A public hospital on reserve land is being considered for Tauranga to ease pressures on health services in the region.

The Tauranga Racecouse in Greerton is being eyed up for a new hospital building.

It was yet to be decided if the new hospital would be an additional hospital for the city or replace the existing Tauranga hospital on Cameron Rd.

The existing hospital would remain in the medium term, although Health New Zealand (formerly the Bay of Plenty District Health Board) said they were in discussions to expand or modify this existing site due to seismic conditions and the need to relieve pressure on health services.

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The plan for the new hospital is one of three options shortlisted for the 85 hectare Tauranga Racecourse Reserve, which Tauranga City Council Commission chair Anne Tolley presented to residents on July 26.

Using the racecourse land for high density housing was taken off the table by the commissioners earlier this year.

Building a new hospital on the land would mean that the golf course could remain for now, while equestrian facilities would be relocated.

This option provides future opportunity to consider the use of the current hospital campus on Cameron Road for housing.

A new health precinct would provide health and community wellbeing services, as well as parklands, sports fields, golf, and connections to Kopurererua Valley.

The second option would be to create a central park on the land – with a large green parkland, sports fields, community spaces, golf and connections to Kopurererua Valley. With this option the golf course would stay, and the racecourse and equestrian facilities would be relocated.

The third option is an enhanced version of the status quo with the racecourse, golf, equestrian, sports fields and connections to Kopurererua Valley.

If the health precinct option is not approved for the site, the second option will go ahead.

Tolley said that commissioners will continue to look at other opportunities in the city for high density housing.

“The community has made it clear there is no appetite for use of this land for housing. Council and Kāinga Ora, alongside iwi and other partners, will continue to explore other land for housing options in our city.”

“The key feedback that has come through is to keep our green spaces green and to ensure we are thinking about the value of open space for generations to come. This central location will be important for a future green space. As the community has told us, once it is gone, we can’t get it back,” she said.

Health New Zealand (formerly the Bay of Plenty District Health Board) was interested in using the reserve land as a site for potential health services to ease pressure on current services.

Pete Chandler, chief executive of Hauora a Toi Bay of Plenty, said the region’s growing population and significant seismic issues on the current hospital campus meant the current health facilities needed “future-proofing”.

“This may require expansion of our current services. Identifying a new public hospital location and providing better transport access to serve the growing Tauranga and Western Bay area would ensure that planning for the future of the health system is not constrained to the current site,” he said.

Chandler said that locating a new public hospital on the reserve land could also potentially open up the current hospital campus site for medium to high density housing in the long term.

Tauranga residents can make a submission on the three options from Wednesday 27 July until 5pm, Monday 29 August 2022.

A decision on the future use of the reserve land is planned for December.

The Greerton Maarawaewae study on options for the future of the land was launched in October 2021 to “identify opportunities to support wellbeing as the city continues to grow.”

New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) has met with Racing Rotorua and Racing Tauranga and encouraged them to work together on what the future of racing will be for the Bay of Plenty region.

While acknowledging the Bay of Plenty was a population growth hub, NZTR believed thoroughbred racing would be best sustained if there was only one venue for racing in Bay of Plenty.

A working party, led by NZTR, has been established to identify potential sites for a sub-regional facility.

For more information about the Greerton Maarawaewae Study and to make a submission, visit http://www.tauranga.govt.nz/greertonmaarawaewae