Fewer visitor restrictions now apply

For visitors to all facilities effective from 16 September 2022

Some visitor restrictions for all Te Whatu Ora Te Tai o Poutini West Coast health facilities remain in place, but we have relaxed others.

There is still a heightened risk to vulnerable people in hospital and so people must continue to wear a mask when visiting any of our facilities and follow other advice designed to keep patients, staff and other visitors safe.

Kia whakahaumaru te whānau, me ngā iwi katoa – this is to keep everybody safe:

Visitors or support people must not visit our facilities if they are unwell. Do not visit if you have recently tested positive for COVID-19 and haven’t completed your isolation period.

Patients in single rooms may have more than one visitor while patients in multi-bed rooms can have one visitor only per patient to ensure there is no overcrowding.

People can have one or two support people to accompany them to outpatients appointments.

Women in labour in a birthing suite, in Te Nīkau Hospital’s Maternity Ward and in Buller’s Kawatiri Maternity Unit can have the usual support people, subject to space, for the duration of their stay in our facilities.

Eating or drinking at the bedside is at the discretion of the Clinical Nurse Manager. Visitors must not eat or drink in multibed rooms because of the increased risk when multiple people remove their mask in the same space.

Hand sanitiser is available and must be used.

Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding as our staff work hard to protect and care for some of the most vulnerable in our community.

Mask wearing

Surgical/medical masks must be worn at all sites, except in counselling, mental health and addiction services where it’s on a case-by-case agreement with patients. Masks will be provided if you don’t have one. In higher-risk environments, people, including young children, may not be able to visit if they cannot wear a mask.

Any member of the public with a mask exemption is welcome in all our facilities when attending to receive health care and *treatment. Please show your mask exemption card and appointment letter to staff at the entrance. *Treatment includes coming into the Emergency Department, outpatient appointments, surgery or a procedure.

Visiting patients with COVID-19

People are able to visit patients who have COVID-19 but they must wear an N95 mask – this will be provided if you don’t have one.

Other methods of communication will be facilitated e.g. phone, Facetime, Zoom, WhatsApp etc where visits aren’t possible.

You must NOT visit our facilities if you

are COVID-19 positive

are unwell. Please stay home if you have a tummy bug or cold or flu/COVID-19-like symptoms (even if you’ve tested negative for COVID-19).

Te Whatu Ora West Coast Aged Residential Care facilities

Visitors are welcome at our Aged Care Residential facilities, subject to the space available. All visitors must wear a surgical mask.

More COVID-19 information

Requests for official information and responses

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Requests for official information and responses

People in New Zealand can request government information (official information) and can expect it to be made available unless there is a good reason to withhold it.

The Official Information Act 1982 (or OIA) enables citizens, permanent residents, visitors to New Zealand, and body corporates registered or with a place of business in New Zealand, to make a request for official information held by government agencies, including Te Whatu Ora.

District Health Boards were disestablished as legal entities on 1 July 2022 and Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand was established as a legal entity under the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022.

Accordingly, Te Whatu Ora | Waitaha Canterbury and Te Whatu Ora | Te Tai o Poutini West Coast have replaced the Canterbury DHB (CDHB) and West Coast DHB (WCDHB).

Te Whatu Ora / Health New Zealand has moved to a centralised Official Information Act (OIA) request system for all OIA requests made to any part of Te Whatu Ora.

To make an Official Information Act request please send your request via email to hnzOIA@health.govt.nz; or post your request to:

Official Information Act request
Te Whatu Ora / Health New Zealand,
PO Box 793,
Wellington 6140

When sending an OIA, please identify clearly that your OIA request is specific to Waitaha Canterbury or Te Tai o Poutini West Coast.

You can find out more about how to make an OIA request on www.tewhatuora.govt.nz