A new state-of-the-art medical facilities precinct that will also provide affordable housing and healthcare will be built opposite Middlemore Hospital by an urban Māori organisation and a local Iwi. 

Two major property blocks purchased by west Auckland’s Whānau Waipareira and local iwi Ngai Tai Ki Tāmaki Whenua of around 36,500sq m of land adjacent to Middlemore Hospital will provide homes for kaumātua, kuia and whānau with disabilities, as well as a Whānau Ora/Health and Wellness Centre. 

The land will be split into 25,000sq m for the Whanau Ora Centre and 10,500sq m for 124 dwelling units (see image below) targeted primarily for elder social housing. 

The project will also provide much-needed relief and support to the an-already-under-pressure and overstretched Middlemore Hospital, the largest hospital in the country. 

The project was facilitated via the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development Housing programme. Waipareira chief executive John Tamihere says this new model with affordable housing close to affordable healthcare will be an immediate game-changer for whānau. 

The train station is also opposite Middlemore Hospital. 

Waipareira CEO John Tamihere. 

“We have hundreds of kaumātua, kuia and challenged whānau living in temporary, third rate accommodation while they are on waiting lists for homes,” Tamihere said. 

“For too long whānau have had to live with a dilapidated hospital facility that is unable to adequately facilitate the needs of the expanding South Auckland population. This is an overdue project that is bringing some much needed relief in both of these crucial areas”. 

Waipareira property director Jason Wong said the location and catchment will make this a successful collaboration. 

“We are a registered community housing provider (CHP) and on the most northern site our subsidiary, Housing for Social Benefits, will be developing 124 mixed typology apartments specifically for kaumātua and physically challenged whānau aged 55 years and over. 

A drone picture of the site opposite Middlemore Hospital where 124 mixed typology apartments and a Whānau Wellness centre will be built. Photo / Whānau Waipareira 

“We identified that there is a significant shortfall of this type of housing in the immediate area. This was evident given the number of regenerative dwellings being undertaken by Kāinga Ora around Māngere, Papatoetoe and Otāhuhu that is within the scope of Middlemore Hospital”. 

A whare manaaki - inclusive space- is also being developed for all residents regardless of their background to gather, receive support and collectively build their community. 

Currently in development to complement the housing project is a modern health facility with a wide range of wraparound services available to residents and the general public. Waipareira has over 40 years’ experience in the wraparound support area and Tamihere knows this will provide a blueprint moving forward. 

“A Whānau Ora/Health and Wellness Centre is going on the opposite site and will broadly replicate the success of our Henderson-based Whānau Centre and soon to be opened, Wai Health clinic,” Tamihere said. 

“Collectively with Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki Whenua, our vision is to provide direct primary healthcare support to the wider community and deliver some relief for Middlemore Hospital”. 

With the site zoned as residential, Waipareira will be undertaking a plan change to Business Mixed Use for the multitude of potential healthcare and wellness tenancies that could potentially be co-located. 

Waipareira is taking this opportunity to seek expressions of interest (EOIs) to assist in the co-design of the Whānau Ora/Health & Wellness Centre. Once the plan change has been completed, specific design of the centre will commence whilst the council processes its application. 

Construction is under way on the kaumātua housing site which Wong aims to have fully occupied in 2025 and the Whānau Ora/ Health and Wellness Centre operating in 2027. 

The drone shot of the property shows where the affordable housing will be built (inside the red framefault). 

This story was originally published on the Herald, here