The Waitaki Valley Health Hub is “all coming together” after receiving a $1 million community trust grant.

The trust behind the Kurow-based project received $1m from the Otago Community Trust — the largest grant given in its August funding round.

The grant was “another huge step” for the project, Waitaki Valley Health Trust trustee and one of the leads of the capital raising team Juliet Gray said in a statement on Wednesday.

"We are now over 90% funded.

“Local people have backed this project incredibly hard, and to have Otago Community Trust standing alongside us is pretty special.

"We are hugely grateful for this investment.”

More than $5m has been raised for the project so far.

Fundraising began with two large donations from families in the community, Waitaki Valley Health Trust chairman Dr Jim Jerram told the Otago Daily Times.

“The actual fundraising started off with two individuals in the community that came forward with a half a-million dollars and a $1m —  two individual families.”

Those “cornerstone funders” had allowed the trust to successfully apply for other grants, he said.

“It’s a measure of the value that the community actually sees in what we’re trying to pull together.”

The project was now racing after ahead having been granted building consent earlier this month. 

Dr Jerram said he could not be more pleased with the progress.

“A whole lot of pieces have fallen into place at the same time.

“This is a community resilience project and the community has really come forward and supported what we see as a piece of essential, resilience infrastructure for the region.

“The community is fully behind it and we’re really delighted to see how it’s all coming together to the point we can start building.”

He described it as “a hub, which is not a centre”.

“A hub, not just for a medical practice, which is a key part of it, but for bringing together the provision of health services for quite a large and relatively sparsely populated area.”

The trust was awaiting the final steps of the transfer of the land from the Waitaki District Council to go through, he said.

“We’re right at the end of that and the council is in the process of transferring the land to the Waitaki Valley Health Trust.

“As soon as that’s in place we’re almost ready to start building.”

The trust had chosen a contractor and Dr Jerram said he hoped to start construction “imminently”.

“We’re very excited to get the building under way. We’ll be even more excited to open the doors and see the facility being operational.

Otago Community Trust gave out $1,619,559 across 31 grants in its August 2026 funding round.

Other significant grants went to the Regent Theatre Trust of Otago, which received $61,500, and the Clyde Bowling Club, $150,000.