Face-off over hospital claims as race for Tukituki begins

The political tit-for-tat has started in Tukituki.

National’s candidate for the electorate, Catherine Wedd, has hit out at incumbent Labour MP Anna Lorck’s hyping of a new hospital in Hawke’s Bay, saying she may be
“misleading people on purpose”.

Lorck said in a recent interview that feasibility studies were under way into the prospect of a new hospital in Hawke’s Bay, and claimed “a lot of progress has been made on a business case”.

The start of the feasibility study was confirmed to Hawke’s Bay Today this week by Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand, which said the work was in its very early stages and not yet at the point where a business case for a potential $700 million to $1 billion spend was on the table.

Among the things being considered in the initial feasibility study is building a hospital on a greenfield site, rather than at its current location in Hastings.

Wedd said answers from the Minister of Health Ayesha Verrall to written questions from National Health spokesman Shane Reti showed “there is no evidence to back up her claims about a new hospital for our region”.

“Labour’s Tukituki MP is either misleading people on purpose or simply being kept out of the loop on the Government’s lack of progress in Hawke’s Bay,” she said.

Verrall’s responses, which have been seen by Hawke’s Bay Today, indicate she was not briefed by Lorck before the latter made her comments about the potential for a new hospital.

They show that Verrall was unaware the comments had even been made until Reti’s question.

However, Verrall did confirm in her written answers to Reti that she knew about the plan. “I am aware that a Clinical Services Plan is being progressed by the Hawke’s Bay Projects Team. These key documents will be instrumental in developing the investment options that will be presented in the business case”.

Lorck said she made no apology for trying to act in Hawke’s Bay’s interests.

“Te Whatu Ora have confirmed the feasibility work is under way, which is significant progress for our region.”

Lorck said she was fighting “tooth and nail” to get action on a new hospital and her sole focus was “action and delivery”.

“I’ve been leading on health advocacy for Hawke’s Bay for years and have established good working relationships across the sector,” she said.

“My experience as a former DHB board member ensures that I know how these major infrastructure capital projects work and the planning and feasibility studies required.”