Our new premises and a new place to stand
Te Piki Oranga will realise a long-held intention to bring services together when the Māori healthcare organisation moves to its new health hub at the former ‘Otumarama’ site in Stoke by November.
After 10 years of providing primary healthcare services from three different leased locations in Whakatū / Nelson and Waimea / Richmond, Te Piki Oranga is now planning the delivery of services from one place at 199 Nayland Rd.
Renovations and site improvement at the former rest home and geriatric hospital began on Friday 2 May with a ‘mahi tahi’ (working together) gardening day for kaimahi (employees).
Te Piki Oranga Tumuaki (General Manager) Anne Hobby describes the day as an opportunity to build kotahitanga (togetherness) among kaimahi who will relocate to the new health hub.
The day started with a mihi, karakia and waiata and a tour through the building.
“The positive wairua, the atmosphere and feeling of being there, was really great because it’s something that we’ve wanted for so long, and because kaimahi could see the potential.
“This will be a place where we continue to serve our community and grow according to the needs of whānau and changing demographics.
“We are refurbishing the site to become a health hub of clinical, non-clinical and kaupapa Māori services. It will be our new headquarters and a tūrangawaewae – a place to stand,” Anne says.
Te Piki Oranga is seeking funding to accelerate the renovations and site improvement work. The consolidation of kaimahi and services will enable cost-efficiencies, through reduced utilities bills, transport and venue hire for example.
A positive development for hauora Māori (Māori health)
Jane du Feu, Chairperson for Te Piki Oranga, says the new premises will enable Te Piki Oranga to achieve its long-term strategic plan.
“Te Piki Oranga has strategic goals to improve service accessibility, quality of facilities and being in a position to expand services to meet whānau need,” Jane says.
“Consolidating services at this new health hub in Stoke means we will be central and accessible to whānau in Whakatū Nelson’s largest suburb.
“Otumarama will realise a long-held intention for Te Piki Oranga – for Whakatū and Waimeha kaimahi and services to be together as we were during our first year in 2014 at Whakatū Marae before Te Piki Oranga outgrew this much-loved location,” Jane says.
A new era for maternity care and early years services
An example of how Te Piki Oranga innovates to meet the needs of a changing demographic is the expansion of services into Māori maternity care and early years services in late 2024, under Te Puāwai he Kākano programme.
Cathleen Walker, Pūkenga Kaiwhakahaere for Te Puāwai he Kākano, describes the strategic need for Māori maternity care and early years services:
“Māori populations across Aotearoa New Zealand are comparatively youthful, with a median age of about 27.
“This region is home to many young whānau, so supporting families during the first 2,000 days of a life for a new pēpi is very important.
“The ability of Te Piki Oranga kaimahi and services to support the best start in life was recognised with a new contract to provide maternity and childhood services,” Cathleen says.
Acknowledgements
Te Piki Oranga acknowledges its shareholders, marae and Board of Directors for approving the acquisition of the new premises, Nelson City Council for their guidance during the resource consent process, and Oceania Healthcare – the former owners of ‘Otumarama’.
Questions and answers
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Te Piki Oranga will relocate staff and services from three leased sites in Bishopdale and Richmond into the new health hub once renovations are completed. These include, but are not limited to:
Te Piki Oranga head office
Te Puāwai he Kākano – maternity and early years services
Group programmes, including Te Ata Pūao (mental health), podiatry, and tikanga wānanga.
Ngā Pūkenga Atawhai – registered nurses
Mātanga Tapuhi – nurse practitioner
Well Child Tamariki Ora nurses
Ngā Pūkenga Hauora Hinengaro – mental health clinicians and counsellors
Ngā Pūkenga Toitu Te Ora, a Waipiro me Tarutaru Kino – alcohol and other drugs counsellors
Nga Pūkenga Manaaki – community support navigators
Te Pae Oranga – iwi community panels (restorative justice)
Kaimahi-a-iwi – social workers
He Tangata – driver licencing services
Te Hā Aukati Kaipaipa – smokefree (quit smoking) coaching
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Te Piki Oranga provides Māori health and wellbeing services – provided by Māori for Māori, but not exclusive to Māori.
In the 2023 / 2024 financial year Te Piki Oranga had 4,323 people enrolled for its services, 70 per cent of whom were Māori.
Services are available through a mix of self-referral, referral by healthcare practitioners, government agencies and community organisations.
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Until it closed in late August 2024, 199 Nayland Rd was the site of an aged care facility (‘Otumarama’). This means that the site is able to be repurposed as a Te Piki Oranga healthcare hub with renovations, site improvements and changes to onsite carparking in order to meet resource consent conditions. This work will be undertaken from May 2025 for approximately six months but these are not expected to disrupt nearby residents, businesses or schools.
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Te Piki Oranga will operate the new healthcare hub within the conditions of its resource consent.
Carparking onsite will be reconfigured and our fleet vehicles kept onsite overnight to minimise the number or work vehicles arriving during the busy morning period between 8.30 and 9am.
Entry to the site will be from Nayland Rd. Vehicles can only exit the site onto Chisnall St within standard daytime hours; after 5pm vehicles will exit onto Nayland Rd.
Further to this, Te Piki Oranga will encourage kaimahi to cycle, walk or scooter to work where feasible as 199 Nayland Rd is accessible from the Railway Reserve cycle and walkway.
Photo captions
Banner image at top of page: Kaimahi working in the gardens to relocate plants and tidy up the grounds during a ‘mahi tahi’ (working together) day in May 2025.
Composite image (middle): Photos of the site during its time as ‘Otumarama’.
