Edward Bartley - Whangarei Hospital and Nurses Home

In the late 1880’s Whangarei had no general hospital. The district had a sparse and widespread population.

People were unwilling to seek medical attention for illness because if they needed hospital care they would be sent to Auckland. Travelling times and rough conditions could prove fatal- taking people away from their family and homes. Sending patients away was expensive for the local council too. They were billed the full cost of transport and care for ailing residents - £800 in 1899.

A cottage home for aged poor people opened in February 1900. Almost immediately there was talk of extending the cottage to make a hospital ward.

About this time the Auckland based architect Edward Bartley was in Whangarei, consulting with a client over a commercial building design for Bank St. He had considerable experience in the design of medical facilities, as he was architect to the Auckland District Hospital and Charitable Aid board.

Mr Bartley met the local MP Mr Thompson and inspected the Old People’s Home. He advised that an add-on there was not a satisfactory solution in the long term.

Urging the MP to approach the Government for funding, Bartley offered to design a suitable complex free of charge. He suggested a nurses’ home and boiler house be included in their plans.

The need was so urgent that he also offered to supervise the construction for free and donate to the subscription fund immediately.

This generosity and enthusiasm galvanised the district into action.

A ladies committee took charge of fund raising. Council applied for- and eventually got- a Government subsidy of thirty shillings for every pound raised toward the project, up to a £1000 limit. Mr Keyte put in the successful tender for the construction and building got underway.

When the complex opened in April 1901, the Government Inspector of Hospitals, Dr McGregor, was quoted in The Northern Advocate, calling it “the best hospital, considering the cost, in New Zealand.”

The Hospital was originally designed for a population of 10,000 people. At the time it was proposed, critics said it was a white elephant that would take 10 years to fill. In fact, it was an asset right from the start, saving lives across the region.