Health Minister Simeon Brown has detailed how funding set aside in Budget 2025 will be used to upgrade ageing infrastructure at Auckland Hospital and Greenlane Clinical Centre.
The third tranche of the Facilities Infrastructure Remediation Programme is part of the Government’s $1 billion Budget hospital infrastructure investment.
The programme seeks to identify, upgrade, and replace infrastructure that poses the greatest risk to hospital operations in the Auckland district.
Speaking from Auckland City Hospital, Brown said the Government was committed to investing in critical health system infrastructure.
“That includes ensuring the hospitals we rely on every day are safe, modern, and fit for purpose.”
The investment included upgrades to the high voltage power supply at Auckland Hospital, replacement of the ageing steam heating system, as well as improvements to electrical monitoring and building management systems at Auckland and Greenlane.
It also included design work for the next stage of the Auckland hot water pipes replacement project, with construction on the first stage already underway.
A water leak in one of the wards at the main adult building at Auckland Hospital in January saw a full shutdown in place for up to 10 hours, with bottled and hot water being delivered to patients.
Brown said the replacement of the hot water pipe system in the main building at Auckland Hospital was a priority within the Health Infrastructure Plan.
“This investment will help speed up delivery by funding the design work for the next stage of this project. Getting ahead on the design work now will mean we can fast-track the next stage by eight months.”
Health NZ would be carefully managing the work to minimise disruption to services, patients, and staff, he added.
“This is about investing in the future of Auckland’s health services – getting the basics right so frontline teams can keep delivering high-quality care to New Zealanders.”
