Gary and Lyn File outside the old Maternity Hospital that holds treasured memories for them.
Gisborne Hospital's earthquake-prone Morris Adair Building was handed over to Nikau Contractors to begin the demolition process on 2 March 2020. It is a 4-month project to demolish the building. The building was opened as 60-bed Maternity Unit in 1969 with nurses accommodation on the top 2 floors. In its time many Tairāwhiti babies have been born, many loved ones pass on and many people have developed their careers within its walls.
Remembering all those whose significant life events that have played out in the building, a remembrance event was held. People who strong memories of working, staying or visiting whanau in the building shared their stories.
Some struggled with their emotions. Parents Gary and Lyn File were among those attending. Mr File said the end of the building's life “seems wrong”. “I'm sad to see it go,” he said.
“It's part of our lives, it's part of our children.” He said three times at the maternity home were happy; one was not when the couple's baby was stillborn. “That made us stronger people I guess.”
After their experience, the Files, together with the local Parents Centre branch, donated a camera to the maternity home. Parents unfortunate enough to have a stillbirth could take a photograph before the baby was taken away.
“As long as I live, I will remember the telephone in there,” Mr File said. Fathers would relay their news to the outside world “about the only baby who had ever been born”. Mr File said he choked at the memory of ringing his mother four times from the maternity hospital.
He was one of those expectant fathers who were “the poor species of people who never quite knew where to put themselves, where to go, or not go”.
It was karma he said, “because they were kind of responsible for the ladies being there in the first place”.
Hauora Tairawhiti Chief Executive Jim Green said "I would like to express my thanks for the 50 years of work that has been carried out in that building. So many staff have used its protection and comfort to serve the people of our community. I particularly think of the many joyous and happy times in that building, as well as the sorrow of parting.”
“It is a sad ending for a building designed as a place of care, that has served the community so well, to come down as it is no longer a safe place for people to be in.”
Hauora Tairawhiti chaplain Rev. Patsy Ngata-Hills has conducted karakia/prayers throughout the building to clear the way and staff have now removed the things stored in the building.
The project will involve the removal of 500 truckloads of demolition material. “As much material as possible will be recycled. While there is an environmental plan to minimise the effects of the demolition on staff and the people we care for, there will be some disruption. There will be noise from concrete sawing, loading concrete onto trucks etc and some car parking close to the building will be lost.
Morris Adair Building Timeline
11 March 1969
The building opened as a 60 bed Maternity Block with accommodation for nursing staff on the top floors. The Maternity Hospital was the first building for patients to be built on the current Gisborne Hospital site. The laundry, kitchen and boiler house were built a couple of years earlier. At the time most hospital facilities were located at Cook Hospital on Hospital Hill.
It was opened by the Minister of Health, Mr D. N. McKay and brought together most maternity services in the district after the gradual closing of other small maternity hospitals. Each mother and her new baby had their own room and many stayed in the hospital for 10 days or more.
As reported in the 1969 Photo News "all services in the hospital are streamlined to the 'nth degree to ensure every care for patients."
Sister P. M. Swarbrick was in charge of the Maternity Home and she lived in her own flat on the fourth floor of the building which housed other nursing staff.
1970’s
Elderly people requiring hospital-level care moved into the new Geriatric Ward in the building. This was located on the top 2 floors where the nurses' accommodation had been previously. At the time Health Boards provided aged residential care. The new facility was right next door to the Memorial Home.
13 February 1980
The Foundation stone was laid and building work began on the rest of the new Gisborne Hospital
15 June 1985
Gisborne Hospital was officially opened by the Governor-General Sir David Beattie
1986
Kiwanis Club Garden was opened next to the Maternity building for whanau staying in the maternity building to use. The project was funded through donations from Gisborne businesses and community.
1990s
Health boards stop providing aged residential care. Community aged care providers start providing hospital-level care and the geriatric ward is closed.
3 December 1998
Puawai Aroha Gisborne Maternity Unit is opened by Mrs Peggy Kaua. By 1998 the numbers of babies born in Gisborne had significantly reduced from 1960’s levels and mothers were spending less time in hospital after birth. There was a need to have Maternity located closer to the theatres and other facilities so a new, smaller integrated facility was built as part of the main hospital complex.
2002
Scenes from the award-winning feature film Whale rider are filmed in the building.
17 December 2003
Funds left in the dwindling Morris Adair fund was used to refit (and rename) the maternity building.
Hospital rooms were turned into offices and the building was used as a community health hub. A variety of services were collocated there including:
- Cancer Society
- Alzheimer’s Society
- Heart Foundation
- Public Health
- Planning and Funding,
- Community Mental Health
2012
Seismic evaluation of the buildings early in 2012 identified issues with the older buildings on the Gisborne Hospital campus. As a result, everyone was moved out of the Morris Adair Building. 100 staff were moved into Tangata Rite in Peel Street while planning for the future was done.
2019
After a series of reports and investigations, the Hauora Tairawhiti Board confirmed the building was uneconomic to repair to above the required minimum of 63% of new building standards. Options to remove stories in an effort to retain some capacity on site were considered. However, the costs of this remedial work were far in excess of a new build. Accordingly, the building was declared surplus to requirements.
Later in 2019, the government provided funding as part of a programme to address deferred building maintenance in hospitals across the country. This has allowed for the cost of demolition of the building to be covered. Hauora Tairāwhiti is allocated $3m for this project and others on the Gisborne Hospital site including lift replacement and installation of air conditioning in the ward areas of the hospital.