A key part of the Seismic Risk Management Plan (SRMP) is the demolition of the Block C building which currently houses the Renal department. To enable this, a new, purpose-built Renal Unit, named Te Huhi Raupō has been built on David Street.
Te Huhi Raupō began welcoming patients in November 2022 and was officially opened by the Minister of Health Hon. Dr Ayesha Verrall on 21 March 2023.
The single-storey timber building is approximately 800m2 and has a distinctly non-clinical feel. It has 10 treatment chairs with distant sea views, along with two training rooms (to help patients learn to carry out their own care), an isolation room, and a self-care room. The three outpatient rooms mean the facility can now accommodate other support teams such as social work, dietitian, podiatry and, provide wrap-around care for patients with diabetes.
At the opening on 21 March, Wharehoka Wano, Tumu Whakarito Te Kāhui o Taranaki, gifted the building the name Te Huhi Raupō to Te Whatu Ora, on behalf of Ngā Iwi o Taranaki and Taumaruroa (made up of mana whenua Ngāti Te Whiti and the eight Iwi of Taranaki).
Raupō (also known as bullrush) is a resilient plant whose stalks grow tightly together. It bends in storms and windy conditions, but once the storm has passed, it stands again. In the same way, Te Huhi Raupō provides support and shelter for the Renal Unit patients , helping them to weather the storms of their illness and rise again after treatment.
Te Huhi Raupō is targeting Net Zero Energy Certification and Zero Carbon Certification through the Living Building Challenge, meaning that the total energy use over a year will be neutral, by reducing its energy consumption and utilising roof-mounted solar panels to generate energy.