Building a healthy future

This research looks at how we need to change how we plan, build and maintain our public hospitals if we are to address our ageing infrastructure and meet changing population needs.

Te Waihanga commissioned the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) to undertake this research.

Key findings

• Over the next thirty years we will have to spend $115 billion on hospitals unless we change how we do things. This is four times more than we currently do. This is largely because half of our hospital estate is over 40 years old.
• Over half of the $115 billion projected costs of this are for maintaining and renewing hospitals, while 25% are from a predicted increase in need for hospital space from an ageing population.
• An important step in preparing public hospital infrastructure for the future will be having an integrated, national plan.
• Government should continue to explore non-built options. This includes re-purposing existing assets and complementary models of healthcare, a shift from inpatient to outpatient care models, medical innovation and improvements in clinical procedures, virtual care and increased levels of primary care community management.