The New Zealand Government has signed a construction contract with CPB Contractors for the new inpatient building at Dunedin Hospital.
Announcing the contract, health minister Simeon Brown said: “Delivering this inpatient building is a key priority for the government. In January this year, I gave the people of Dunedin certainty that it would be built on the old Cadbury site, and in July, construction work resumed.
“Under the previous government’s plans, the project risked a NZ$3bn ($1.75bn) blowout. We’ve reset the approach and strengthened planning to ensure we actually deliver the safe, modern hospital that Dunedin and the surrounding Otago and Southland regions deserve.
“The NZ$1.88bn New Dunedin Hospital programme is New Zealand’s single biggest health infrastructure project and an economic boost for the region.”
The inpatient building construction is set to generate more than 900 full-time equivalent positions while also contributing around NZ$100m a year to Dunedin’s economy at its peak.
CPB has been engaged since the initial stages, collaborating with the design team of Health New Zealand on pre-construction tasks.
The contractor is said to possess the necessary experience to oversee a project of this magnitude – approximately 72,000m² in area.
Early works, including foundations and pile caps, began in July. A crane is scheduled to be operational by mid-2026, with practical completion targeted for 2030 and the first patients expected in 2031.
Brown added: “With the main contractor now in place, the people of Dunedin, Otago, and Southland can finally look forward to the modern hospital they need, and now will get.”
