Akaroa Health Centre

Akaroa - a small isolated community with a big heart - is seeking financial help having rebuilt our earthquake demolished medical services with the 2019 opened Akaroa Health Centre.

Akaroa Hospital stood proudly on its Aylmers Valley hill site from 1926, with a view of the harbour and the sound of birdsong from nearby Garden of Tane, until the earthquakes of 2011 made it unusable. Consequently, it was demolished and only basic services were offered from makeshift premises for several years at that time.

Our Akaroa and Bays community has teamed up with Canterbury District Health Board and built an Integrated Family Health Centre in the place of the hospital. The community’s fundraising target is $3 million. This will ensure we are able to incorporate fundamental health services with aged care. Through spirited fundraising events and generous individuals we have raised over $1 million so far. Locals have dug deep however it’s a high target for a town of 700 people and sparsely populated surrounding bays. With construction complete in 2019, the countdown is still on to raise the rest of the funding for our community portion.

We are seeking your financial help for these vital services for the benefit of locals and the thousands of New Zealand and international guests that visit us annually. Our small teams of professional and volunteer services provide huge support in times of emergency, we like to see them operate safely from appropriate premises and provide for our community from infancy to older years.

We appreciate there are so many causes worthy of your support - any assistance with helping us raise the community contribution will be a terrific help.

Hopefully you’ll not require our health services, however, you’ll have made a significant difference in the lives of many.

Your donation will go directly into the account of the Akaroa Community Health Trust. The Trust is responsible for the responsible management of funds raised. $2.5 million of the funds raised will be directly contributed to the building of the facility, enabling eight aged care beds to be added to the four flexi beds and general practice. $0.5 million will be used to establish an operating company that can manage and sustain the health services most needed by our community and guests.

These facilities have proved fabulous to enable on going care for residents in an isolated area of NZ so they can be close to family and friends at traumatic times.

Medical incidents and accidents in such an isolated area need to have the facilities to care as demand dictates. This combined bay community offers many voluntary hours to assist with such call outs - helping us financially would be a terrific help.

This Give a Little page allows for credit card donations - if you wish to donate by direct credit or cheque please email for details - or with any questions.

- support from donors allows vital facilities to be offered - for the benefit of all who visit or reside in the area.

Any monetary assistance is greatly appreciated - and may you have confidence that Akaroa has the medical facilities required but hopefully have no need of them!

Thank you so very much from Akaroa and the bays :)