Tçnâ koe,

 

Thank you for your email. 

 

Under the Official Information Act (OIA), agencies are required to respond
to requests for official information as soon as reasonably practicable and
no later than 20 working days after receiving them.

If your request is for data that Health NZ holds, have you checked
[1]Lighthouse first to see if the data you are seeking is already
published?

 

Lighthouse is a searchable catalogue that makes a range of data and
analytics products available to New Zealanders to enable easier, faster
access to insights about health services.

 

You can find further information about how OIA timeframes are calculated,
including the Ombudsman’s OIA calculator, at the link below:
[2]Official information calculators | Ombudsman New Zealand

 

We will provide a response to your request in line with the statutory
timeframes set out in the OIA.

We appreciate your understanding and patience during this time.

 

Ngâ mihi,
Health NZ | Te Whatu Ora

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Kia ora Daniel 
 
Thank you for your request for official information, received
on 14 May 2026 for:  

 

I want all information related to your five new rapid build wards you
announced. I want to know where they're going, how the building of them is
going, when they'll be put in place and what they'll do when they're
open. 

 

Tell me what evaluations you've done to prove that these prefab wards will
be better than building proper buildings. How much will it cost to make
these work and put them on site? How many staff and patients and what will
services will be in them? Will they be safe? 

 

As you can appreciate there has been a significant amount of engagement
informing the 4 rapid build wards, and as it is currently worded, your
request is broad and may require substantial manual collation to locate
and prepare all documents within scope. As such, we may need to refuse it
under section 18(f) of the OIA. 

 

For us to collate the information in a manner that is feasible
retrievable could you please refine your request to the latest advice to
Ministers for the additional 4 rapid build wards about: 

* site selection 

* current build status, 

* timeframe and use  

* cost of implementation 

* staffing and patient output 

* safety.  

We appreciate you are under no obligation to amend your request. We want
to work with you to ensure we can provide a response that best meets your
needs. 

 

To help you refine your request you may be interested in the following
information that is publicly available about the inpatient bed capacity
(rapid build wards) that may answer some of your questions: 

* [1]Budget 2025 FIRP Implementation Business Case  

* [2]Health Capital Update as at 30 June 2025  

* [3]Update on Health Capital Projects at 31 July 2025 

* [4]Approval to Deliver (ATD) Interim Inpatient Bed Capacity Programme 

 

Please note, under section 15 of the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA),
any clarification or amendments made to a request within seven days after
the date it is received, that request may be treated as a new request and
the time limit for the response restarts.  
 
If we do not hear from you by 5pm, 25 May 2026, we will proceed to make a
decision on your request based on our interpretation of it. 

 

Ngā Mihi

 

Anthea

Government Services
[5][email address]   

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
 

  

  

 

Statement of confidentiality: This email message and any accompanying
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legal privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, do not read, use,
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delete this message

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