From left to right: Kaumātua Ngāti Rora, Kingi Turner, Health Minister Hon. Simeon Brown planting a rākau, Kingi Turner with Lynne Stafford and Charge nurse Tania Te Wano
Te Kūiti Hospital, a treasured taonga of the King Country, has been honoured for 100 years of service to the community.
We were there at the centenary celebration in the weekend at the hospital grounds hosted by Ngāti Rora, brought together staff, whānau to reflect on the hospital’s enduring connection to tangata whenua and the whenua it stands upon.
Ngāti Rora paid tribute to the legacy of those who built and sustained the hospital, from its official opening by Sir Māui Pōmare in 1925 to the dedicated teams who continue to care for the people of the region today.
The hospital sits on land gifted by Rangatira Tanirau Hetet, whose uri attended the centenary to honour the contribution of their tūpuna. Generous support from Tanirau Hetet, who donated 3.5 acres of land, laid the foundation for an enduring partnership between Māori and the Crown to deliver vital health services across the King Country.
For generations, Te Kūiti Hospital has been a lifeline for our whānau, providing emergency, maternity, surgical, and community services across the rohe. Feedback gathered through our Whānau Voice shows that whānau want health care to remain close to home.
Many say that local access to care allows them to stay connected to whānau and whenua, rather than face long and costly travel to Waikato Hospital. A bus service introduced 30 years ago between Taumarunui and Waikato Hospital continues to support whānau who must travel for specialist appointments, a reflection of how community-led solutions have long underpinned rural health care in the region.
For charge nurse Tania Te Wano, who has served Te Kūiti Hospital for three decades, the centenary was deeply personal. Community tributes shared on the Legendary Te Kūiti Facebook page described the hospital’s legacy as one that has produced “iconic surgeons and doctors, medical advancements, births of legends, helicopter transfers, and pandemic responses.”
Health Minister Simeon Brown attended the celebration acknowledging Te Kūiti Hospital as a symbol of perseverance and partnership. He planted a commemorative tree to mark the milestone and recognised the hospital’s ongoing role as one of six rural prototype sites trialling improvements to local health services, including better access to diagnostics, on-call pharmacy support, and digital tools for clinicians.
Te Whatu Ora rural manager Rachel Swain said workforce shortages and aging infrastructure remain challenges for rural hospitals. She highlighted the government’s Rural Health Strategy, which prioritises keeping services close to home, strengthening prevention, and supporting a flexible rural health workforce. Investments in regional training hubs and the new Waikato Medical School aim to grow the next generation of doctors and nurses from within rural communities.
One hundred years on, Te Kūiti Hospital remains more than a place of healing. It stands as a taonga, a testament to partnership between whānau, mana whenua, and health services and a reminder of what can be achieved when care is grounded in place, people, and whakapapa.