NZ InfraWatch
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HEALTH
New Dunedin Hospital
Health New Zealand / Te Whatu Ora · Otago
New ~$3.1B teaching hospital replacing the ageing Dunedin Hospital. Cost has grown from $1.4B (2019 estimate) to $3.1B+. Inpatient tower under construction. Outpatient building design still being revised. Significant controversy over cost blowouts.
A
83/100 · Very likely to proceed
Completion Probability — likelihood this proceeds on roughly its stated timeline.
Funding statusweight 30%
Delivery stageweight 25%
Election / policy riskweight 20%
Govt priority alignmentweight 12%
Project scaleweight 8%
Delivery agencyweight 5%
Key facts
- Region
- Otago
- Sector
- Health
- Status
- Under Construction
- Estimated value
- $3.1b
- Indicative completion
- 2029
- Funding status
- Fully Funded
- Lead organisation
- Health New Zealand / Te Whatu Ora
- Election risk
- Medium
Election risk assessment
Replacement hospital under construction but with major cost overruns and design controversies. A government change may alter scope but would not cancel a partly-built hospital.
Government priority alignment
MEDIUM — Health-delivery priority, but cost overruns have drawn value-for-money scrutiny.
Chronology
- 2009First formal assessments of Dunedin Hospital's fitness — buildings rated seismically substandard
- 2017Site at upper Dunedin CBD confirmed after years of debate. Cost estimated at $1.4B
- 2019Design process begins. Outpatient building design approved
- 2021Construction begins on outpatient building. Inpatient tower design disputes emerge
- 2022Cost blowout revealed — estimates reach $1.9B then $2.8B. Design review ordered
- 2023Cost reaches $3.1B+. Inpatient tower construction begins after redesign
- 2029Expected completion of both outpatient and inpatient buildings