Source: New Zealand Government
Five of New Zealand’s busiest hospitals will benefit from the Government’s fast-tracked hospital wards programme, which will deliver a total of 140 new beds in 2026, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.
“As part of Budget 2025, we expected to deliver at least three wards. A competitive procurement process has now allowed four wards to be delivered within the same funding, alongside the fifth ward at Hawke’s Bay Hospital announced in February,” Mr Brown says.
The new wards will be located at Middlemore Hospital, Waikato Hospital, Wellington Regional Hospital, Nelson Hospital, and Hawke’s Bay Hospital, and are all expected to become operational during the second half of 2026. Operational funding has also been approved, and planning is underway to ensure the workforce is in place when the new wards open.
“This investment is about delivering practical solutions to meet growing demand. By getting these new hospital wards built quickly through modular design and construction, we’re strengthening hospital capacity so patients can get the care they need when they need it.”
The rapid-build wards will be constructed off-site and installed on hospital grounds, enabling faster, more cost-effective delivery, while also providing flexibility to redeploy units to other hospitals if required.
“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.”
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 ED 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, help meet the shorter stays in ED 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 inpatient 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 inpatient beds elsewhere in the hospital.
Mr Brown says the investment is part of the Government’s wider programme to deliver the health infrastructure New Zealanders need to access timely, quality care.
“This is about delivering more capacity, quickly and efficiently, while we continue major rebuilds in Dunedin, Wellington, Nelson, and Whangārei.
“These investments are about making sure our hospitals and frontline health workers have the space, resources, and flexibility they need to meet demand and deliver the best care for patients.”
