An assault reported at Wakari Hospital’s ward 10a in April was not a factor in shutting the ward down, Health New Zealand (HNZ) says. The troubled ward, which housed intellectually disabled patients, had been slammed in a recent Office of the Ombudsman’s report for being dangerous and uninhabitable. It reported equally poor conditions for patients and workers alike, and significant patient abuse. It recommended shutting the ward down. HNZ made the decision to do so upon receiving the report in early July. In response a written parliamentary question, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey confirmed the assault occurred. “My office received an email from Health New Zealand regarding an alleged assault in Wakari Hospital ward 10a on April 17, 2026. “Health NZ advises me it is investigating the matter through its complaints process and that police have also received the complaint.” Acting Otago Coastal area commander Inspector Samuel Ramsay said police received a notification from HNZ regarding an incident in April at a Wakari Hospital ward, which allegedly involved members of staff and a patient, who was being restrained. “Officers have spoken to parties, including the attending staff and the patient, and it has been determined that no criminal offence occurred. “The matter has been referred back to Health New Zealand.” HNZ Southern group director of operations Craig Ashton said the incident was separate to the decision to close Ward 10a. “Our focus remains on ensuring patients continue to receive safe, high-quality care and that patients, whānau and staff are supported during this period of change. “We thank our staff for their ongoing commitment to caring for people in our mental health services.” There have been multiple reports by the Office of the Ombudsman calling for ward 10a either to be upgraded or shut down. In 2018, then-chief ombudsman Peter Boshier called it a “volatile environment”. In April correspondence between Mr Doocey and his advisers, Mr Doocey’s staff asked about the ombudsmen’s office latest report, which had not been released yet, and whether the situation was “worse than 2022” — a reference to the most recent damning report on the ward. Public Service Association secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said the whole situation was “unacceptable”. “Our members have been raising concerns about safety, the physical conditions, and staffing in Wakari for many years. “A new fit-for-purpose, forensic intellectual disability unit needs to be built in the Southern district to keep patients and staff safe, and enable patients to say connected to their families.” [Missing Credit]Ingrid Leary. PHOTO: ODT FILES Taieri MP Ingrid Leary, who is also the Labour party mental health spokeswoman, said the news of the assault was the clearest indication yet of a recent escalation in very serious safety issues arising from longstanding systemic risks at Wakari Hospital. The Ministry of Health has been asked to complete an inquiry into ward 10a, but Ms Leary had “real questions” about it. "It is not independent, despite the requirements New Zealand has under international conventions against torture which has been raised publicly as probable by the ombudsman. “Its scope does not extend to what has been happening in other wards despite intellectually disabled people being transferred there, at times, and the union representing frontline staff has not been squarely involved. “We need an inquiry that is genuinely independent, has a wide enough scope to establish what has been happening across Wakari, and gives staff, patients, their families and the southern community confidence that the full picture will come to light.”
