Mr McKenzie — who served five years as chairman — said that when he joined the board, the hospital was still in its old "Gothic" building in Bidwill St, which included an elderly care facility.
Now it was a modern hospital on a block spanning the intersections of Elizabeth, York and Bidwill Sts, with surgeons’ premises on-site, and offered a wide range of surgical and specialist services.
A director of RSM Law in Timaru, Mr McKenzie said he was proud of the fact the law firm had been involved with Bidwill from the beginning.
"We were involved with setting up the original Bidwill trust structure as a registered community charitable trust and have had an RSM director on the board right from the start."
Directors come and go, and Mr McKenzie acknowledged that 27 years was a long time on the same board.
"I think the reason I stayed on for so long was that it was more than just a legal role for me. I really enjoyed it.
"I got to have an appreciation of the health system, and that Bidwill was such a key community asset as a charitable trust, giving back to the community through its annual grants."
Mr McKenzie said he was also proud of the role that the hospital had played as a health facility for Timaru and the surrounding region.
"It has been a very good board that has had a strong focus on growth and development.
"So we have kept pace with medical advances, bringing new technology and services into the hospital, attracting great surgeons and staff, and also being a training hospital.
"That is a huge community contribution I am very proud of."
Mr McKenzie was chairman from November 2018 until December 2023, taking over from Mark Hervey and then handing over that role to Mr Hervey’s son Sam.
"I am a great believer in ensuring there is a continuance of institutional memory on a board, but I am also very mindful that no-one should be there too long.
"So I was pleased to be able to hand over to Sam, and stay around a while longer to ensure a smooth transition.
"But now it is time to go and leave it to the younger generations to carry on the good work that Bidwill does."
Mr McKenzie’s board role will be taken over by fellow RSM Law director David Forman.
