs, mergers and acquisitions, and strategic asset sales. Prior to joining Forsyth Barr, Carl was a partner at PwC, leading the infrastructure advisory practice, lead the Accident Compensation Corporation direct investment team and spent 16 years at Jarden in senior leadership roles. He started his career at the Treasury and is a former chair of the New Zealand Takeovers Panel.

Bronwyn Coomer-Smit

Bronwyn is a founder and ex-Director of Flow Transportation Specialists Limited. Bronwyn is a civil engineer, specialising in transport engineering, with over 45 years’ experience in strategic transport planning, traffic engineering, road design and construction, in South Africa and New Zealand. Over the past 30 years her work in New Zealand has involved the project management and public consultation of many different types of traffic and transportation projects, including for local and central government agencies. She also served as a board member of the North Harbour Hockey Association for nine years. 

Stuart Shepherd

Stuart is a company director and strategic advisor with a career focused on economics, finance, infrastructure and property. His experience includes co-founding the Sustainable Property Investment Fund (a mid-sized commercial property fund), serving as a Commissioner on the Auckland Unitary Plan Hearings Panel and as a member of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development’s Housing Expert Advisory Group, chairing the Government’s 2017 Housing Infrastructure Fund Assessment Panel and advising on resource management reforms. He is also a Founding director and chair of Home Capital Partners (part of the Home Foundation Group) and a director of Crown Infrastructure Delivery Ltd (the Government’s vertical infrastructure delivery agency). 

Auckland Council appointees

Cr Andy Baker

Andy Baker is a Franklin local, growing up in Drury. He has had a varied work life serving as a frontline police officer in South Auckland before returning to the family dairy farm then becoming a successful restaurateur and later as a manager of emergency management and rural fire for various Councils.

In 2010 he followed his family heritage and entered the world of local politics, becoming the first chair on the Franklin Local Board and then being elected as Franklin ward councillor in 2022.

Andy is currently chair of the Transport and Infrastructure Delivery Committee, chair of the Rural Advisory Panel, and was previously a board director of Auckland Transport amongst a host of other appointments and responsibilities. 

He is heavily involved in the local community through rugby and sport where he is the ground announcer for Counties Manukau Rugby, NZ Cricket Super Smash and is currently Patron of Counties Special Olympics. 

Cr Shane Henderson 

Shane Henderson is an experienced local government leader with over a decade of service across Auckland’s governance system. He has served as a Councillor for the Waitākere Ward since 2019 and is currently Deputy Chair of Auckland Council’s Transport and Infrastructure Delivery Committee and Chair of the Road Controlling Authority Sub-Committee. Prior to his election to Council, he chaired the Henderson-Massey Local Board and is a former community lawyer.

His work in public office has centred on affordable public transport, effective infrastructure delivery, smart urban planning, and environmental protection. Born and raised in West Auckland, Shane brings a strong suburban lens to governance and decision-making. Living in Te Atatū South with his young family, he is driven to ensure all Auckland communities can access transport that is fast, affordable, and sustainable.

Cr Maurice Williamson

Maurice Williamson is an Auckland Councillor for the Howick Ward who brings extensive experience from careers in both central and local government. He represented Pakuranga as a Member of Parliament for 30 years, from 1987 to 2017, and held a range of ministerial portfolios across successive National-led governments, including Transport, Broadcasting, Local Government, Customs, and Statistics.

Following his parliamentary career, Maurice served as New Zealand’s Consul-General in Los Angeles before returning to public service in Auckland. In 2022, he was elected to Auckland Council’s Governing Body as the Councillor for the Howick Ward. A strong advocate for transport, Maurice is committed to delivering practical solutions and positive outcomes that improve connectivity and quality of life for Aucklanders.

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/09/11/members-appointed-to-aucklands-new-regional-transport-committee/

Source: New Zealand Government

Kia ora koutou.

Thank you all for joining us here today.

Can I acknowledge the Prime Minister, the Minister for Rail, the Mayor of Auckland, my Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and Councillors – and those of you who have held those roles in the past. 

I want to especially recognise today the thousands of tunnellers, engineers, electricians, specialists and planners, without who this project would not have been possible. 

The apprentices who came onto this project as school leavers and will walk off it as qualified tradespeople – who will go out into the world, or stay here at home, and use those skills for decades to come.

