News from Wellington Children’s Hospital

Construction of the new Wellington Regional Children’s Hospital took a step forward on Saturday afternoon when 181 concrete trucks snaked their way through Newtown, delivering 900 cubic metres of concrete to the site. The first pour of the new hospital’s foundations began at 3pm, with builders McKee Fehl and their contractors ushering in 4 trucks every minute to the site. Pumping was carried out in a continuous pour into the 100,000 kg of reinforcing steel, and by midnight the foundations were complete.

Mr Mark Dunajtschik, who is building and donating the new hospital, was on site to see the pour begin. “I am delighted for us to be at this stage. A lot of planning has gone into the project over the last two years and to see us reach this stage is just great,” said Mr Dunajtschik.

Bill Day, Chair of Wellington Hospitals Foundation, was also on hand. “What another great milestone. Mark and Capital & Coast DHB are to be congratulated for bringing this much needed facility for young people to fruition. I couldn’t be prouder.”



Mark Dunajtschik, Bill Day and Grant Corleison watching the pour

Mr Dunajtschik is making a contribution of $50million with CCDHB meeting the additional costs. The Wellington Hospitals Foundation, the official charity for Wellington Children’s Hospitals, is seeking to raise the extra $6 million needed to outfit the interior of the new building, so that it can be equipped with a wonderful creative environment and state of the art, specialised medical equipment.

Bill Day said “We are delighted at the support that we have had from our community so far. While there is still a long way to go, we know that the community will want to be a part of this journey with us. This will be an amazing hospital and our goal is to ensure that all medical equipment and the fit out is ‘All Brand New.’ Our community can be part of Wellington Regions New Children’s Hospital by donating at www.whf.org.nz.”

Doctors, nurses and hospital staff have all been working hard to ensure that all good suggestions are included in the designs, which should be available soon. “I understand that the full details will be made available over the next few months,” Bill Day said.

Mr Dunajtschik said that pouring the final stage of the building’s foundations, a staggering 1,200 cubic metres, should begin in a few weeks’ time, after which the framing and the new children’s hospital will begin to take shape.

“After so much planning it is great to see the ‘real construction work’ begin,” he said.