The minister of health visited Dunedin on Friday to announce an update to the hospital project. Tara Ward was there.

A busy road full of big trucks and productive people is former transport minister Simeon Brown’s fever dream, so it was fitting that the announcement about the New Dunedin Hospital was made in a small building situated on State Highway One. As protesters against the proposed hospital cuts gathered at the southern end of Dunedin’s Castle Street and vehicles tooted loudly in support as they drove past, the new minister for health Simeon Brown arrived to make an important announcement. 

Brown stood in the corner of the room with his hands clasped in front of him. Beside him was a table stacked with several bright orange hard hats and neatly folded orange hi-vis vests, and behind him stood two representatives from Health New Zealand. “How is everyone today?” Brown asked the gathered Dunedin media. “We’ll tell you in a minute,” a voice from the back answered. “Very good. Excellent. Cool,” Brown replied. 

Then, Brown delivered the news that the people of the south had been anxiously awaiting since the National government went back on its election promise and proposed cuts to the hospital redevelopment in September last year. “I’m here to give certainty to the people of Dunedin, Otago and Southland that the government will build the new inpatients’ building, completing the New Dunedin Hospital here at the former Cadbury site,” Brown began. “We have listened.” 

Brown then listed the details of the new inpatient building. It will have 351 beds (16 fewer beds than the current hospital) with capacity to reach 404 beds over time, an additional 20 short-stay surgical beds, 22 theatres with capacity to expand to 24 over time (fewer than originally promised), 58 ED spaces and 20 imaging units with diagnostic technology, with six more spaces to allow for future capacity.   

“We are focused on delivering a safe, modern complex with increased capacity that can adapt and expand in years to come,” Brown continued. He confirmed there would be no change to the number of floors to be built, and that the hospital will be designed to meet the needs of the community. Costs had been brought under control, meaning that building would start on site by the middle of 2025 and be completed by 2031, two years later than originally scheduled.

“I know how important the building of this hospital is to the people of Dunedin, Southland and Otago,” he continued, “and I am pleased to be here today to provide that certainty.”

As protesters continued to chant outside, Brown was so keen to provide certainty that he repeated the word six times in 13 minutes. He also said “future-proof” eight times, “capacity” 10 times and couldn’t get enough of “growth” and “timely and quality health care”. Rather than reveal why the government wouldn’t just provide 404 hospital beds on opening, he replied it was about “future-proofing the capacity of the hospital…we’re future-proofing it”.

“We’ve listened to the people of Otago and Southland, and we’ve committed to the New Dunedin Hospital here at the Cadbury site,” he added. “There was a very clear message.”

Labour MP for Dunedin Rachel Brooking told The Spinoff that while it was good the government had seen sense and listened to the 35,000 people who took to the streets of Dunedin, the delay reeked of bad economic management. “The government caused a lot of angst for the communities of the south with the idea that there wouldn’t be a tertiary hospital in Dunedin and that would go to Christchurch, so shame on them for that,” she said. “They had the site all consented, all remediated, ready to go. We can see the outpatient building in front of us built, but they’ve just wasted all that time and money.”

Dunedin mayor Jules Radich was “as happy as can be expected” with the government’s assurance about the new build. He said that while the new hospital wasn’t getting all the services and facilities originally promised, “there’s clear intention to provide them”. The vibe from the government, it seems, is good enough. 

Media were then ordered back out on to State Highway One, because someone else needed the meeting room. There was time for one final question for Radich. “Do you believe them this time?” The tooting continued, the shouting grew louder.