A tiny subterranean worm has made its home underneath the site for the new Dunedin hospital, prompting concerns the hospital could be further delayed, or worse.
Health officials confirmed the existence of the velvet worm at the new Dunedin hospital inpatient building site, which has been feeding on the plants near the piles.
The worm spends up to two hours on terra firma before disappearing beneath the surface every day.
It has proved a major hassle for those in charge of the new Dunedin hospital project, and there have been discussions to move the whole site down the road.
A source reported the worm was "disgusting" and "extremely hungry".
The ngāokeoke, or New Zealand velvet worm, squirmed past tough competition from the praying mantis, moth and stick insect to don the crown of New Zealand’s top invertebrate this year.
The Otago Daily Times understands health officials will hold a special behind-closed-doors meeting about the worm before noon today.
The ngāokeoke reside in the undergrowth in New Zealand’s bush, urban parks and gardens, but the sheer inactivity on the inpatient building site has created a thriving environment for the invertebrate.
The Department of Conservation is considering turning the hospital site into a sanctuary for the ngāokeoke.
The velvet worm delayed the Caversham Bypass four-lane project about 15 years ago, forcing the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi to introduce mitigation measures to ensure the worm’s nearby habitat was not encroached.
Worm researcher Doug Wormald said the ngāokeoke posed no threat to the completion of the new Dunedin hospital as "nothing much was happening anyway".
"If anything, the worm is more productive than this government."
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