It was never an option to not deliver a modern, fit-for-purpose base/tertiary hospital as promised. The voice of the combined South was heard loud and clear on that matter.
It was a torturous process, blighted by yet another major infrastructure cost blowout inherited from the Labour government.
What was often lost in the ensuing debate around the hospital was the government had already pumped another circa $300m into the project in the 2024 Budget. This just couldn’t go on and there was an urgent need to get a grip on the situation and drive value for taxpayers.
While the further delay has caused considerable angst, the final design is in a pretty good space. The specifications are very close to the original model and include some design efficiency improvements and future-proofing provisions.
Yes, the project will be over a slightly longer timeframe, but the new facility will be a significant upgrade on the existing hospital which is clearly getting beyond its useful lifespan. The citizens of the South and our healthcare professionals deserve nothing less than top-quality health facilities.
The building project will also be a massive boost to the Dunedin economy over the next few years, creating jobs and getting money flowing into the wider business community.
There have been many lessons learned which apply to all infrastructure projects in New Zealand.
From now on in you will see much more standardisation in infrastructure builds which will drive efficiency and value for taxpayers.
Back to basics, and careful stewardship of hard-earned taxpayer dollars. That’s what we were elected to do and that’s exactly what we going to deliver.
