Planning for Hawke’s Bay Hospital multi-storey acute services building underway
A new multi-storey building for acute services is planned at Hawke’s Bay Hospital in Hastings.
Health New Zealand’s head of delivery infrastructure and investment group Simon Trotter said it was progressing the hospital’s redevelopment as part of the Government-funded regional hospital redevelopment programme unveiled in Budget 2026.
Funding for major hospital upgrades at Hawke’s Bay, Whangārei, Tauranga and Palmerston North were announced in the Budget.
However, there was no confirmation when the Budget was released of where the Hawke’s Bay upgrades would be focused.
The Government budgeted $34.2 billion for the health sector in 2026/27, up from $32.7b in 2025/26, including $680 million in capital spending on health infrastructure projects, some of which would go towards Hawke’s Bay Hospital.
“Planning and design is underway for a new multi-storey acute services building,” Trotter said.
Acute or unplanned care is urgent healthcare for illness or injury.
The hospital’s current acute assessment unit is a 20-bed unit next to the emergency department. It assesses and treats patients expected to stay less than 36 hours.
A source told Hawke’s Bay Today the planned location for the new building was the site of the old nurses’ homes, adjacent to Omahu Rd.
Asked about this, Trotter said no final decisions had been made on the building’s exact location, height, scope or design, with these matters subject to further planning and approval processes.
National’s Hawke’s Bay MPs, Catherine Wedd for Tukituki and Katie Nimon for Napier, said the Government had committed to funding the hospital’s upgrade and redevelopment, including a new radiology department and a 28-bed modular inpatient ward. A $44.8 million cancer centre is also progressing, due in 2028.