Dunedin hospital protest to move into 'phase two'

Saturday’s huge protest march in Dunedin has not shifted the government’s intention to downgrade plans for a new regional hospital in the city.

Responding to the 35,000-person turn out on Saturday, Health Minister Shane Reti told Crux he “absolutely recognised” the passion of New Zealanders when it came to the delivery of health services.

“There’s always been an extremely high degree of public interest in this large and complex piece of infrastructure, and while this week’s announcement was not an easy one to make, it had to be done to ensure we can deliver in Dunedin, and across the rest of the country’s hospital network as well.

“I want to assure the people of Dunedin and the south that Health New Zealand and ministers are fully committed to making sure we deliver long overdue solutions to their region’s health infrastructure needs.

“The Government remains committed to building a new hospital in Dunedin.”

Last week, the government confirmed it would build a hospital for a budget of $1.88 billion but it would not pay the estimated $3 billion to continue with the original plans for the new facility.

Dunedin Mayor Jules Radich said the size of Saturday’s protest showed the issue was now one of national importance and protests would continue.

“We’re not going away. In fact, we’re just getting started.”

Mayor Radich said phase two the protest campaign would shift the focus to direct lobbying of key ministers in Wellington.

“We’re now asking people to send thousands of postcards directly to Ministers Bishop and Reti, telling them exactly what the cuts would mean for them and their whānau, and why the government should keep its promise.”

Mayor Radich will also lead a southern delegation to Wellington to continue the campaign in person, with exact details to be confirmed soon, and Ccuncillors will write an open letter to the ministers, calling for them to stick to the government’s promise.

“This is all about continuing to apply pressure and making sure the government hears our message loud and clear, and one thing is for sure – we won’t be letting up."

Main image: Dunedin City Councillors lead Saturday’s hospital protest march in Dunedin.