Those who came from afar, and those who came from just down the road, to help our city take the next step in its story.

We should also acknowledge those businesses who have been impacted during construction. Your contribution has made this achievement possible, too.

None it has been easy. But I am certain that once people jump on the first train, it will be clear it has been worth it. 

Success, they say, has many fathers – and today is certainly a very large family reunion. 

More than one hundred years ago, on the 14th of June 1918, the Grey Lynn Town Board met. 

On their agenda was a proposal for a railway deviation from the Town Hall to Morningside. What they wanted was a railway station in the centre of the city. 

One attendee at this meeting dismissed the idea to the Auckland Star. Interesting as history, he said, but what Auckland needed was better transit, not history.

But if you want history, this project certainty has plenty. 

In 1924, Gordon Coates announced the ‘Morningside Deviation’ – a tunnel under Morningside with an underground station near the town hall.

By 1930, the cost had tripled, and the Government cancelled it. 

It came back in various ways in 1936, 1946, 1950, and 1955 – all in different forms, but none eventuating. 

In 1972 Sir Dove-Myer Robinson, the great mayor of this city, took up this cause – only for it to be cancelled again by the government in 1976. 

But I want to take you back to that first local board meeting in 1918. Buried at the bottom of that Auckland Star report is the real story.

By the time that meeting sat, a similar route had already been surveyed. For a tunnel. And a station in the centre of town – a few hundred metres from where we are standing right now.

That survey work was over 50 years old. 

In 1918.

It would have been drawn up around the same time Auckland was laying its very first railways.

That’s right. We have been talking about building a railway through the centre of Auckland since the 1870s.

One hundred and fifty years.

But this idea has endured. 

It has endured because generations of Kiwis knew, like we do now, that transport is what binds cities together. 

This simple truth has always stood the test of time.

Cities take time to grow up – Auckland is no different. 

Like us, they experience growing pains. They never mature nearly as fast as their parents would like.

But as we stand here today, like parents at a graduation ceremony, we should be proud that Auckland has, now, grown up. 

Because this truly is a turning point for this city. 

The world’s greatest cities all share one thing.

Beneath their streets runs a railway that carries people to work, to study, to family, and to their homes.

From today, so does ours. 

Generations have tried and failed. 

We are the generation that finally did.

City Rail Link joins a long list of ambitious projects in our young country’s history. 

The Auckland Harbour Bridge, Manapōuri, the Clyde Dam, the Waterview Tunnel.

Every time, our eyes widen, and our ambition grows. 

But now, it’s time we look forward. 

To the future, and what is possible. 

The question is no longer “if” – it’s “what”.

For now, we have an Auckland rapid transit network to finish. But who knows what the next 150 years will bring.  

The next generation will be as hungry for growth as we are. 

They will go on to build the next thing, and the next thing, and the next thing after that.

And so, our country grows.

A because of achievements like the one we are celebrating today, they will know they can achieve great things.

I am proud to be the Minister of Transport that gets to see this project completed but I am intensely aware that I am just the current guy holding the job. 

There have been Ministers of Transport before me, governments and councils before me that started this project. 

There will be Ministers of Transport and councils and governments to come and they will continue to build the future of this great city.

But today, we should be proud that as a country, we got this done. 

Thank you.

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/09/11/speech-at-city-rail-link-official-opening/

Source: New Zealand Government

Work is officially underway on the Whangārei Hospital redevelopment, with the sod turned today on the site of the new acute services building and 158-bed ward tower, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. 

“Today marks a major milestone for Northland, as the Government continues to invest in the infrastructure Northlanders need to access timely, quality healthcare now and into the future,” Mr Brown says.

“Much of Whangārei Hospital dates back to the 1950s and is no longer equipped to meet the needs of a growing population. We need facilities that support modern models of care and provide greater capacity.”

The acute services building will include a significantly expanded emergency department, 10 operating theatres, and modern intensive care facilities.

The ward tower, which the Government committed to in Budget 2026, will provide 158 beds across four medical-surgical wards and an acute assessment unit, delivering a net increase of 53 beds for the campus.

“This additional capacity means more patients can be assessed and treated sooner, improving access to essential healthcare services across Northland.

“Delivering the ward tower alongside the acute services building will improve efficiency and accelerate the overall redevelopment programme.

