The transition to Taranaki Base Hospital's new $462.6 million East Wing is complete for the maternity team following the final delivery in the old ward and the first birth in the brand new state-of-the-art facility.
Baby Rongomāia was the last infant born in the old maternity ward before staff moved operations across. Proud parents Ashanti Cunningham and Brock McCort celebrated the final chapter of a ward that has seen thousands of Taranaki residents enter the world over the decades.
Baby Pihopa arrived as one of the first newborns welcomed into the modern facility in the new 6-storey East Wing Building. Parents Roka Osborne and Tima Ratahi, alongside midwife Vanessa Crofskey, celebrated the birth inside the new primary birthing unit, which features advanced secondary care access and significantly upgraded family spaces.
Both families will appear on TVNZ 1's Seven Sharp programme tonight at 7pm (Thursday 2nd July).
Health New Zealand Taranaki acknowledged the milestone publicly, congratulating both families on their unique roles in the hospital's expansion.
The move into the East Wing completes a major phase of Project Maunga Stage 2, which fully integrates the region's maternity, delivery, and neonatal intensive care services under a single roof to ensure safer, more coordinated clinical outcomes for Taranaki families.
Health New Zealand chief executive Dr Dale Bramley said the layout ensures that the community will benefit from a resilient hospital campus fit for years to come.
Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey officially cut the ribbon to mark the completion of the project on Monday, stating that the upgrade means more capacity, faster access to treatment, and more modern facilities for the region.
