New Zealand Community Trust’s Help Ensures A Healthier Future For Thousands Of Kiwi Kids

With the opening of Te Wao Nui Child Health Service and Hospital, The New Zealand Community Trust’s (NZCT) contribution of $1 million in child health for the region has already made a difference and this will be ongoing.

NZCT’s generous grant of $1 million, as part of the $10 million needed to outfit and equip the interior of the region’s new children’s hospital has meant this work was completed. This included funding specialised medical equipment, as well as all the fittings, furnishings, communications, digital and creative aspects of this new purpose built paediatric facility.

NZCT Chair, Alan Isaac said “NZCT welcomed the opportunity to play a significant part in helping complete the new regional children’s hospital. As one of the biggest grants that NZCT has made, we are honoured to partner with Wellington Hospitals Foundation and Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand and equip this much needed new service for children and families across central New Zealand.”

Wellington Hospitals Foundation Chair Bill Day said, “We are privileged to partner with people who are passionate about child health. Wellington Regional Children’s Hospital has a long history of community support, and we are immensely grateful to NZCT for their incredible investment in this critical regional project. Their support will help improve the health and well-being of thousands of sick tamariki and rangatahi across our wider area.”

Te Wao Nui Child Health Service and Hospital, in the Mark Dunajtschik and Dorothy Spotswood building, will be a lifeline for families across our region. With a large catchment area, the new tertiary level hospital will provide exceptional high level health care to almost a million people in the lower North and upper South islands.

Under a new hub and spoke model of care, critically and chronically sick children will be referred from smaller centres for major operations, specialist consultations and when lifesaving emergency and intensive care treatment is required.

NZCT are one of the largest funders of amateur sports and other cultural and charitable causes in the country including health, returning proceeds raised via local kiwi hospitality businesses to assist sports teams and community groups across New Zealand.

Bill Day said, “We are also very grateful to the many thousands of individual, community and corporate donors who have helped turn the dream of a new children’s hospital into a stunning reality.”

Background information

· In 2020/21 NZCT distributed more than $43m to amateur sports clubs, surf lifesaving services, education, playgrounds, health, the arts, and cultural and community groups throughout the country.

· The total cost of the project is $110m.

- Mark Dunajtschik and Dorothy Spotswood - $50m

- Wellington Hospitals Foundation - $10m $1m from NZCT

- Government - ($25m to the build, $21m initial site clearance)

- CCDHB now Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand - $4m

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