“Together, the two buildings will support delivery of the Government’s health targets, including shorter emergency department stays, faster access to assessment and treatment, and a better experience for patients and staff. 

Budget 2026 also funds piling works for an additional ward tower in future, laying the groundwork for further expansion as demand grows while avoiding significant disruption to hospital services. 

Mr Brown says the redevelopment is one of the most significant health infrastructure investments in Northland’s history.

“This is about more than improving healthcare infrastructure. The redevelopment is expected to contribute around $233 million to Northland’s GDP and support more than 2,700 full-time equivalent jobs through construction and associated industries.

“That means more local jobs, more opportunities for regional businesses, and a stronger Northland economy.

“As construction progresses, this investment will build confidence in Northland’s future while delivering the modern hospital facilities the region needs.”

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/09/11/sod-turned-on-whangarei-hospital-redevelopment/

Source: New Zealand Government

Regulation Minister David Seymour and Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee have today announced the next steps in the implementation of the Ministry for Regulation’s Hospitality Sector Review. 

“If we are going to unlock New Zealand’s potential, we need to let Kiwi businesses get on with business,” Mr Seymour says. 

“The average lifespan of a café or restaurant is less than two years. The Review went straight to the source to find out why. The review received 247 written submissions, met directly with 13 sector representative groups, members of 27 District Licensing Committees (DLCs), 12 territorial authorities, 21 hospitality businesses and two community groups. 

“One of the biggest issues people had was with the alcohol licensing regime. In some cases, getting a license costs more than the economic benefit of having one. In other cases rules make no sense. For example, a cruise ship can serve alcohol when the boat is moving, but can’t when it’s in the port. 

“Bad regulations kill business. One business told the Review that delays in the licensing process, which in this case took over a year, ended with 30 staff being let go and $200,000 lost in investment, and over $1 million lost in potential lost profits. As soon as the licence was granted, the business had to be sold. Something has to be done. That’s why we’re fixing it.”

“Kiwi businesses will soon face less red tape when applying for new alcohol licenses, and when they renew existing ones,” Mrs McKee says. 

“Regulators need to stop treating hospitality businesses who want to sell alcohol like common criminals. 

“I have accepted all but one of the Review’s recommendations to make alcohol licenses easier to get, more proportionate, and less costly. When alcohol is supplied in controlled environments such as restaurants or bars, the streets are safer.”

“The Ministry for Regulation recommended that these changes be implemented by 2029. I would like to see them in place much sooner where that is practical.”

The Government has accepted all but one of the Review’s recommendations, including to: 

• Reform alcohol licensing fees, including by removing annual fees, reducing renewal fees and introducing inspection fees
• Simplify licence applications and renewal processes
• Extend renewal periods for some alcohol licences
• Clarify and simplify the process and requirements to get an alcohol licence for the first time, including making licensing criteria more specific with a simpler application form
• Change District Licensing Committee arrangements, including allowing them to merge and setting specific membership and training requirements
• Remove current licence types and replacing them with a single risk-based alcohol licensing framework over time 
• Introduce a nationwide information system about licences, certificates, compliance activity, performance, alcohol-related crime, incidents and health effects 
• Make one existing agency and the corresponding Minister responsible for alcohol licensing regulations

“This is one more problem fixed by the Ministry for Regulation that Kiwis face, and the bureaucracy won’t touch,” Mr Seymour says. 

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/09/11/alcohol-licenses-to-use-common-sense/

Source: New Zealand Government

The Government is strengthening support for New Zealand’s treasured backcountry hut and track network through the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Department of Conservation (DOC) and the Backcountry Trust, Conservation Minister Tama Potaka has announced. 

“For nearly ten years, the Backcountry Trust has partnered with DOC to restore and maintain hundreds of huts and thousands of kilometres of tracks across the country — demonstrating what can be achieved when government, community, and passionate volunteers work together,” Mr Potaka says. 

“Our Government has demonstrated its commitment to supporting the Backcountry Trust through $4.2 million of funding from the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy since 2024. This significant contribution has enabled the Backcountry Trust to deliver work across the motu, supporting the preservation of South Island alpine huts like Almer Hut in Westland Tai Poutini National Park and Hopeless Hut in Nelson Lakes National Park, restoration of treasured hunting bases like Venison Tops Hut in Kaweka Forest Park, and track work on local classics like in the Silverpeaks north of Dunedin.

