McKay major projects manager Rhys Farrand said he "prefers not to talk about this [the hospital build] right now . However, Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand (HNZ), the government department responsible for the inpatient build, confirmed McKay as "a preferred subcontractor". The Dunedin inpatient build’s costs "could approach $3b" and a cheaper option was sought — a hospital refurbishment or a smaller build. On May 30, the new National-led government had received a review of the inpatient build from health infrastructure guru Robert Rust. In 2020, a Treasury review of the Dunedin hospital build warned it would be "paramount that sufficient commercial expertise exists both within the MoH procurement team and across industry" to complete the build.

Source: Otago Daily Times November 08, 2024 19:08 UTC