TARANAKI DISTRICT HEALTH BOARD
The board governs all Taranaki public hospitals, community services, including district nursing, health education and public health, such as health promotion and protection.
Taranaki DHB serves a population of 104,280 people.
Taranaki has two hospitals – Taranaki Base Hospital in New Plymouth and Hawera Hospital.
Taranaki Base Hospital
The main regional hospital is Taranaki Base Hospital, in New Plymouth. There are health centres at Stratford, Opunake, Waitara, Mokau and Patea.
Services
Emergency Department – The Emergency suite has two resuscitation beds, five treatment rooms, five treatment cubicles
General Medicine
Older People’s Health and Rehabilitation Service Inpatient Service
Children and Young People/Paediatrics – caters for medical, surgical, orthopaedic and oncology patients as well as surgical day cases.
General Surgery and Urology – The Operating Theatre and Endoscopy Suite includes six theatres, a pre-operative area, two procedure rooms and a Post Anaesthetic Care Unit (PACU). General and laparoscopic surgery, orthopaedic and trauma, vascular, thoracic, gynaecology and obstetrics, urology, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, maxillo-facial and dental surgery.
Orthopaedics and Surgical Specialties – Orthopaedic and Minor Specialties such as Gynaecology, Ear Nose and Throat (ENT).
Intensive Care, High Dependency Unit, Coronary Care Unit – The Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Coronary Care Unit (CCU) and High Dependency Unit (HDU) is a 16-bed combined unit. The unit comprises of three ICU beds, 13 CCU/HDU beds, and a treatment/procedure room.
Maternity – There are approximately 1500 births in Taranaki per year.
Hawera Hospital
Hawera Hospital offers a comprehensive health service. The hospital includes inpatient beds with private ensuites, four maternity beds and a fully equipped birthing room. A 24-hour emergency department provides emergency services. Hawera Hospital offers outpatient and community services including mental health, district, allied health and public health services.
Lifestyle
Taranaki is situated on the west coast of the North Island, surrounding the volcanic peak. The large bays north-west and south-west of Cape Egmont are prosaically named the North Taranaki Bight and the South Taranaki Bight.
With Taranaki’s epic surf, spectacular gardens, great events, legendary mountain and countless outdoor and cultural adventures it’s easy to see why the region prides itself on being a destination ‘like no other’.
New Plymouth is the major city of the Taranaki Region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after Plymouth, Devon, England, from where the first English settlers migrated. The New Plymouth District is the 10th largest district (out of 67) in New Zealand
The city itself is a service centre for the region’s principal economic activities including intensive pastoral activities (mainly dairy farming) as well as oil, natural gas and petrochemical exploration and production.
Notable features are the botanic gardens (e.g. Pukekura Park), the 11 km (6.8 mi) Coastal Walkway alongside the Tasman Sea, the Len Lye-designed 45-metre-tall (148 ft) artwork known as the Wind Wand, Paritutu Rock, and views of Mount Taranaki/Egmont.
It is also noted for being a coastal city with a mountain within 30 minutes drive, where residents and visitors to New Plymouth can snowboard, ski, water ski and surf all in the same day.
Hawera is the second-largest town in the Taranaki region of New Zealand’s North Island with a population of 11,000. It is near the coast of the South Taranaki Bight, 75 kilometres south of New Plymouth on State Highway 3, or around the coast on SH 45, known as Surf Highway 45 for its numerous surf beaches. Hawera is 20 minutes’ drive from Mount Taranaki or Mount Egmont. Hawera is also home to Tawhiti Museum, well-known for its hand-crafted life-sized wax sculptures depicting scenes of local heritage and history, and its scale models of local Maori pa (fortresses).