Client: Te Omanga Hospice

Construction Value: $8 M

Te Omanga Hospice supports the Hutt Valley with palliative and respite care for the local community. The hospice was found to be earthquake-prone after the 2013 Seddon earthquake which rocked Wellington. It survived the November 2016 quake unscathed, but the Hutt City Council then said the premises had to be strengthened or demolished by the end of 2018.

It was decided by the Trustees that the best solution was a new purpose-built facility.

Scope of work includes:

Demolition of existing earthquake-prone Hospice building and replacing with a new $8 million facility which includes:

• 8 new care beds with ensuites including two bariatric suits
• Office space for clinical staff
• Lounges
• Kitchen facilities
• Bathrooms
• Internal wood panel detail was Tasmanian Ash
• External Cedar cladding
• Glulam portals
• Acoustic Decotech panelling
• Double glazing
• Underfloor heating
• Guest pull down beds in suits
• Nurse call system
• EV chargers in the car park

The existing cottage and bird aviary was relocated on the site. The site works including car parks and landscaping around existing trees the gardens were replanted by volunteers with donated plants from the community.

Using local labour and contractors meant that a lot of those involved in the project had personal experience of the care Te Omanga Hospice provides. We often heard stories of parents or grandparents who had been treated in the old building and of the extra care, the tradesmen were taking ‘in memory’ of those lost. The project certainly touched the hearts of many.

‘We now have an amazing facility for the whole community and I’m sure it will be here for a long time” Biddy Harford, Hospice Chief Executive