Kaikoura’s new family health centre has an official name

Kaikoura’s new integrated family health centre has an official name

It is ‘Kaikoura Health, Te Hā o Te Ora’.

Kaikoura Service Level Alliance (SLA) members, who are overseeing development of the model of care and service design for the $13.4 million facility, asked Te Rūnanga o Kaikoura to gift a name for the centre. Kaikoura SLA are part of the Canterbury Clinical Network, a collective alliance of healthcare leaders, professionals and providers from across the Canterbury Health System.

Kaikoura SLA chair Dr Andrea Judd says the gifted name recognises both Kaikoura’s rich Māori history and the crucial role the centre will play in the community’s future health and wellbeing. Dr Judd says the SLA is grateful for the ‘strong and meaningful’ name.

Te Hā talks about aroha or love, the essence of a person, or their whole being. Ora talks about wellbeing, which is the essence of health itself. The name also has added meaning gleaned from the legend of Maui, who is said to have stood with his foot on the Kaikoura Peninsula and drew breath (Te Hā) before he fished up the North Island.

The gifting of the name is another way the Kaikoura community have been involved in the facility’s development, Dr Judd says.

“This is a health facility for our whole community. Our community has helped name it, helped raise money for it and once opened it will be at the heart of our community.’’

Te Rūnanga o Kaikoura member Raewyn Solomon says the gifting of the name for the new health facility is important. The whole site is of cultural significance as it was part of the original pa site of Takahanga.

“In addition to gifting the name, the Rūnanga’s Brett Cowan recently blessed Kaikoura Health, Te Hā o Te Ora to ensure the protection of all who use the facility from now into the future.”

Kaikoura Health, Te Hā o Te Ora will replace the town’s old hospital, but has been set up to support the a more integrated approach to health care that will be reflected under the new model of care. Patients and staff will begin the shift from the old hospital to the new building on September 15. The first patients to move will be all inpatients including aged residential care and acute patients.

Demolition of the old hospital begins in October and will be followed by the construction of the front entrance and new car park. The whole project is expected to be completed in January 2016, with an official opening in February.

ENDS

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