As there are proposals for private hospitals in both Wanaka and Queenstown, the health body is working to determine how public funds will be allocated to meet the demands of New Zealand’s fastest-growing area and pave the way for a more sustainable and responsive health system.
Queenstown Lakes District Mayor Glyn Lewers is part of an initial working group, the Southern Lakes Health Trust, which includes the local mayors and Central Otago Mayor Tamah Alley, as well as local MPs Joseph Mooney and Miles Anderson.
Mr Lewers said local and central government had been in contact with the two entities in Wanaka and Queenstown to talk about a public-private partnership model.
There had to be an uplift in hospital services, to meet growing demand, "be it in Wanaka, Cromwell or Queenstown".
"It probably is [Queenstown] as there is a population base, a construction market there, things like medical gases, building, air conditioning and services, there are people here that can do that," Mr Lewers said.
The Southern Lakes Health Trust had advocated for government support to integrate public services into those private developments, he said.
"We could see all this private investment coming in, and we’re concerned that we’re down the list when it comes to government investment in public healthcare.
"We said ‘here is an opportunity, government - you are going to have private investors building infrastructure anyway. How about we get some public services inside these private entities?"’
The privately-funded $300 million hospital planned for Wanaka has already received resource consent from the Queenstown Lakes District Council.
The facility will include four operating theatres, a 24-hour emergency department and allied health services.
The broader development will also feature retail and hospitality outlets, creating a health precinct that integrates medical services with community amenities.
Southland MP Joseph Mooney confirmed the private hospitals would be fully utilised in the clinical services plan.
"The solution we want is to how to improve these services and expand what they are doing. Before a date can be set, the plan needs to be in place.
"Any discussions about what, where and who, we will have to have when that plan is produced. They [Health NZ] are committing resources to doing that."
While Mrs Alley is not advocating for a hospital to be built in Cromwell or further expansion at Dunstan Hospital in Clyde, she believes the growth of the region will make it clear where services are most needed.
"We know our areas are growing rapidly, and the statistics will tell us where the services are required," Mrs Alley said.
"Anything that reduces the distance our people have to travel for healthcare will be a win."
HNZ Te Waipounamu community integration group manager Aroha Metcalf said the population of the Central Lakes area was expected to grow significantly in the coming years, from 72,000 to more than 100,000 over the next decade.
Additionally, the influx of visitors during peak seasons, combined with seasonal workers who were often not enrolled in primary healthcare, added an additional layer of complexity.
HNZ was factoring these visitor numbers into the planning process for the first time.
The plan would also look at how patients moved through the health system, considering the role of secondary hospitals in Dunedin and Invercargill, as well as rural hospitals in the district, Ms Metcalf said.
HNZ’s planning would also take into account national frameworks, including the Rural Urgent Unplanned Care Framework, to ensure services met the unique needs of rural and remote communities - setting a national precedent for the way services were delivered, she said.
