New Facility Opened at Waitākere Hospital: Manaaki Hōhonu
Our Waitākere Hospital chaplains, Sione Tu’ungafasi and Louise Menzies, recently joined healthcare leaders, community representatives, and special guests in celebrating the official opening of Manaaki Hōhonu, a significant new facility at Waitākere Hospital.
| One such representative was Minister Carmel Sepuloni, who thanked Sione for the care he gave to her father during his recent time in hospital.
The opening was marked by a series of special events.
On Wednesday morning, Sione and Louise joined the Māori cultural team for a dawn blessing of the new building. Later in the week, on Friday 4 September, Sione participated in the official opening programme.
Proceedings began with a Pōwhiri, welcoming honoured guests into the new facility, including the Minister of Health, Hon. Simeon Brown. The occasion recognised not only the completion of a new healthcare space but also the strong cultural and community partnerships that helped shape it.
As chaplains, Sione and Louise were honoured to be part of this milestone occasion.
The New Facility
The names of the new building and ward were gifted by Dame Naida Glavish, reflecting both place and purpose:
| Manaaki Hōhonu speaks to the ability to care for every aspect of a person's needs, offering care that is deep, holistic, and compassionate.
| Karekare Ward, the new 30-bed inpatient medical ward, draws its name from the coastal settlement west of Auckland, known for its dramatic black-sand beach,
lush native forest, and the beauty of Karekare Falls.
Manaaki Hōhonu has been designed to reflect the diverse communities it serves, and incorporates a number of significant cultural and community elements, including:
Māori naming and cultural narrative integration
Culturally informed wayfinding and signage
Artwork and visual storytelling that reflects the identity of West Auckland
Collaboration with Māori Health and community stakeholders
The opening of Manaaki Hōhonu represents more than a new building.
It reflects a commitment to providing high-quality healthcare that recognises the physical, emotional, cultural, and spiritual dimensions of wellbeing, an approach at the very heart of chaplaincy and the compassionate support chaplains seek to offer every day.