“This MOU signals the next stage of that commitment. It provides an opportunity for DOC and the Backcountry Trust to further develop a durable, sustainable partnership through developing a national operational agreement, while helping to ensure New Zealanders can continue to enjoy a resilient and publicly accessible backcountry hut and track network. 

“Working alongside organisations like the Backcountry Trust gives us an opportunity to combine DOC’s expertise with the skills, energy, and commitment that already exist in our backcountry communities.

“The nation’s backcountry huts and tracks are part of who we are. Generations of Kiwi have explored them, cared for them, and created memories in — and on — them. I am pleased that this work means others will be able to have those same experiences, too.”

Notes to editors: 

The Memorandum of Understanding between DOC and the Backcountry Trust is non-binding and does not create legal or operational obligations.

The MOU outlines a shared intention to:

help retain and maintain backcountry huts and tracks where possible
support a financially sustainable future for the backcountry network
harness the skills, experience and enthusiasm of volunteers, communities and contractors
explore new funding opportunities and improved visitor payment systems
ensure people can continue to enjoy backcountry experiences. 

It does not transfer DOC’s responsibilities, determine the future of individual huts or tracks, or commit either organisation to a future operational arrangement. 

The MOU supports exploration of long-term, sustainable approaches to maintaining parts of New Zealand’s backcountry hut and track network. There are no immediate changes to how huts and tracks are managed, and no decisions have been made about individual locations or districts. 

As part of the next stage of work, DOC and the Backcountry Trust will develop a national operational agreement, with the goal of signing an agreement by the end of 2026. 

The Backcountry Trust was established in 2017 and works with communities, volunteers, and partners to restore, maintain and enhance backcountry huts and tracks. 

DOC has nearly 1,000 huts, and 24,000 km of tracks, throughout the country.

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/09/11/wider-collaboration-to-preserve-backcountry-heritage/

Source: New Zealand Government

New Zealand’s manufacturing sector has now expanded for 14 months in a row, with new data showing growth spreading across more of the industry, Small Business and Manufacturing Minister Cameron Brewer says.

The BNZ – BusinessNZ Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI) came in at 53.1 for August, above the survey’s long-term average of 52.5. A reading above 50.0 shows the sector is expanding.

While the index eased from 54.3 in July, BNZ Senior Economist Doug Steel said the three-month average continues to rise, showing the industry is ‘performing well through monthly volatility’. The three-month average now sits at 55.8, its highest level since July 2021.

“Manufacturing has now grown for more than a year straight, and what’s really encouraging is how widely that growth is spreading. More parts of the industry, and more parts of the country, are getting busier,” Mr Brewer says.

Every main industry group in the survey expanded in August. Food and beverage, textiles and clothing, and non-metallic mineral products such as glass and concrete all moved from contraction into growth. All four regions also recorded expansion, for the first time since March.

New Orders lifted to 54.9, up from 53.6 in July, pointing to more work in the pipeline. Production remained solid at 54.2, and both sit above their long-term averages.

“Orders picking up means more work coming through the factory door. When manufacturers get busy, they need to invest to keep up, and that’s exactly what Investment Boost is for. It lets them buy the machinery and equipment that lifts productivity,” Mr Brewer says.

The manufacturing sector directly employs more than 220,000 people, contributes around eight per cent of GDP, and accounts for around 60 per cent of New Zealand’s goods exports. BNZ said August’s result points to positive momentum for the economy in the September quarter.

“There’s still plenty of global uncertainty and cost pressure out there, but our manufacturers keep delivering. They’re outpacing Australia, the United Kingdom, the Eurozone and China, and running ahead of the global average,” Mr Brewer says.

“Kiwi manufacturers are doing the hard yards, and this Government is backing them. This is all part of the Government’s plan to fix the basics and build the future, with a manufacturing sector that’s growing, investing and taking on the world.”

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/09/11/manufacturing-growth-spreads-across-the-sector/

MIL OSI

Source: New Zealand Government

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown, Ministers, Councillors and iwi have officially opened Auckland’s City Rail Link (CRL) today, marking a turning point in the way New Zealand’s biggest city moves and grows.

After a decade of construction, commuters will be able to travel through the heart of the city by train from Sunday 13 September, when CRL stations open and a new rail timetable begins.

Transport Minister Chris Bishop says the opening is a historic moment for Auckland, coming around a century after an underground city centre railway was first proposed.

