The redevelopment was estimated to cost $1.098b over 10 years. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
Nelson's mayor says the city needs to see action from the government on a promised hospital redevelopment.
It has been announced construction will start on the project to expand, upgrade and earthquake-strengthen Nelson Hospital in 2026, three years later than initially stated.
The redevelopment was estimated to cost $1.098 billion over 10 years.
Mayor and former National MP Dr Nick Smith said the $73 million for initial planning was a positive step on a very long journey.
The hospital's current buildings had been rated the poorest quality in the country, he said.
"It's that action on the ground that will really give our medical professionals and our community the confidence that this is really going to happen.
"Our council is totally committed to working with whoever is in government to get that progress occurring as quickly as possible. We want a quality hospital that's going to be able to meet the needs of our growing community."
The provisional start date of 2026 was not what had been promised previously, he said.
Nelson mayor Nick Smith. Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
"There's been frustration in the Nelson community that the government had committed to start construction within this [three-year] term and that is clearly not going to occur."
Laws passed in 2016 stated the two main buildings must be earthquake-strengthened by 2028, he said.
The broken promise and delays to other projects, like Dunedin Hospital, had left the community with little confidence, Smith said. He hoped a new energy centre would be included in the first phase of the hospital redevelopment.
The hospital had applied to keep burning coal for heat and power for another seven years in February, despite the government aiming to phase out the boilers in hospitals by the end of 2025.
The council was concerned by the application, especially when the government had declared a climate emergency, Smith said.
"We're totally committed to working with Te Whatu Ora and whoever is in government to end the burning of coal for the heating of our hospital. It would make good logical sense for the very first phase of the Nelson Hospital redevelopment to be a new energy centre to replace that coal furnace."