Health NZ will expand locally delivered healthcare across the Otago Central Lakes, including more diagnostics such as MRI, enhanced mental health and addiction support, and broader primary and specialist outpatient services.

Health Minister Simeon Brown said the Central Lakes Clinical Services Plan aims to reduce long trips to Dunedin or Invercargill for common appointments, scans and treatments. “Around 70 per cent of New Zealanders who live more than two hours from a base hospital live right here in the Otago Central Lakes area,” he said. “Every patient that can be seen locally in Otago Central Lakes is one fewer patient having to travel for hours.”

The Health NZ Board has agreed in principle to invest $25 million in new operating funding from 2027/28, with an estimated further $103 million over the following three years. Service expansion is expected to begin from next year, subject to final decisions, including where services will be located. The operating spend will be supported by $52 million in capital funding to upgrade facilities and modernise digital systems, linking the region more closely with specialist services, including the new Dunedin outpatient facility.

Planned changes include:

• Expanding primary, community and specialist outpatient care delivered locally
• Strengthening mental health and addiction services
• Bringing more diagnostic services closer to home, including acute and planned MRI and improved point‑of‑care testing

Maternity is a key focus. Health NZ will develop a new local model of care with midwives, obstetricians, GPs and other clinicians. Brown said the aim is a service that is safe, sustainable and responsive to local needs as the population grows.

Health NZ says detailed clinical and service planning has identified pressure points and how care needs to evolve in one of the country’s fastest‑growing regions. Specific service locations and timelines beyond the staged start next year are yet to be confirmed.