“CRL is New Zealand’s biggest, and perhaps most challenging, transport project completed to date,” Mr Bishop says.

“For the first time, trains will run right through the middle of Auckland rather than reaching the city centre and stopping. Auckland’s rail lines will become a connected network, with faster journeys, more frequent services and much greater capacity.

“It brings Auckland’s rail system more in line with major cities around the world and will make a real difference to people heading to work or school, going to an appointment, meeting friends, shopping or getting to an event.

“CRL is a statement of ambition for Auckland and for New Zealand. It shows what good infrastructure can achieve: creating more opportunities for new homes and businesses around stations, better connecting people with jobs and services, and making it easier for a growing city to function.

“This major project is part of a much wider transformation of Auckland’s rapid transport network. It sits alongside new train stations in Drury, the electrification of rail to Pukekohe, upgrades to other stations, the Rail Network Rebuild and Auckland’s growing busway network.”

Mr Bishop also acknowledged the thousands of people who have worked on the project over the past decade, and Aucklanders and city centre businesses who have lived with the disruption required to build it.

“Major infrastructure is difficult to build. Aucklanders have put up with closed roads, construction sites and disruption for years to get to this point.

“From Sunday, the focus shifts from what it took to build the City Rail Link to what it makes possible. For decades to come, Aucklanders will simply be able to get on a train and get where they need to go more quickly and easily. That is what great infrastructure is ultimately about.”

Mayor Wayne Brown has a clear message for Aucklanders.

“We want Aucklanders to get on board,” Mayor Brown says.

“The City Rail Link is a transformational investment for Auckland. It’s a game changer for our city that will benefit generations to come.

“Aucklanders can look forward to more travel options and a better-connected rail network, making it easier to move across the city. Public transport will be simpler, more convenient and more accessible for more people.

“The benefits of this project will be felt every day. Whether you’re heading to work, school, Eden Park or K’ Road for a meal, the new network will make getting around Auckland faster and easier.

“I encourage Aucklanders to get on board, literally, and make the most of this significant investment in our city’s future.

“From Sunday, a new timetable, new rail routes and three new stations will transform the way Auckland’s rail network operates.    

“When many Aucklanders return to work on Monday, they’ll be using a network that connects them to more places and provides more travel choices. 

The new East West and South City line services will all connect through the new stations, improving connectivity, optimising services and delivering the transport outcomes Aucklanders and businesses have been waiting for.”

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/09/11/crl-opening-puts-auckland-on-track-for-the-future/

Source: Media Outreach

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

Source: New Zealand Government

Planning for the future redevelopment of Hawke’s Bay, Palmerston North, and Tauranga hospitals has reached an important milestone, with early concept images showing what future buildings could look like, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.

“This is the next step in getting these three redevelopments underway, and it gives patients, staff, and their communities their first look at what these hospitals could become,” Mr Brown says.

“Acute services are at the heart of any hospital. Getting these buildings right means more capacity where demand is highest, improved connections between services, and better facilities for the patients and staff who use them every day.

“At the centre of each redevelopment is a future acute services building, which will accommodate some of a hospital’s busiest and most critical services, including the emergency department, intensive care, maternity services, operating theatres, and other acute services.

“Bringing these services together under one roof means shorter distances between them, faster access to critical care, and a better experience for patients and their families.”

Hawke’s Bay, Palmerston North, and Tauranga form Tranche 2 of the Regional Hospital Redevelopment Programme, which is being delivered as part of Health New Zealand’s Health Infrastructure Plan. The plan provides consistency across planning and design, and a phased approach to the redevelopments.

“The reference concept design gives all three projects a common foundation to work from as detailed business cases are developed. It can be adapted for each hospital, so each site can respond to its own requirements and the needs of its community.

“This milestone reflects years of significant work across all three projects. Site master planning, design feasibility work, and site investigations have all been completed.

“Planning teams are now refining the business cases, preparing to move into the preliminary design phase, and progressing site preparation activities”

Funding announced in Budget 2026 is supporting design, site planning, and preparatory works across all three sites while those business cases are refined.

“Our Government is fixing the basics and building the future. The work underway now lays the foundations for hospitals that will support patients, staff, and communities for decades to come.”

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/09/10/design-work-progresses-for-three-regional-hospitals/