Horowhenua District Council has agreed to sell Council-owned property 15-23 Durham Street (Levin) to The Horowhenua Company Limited. The terms of the agreement stipulate that the land be used to develop a primary healthcare facility for Horowhenua, a vision Council has been culminating for several years.

Horowhenua New Zealand Trust (HNZT) Chair Antony Young says “Our joint vision is to build a modern and multi-purpose health and wellbeing hub that meets the health needs of our community today while being fit for future growth.”

Early discussions have taken place with a range of stakeholders, including MidCentral DHB, Muaūpoko Tribal Authority and local health providers, to ensure the vision is supported.

Mayor Bernie Wanden says “Horowhenua residents have said they want localised, affordable healthcare that is flexible, responsive and adaptive to meet their needs. The decision by Council to sell this land for the development of a modern health and wellbeing facility was a unanimous one.”

The need for further investment in local healthcare has never been so pressing. Horowhenua is in a period of unprecedented growth. This growth, coupled with the fact that 24.7% of the Horowhenua population is 65 years and over, and the deprivation challenges the district faces make healthcare in the district a primary focus shared by many.

The Horowhenua Company Limited CEO Catriona McKay says “While we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, we look forward to working with community representatives to design and build a facility we can all be proud of. The community can expect to see a facility that provides for a range of their primary health care needs. Everyone understands the enormity of this project and its importance to our community.”

Muaūpoko Tribal Authority CEO Di Rump says “We have a holistic view of health in Te Ao Māori. It is important to consider the physical alongside the mental, emotional, social and spiritual wellbeing of people. We look forward to working together with partners, to deliver a facility that acknowledges and caters to those values and needs.”

McKay says “In the coming weeks, we will establish an advisory group to provide input into the business case. All going well, we anticipate decisions to progress with the development to be made by the end of March 2022. We expect the build to take 18 months, so we could see a modern, fit for future health and wellbeing facility in Horowhenua by the end of 2023-early 2024.”

Editor’s Notes

Horowhenua New Zealand Trust and The Horowhenua Company Limited

The Horowhenua New Zealand Trust is a not-for-profit organisation governed by volunteer trustees. In order to have access to sustainable financial resources and deliver economic development outcomes for Horowhenua, the Trust created The Horowhenua Company Limited. The Horowhenua Company Limited is 100% owned by the Trust and operates commercially to generate reliable revenue for the Trust’s activities.

New Zealand’s new health system

New Zealand’s health system is undergoing significant changes, including the centralisation of policy, strategy and regulation, and two new entities. Health New Zealand will take over the planning and commissioning of services and functions of the existing 20 District Health Boards to remove duplication and provide national planning. The Māori Health Authority will work alongside Health NZ to improve services and achieve equitable health outcomes for Māori.

For more information visit https://www.futureofhealth.govt.nz/about-the-reforms/

What will the changes to the health system mean for our community?

• There will be a greater range of care and support available for people in their local communities, with more care provided outside of hospitals.
• Services such as general practice, well-child teams, pharmacists, dietitians, physiotherapists and hauora Māori providers will work more closely together to respond to and meet the needs of people in their local communities.
• There will be more options for whānau to access kaupapa Māori and other appropriate services.
• Those with greater or higher health needs will be able to get the services they require to help them get well sooner.
• There will be access to consistent and high-quality emergency and specialist healthcare, available to everyone in Aotearoa New Zealand, no matter where they live.
• More virtual and digital services will be available to support the system, such as phone and video consultation, offering people a wider range of personalised support in their homes and local communities.
• People will be encouraged to get involved in designing health and wellbeing services that work for them, and have real influence over the services they receive, through participation in local planning and the opportunity to engage in national consumer forums.

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