Workers uphold ‘great pride’ during Paeroa hospital demo

Work to demolish Paeroa’s historic maternity hospital began this month, with the land – once cleared – being offered to local iwi.
The building, which overlooked State Highway 2 for 94 years, was opened in 1930 by the then-Minister of Health, Arthur Stallworthy.
Thousands of babies were born during the hospital’s lifetime, with baby number 1000 born in December 1948 to a local Paeroa mother.
Land Information New Zealand leader project delivery crown property Matt Bradley said the hospital was “significant in the community history of Paeroa”.
“Many people in the community were born there and iwi history with the whenua stretches even further back in time,” he said.
“This is an important project for the Paeroa community, and we take great pride in working to remove the hospital building.”
The contractors, Waikato Demolition, have already removed the roof and some walls of the main building. The next step, Mr Bradley said, was to remove the foundations before smoothing and grassing the site.
It’s expected that the work will take two months to complete.
“There is asbestos present in the basement, and this will be removed following best practice,” Mr Bradley said. “Asbestos removal was expected and planned for and so won’t impact on the timeframes of the demolition.
“An archaeologist will also be overseeing and managing all ground disturbance works. If we uncover any items during the work, work will pause to allow the discovery to be appropriately managed and cared for.”
When the hospital closed, it was deemed surplus by the Crown. It then entered the Treaty Settlements Landbank – one of 900 properties managed by Land Information NZ.
“When demolition is complete, the whenua will be offered to Ngāti Hako, Ngāti Tamaterā and Ngāti Tara Tokanui. Any future use of the land will be for iwi to decide,” Mr Bradley said.
“This is an important project for the Paeroa community and for LINZ as we work to remove the hospital buildings and return the land to mana whenua.”
According to the Ohinemuri Regional History Journal’s May, 1969, edition, from 1941 until June, 1949, Sisters Winifred and Daisy Moore were in charge of the hospital.
They were recorded as saying: “Yes, the days and nights were always busy but there is little that can be more rewarding than the life we chose. Now after twenty more years we can look back and sincerely say that the people of Paeroa and district will always hold a warm place in our hearts”.