Auckland City Hospital's newly expanded and upgraded adult emergency department opened its doors to patients earlier this morning, with a new triage area, added waiting areas, and additional consult rooms.
The upgrade construction cost about $9 million, taking about a year to complete, and now had a total ground floor area of 600 square metres - which was double that of the old ED, according to Health NZ's northern area head of infrastructure Chris Cardwell.
Health Minister Simeon Brown opened the new ED in a ribbon-cutting ceremony alongside representatives from Health NZ, Ngati Whatua, doctors and nurses.
"Prior to expansion, Auckland City Hospital's ED was cramped and outdated, with no additional space to create new rooms.
"Lack of clinical space, and a waiting area that was too small to accommodate the high volumes of patients, was contributing to an environment that was not optimal for those needing emergency care," Brown said.
Brown said a fit-for-purpose ED was essential for any hospital, particularly a high-demand ED like Auckland City Hospital's - which saw about 80,000 patients a year.
"The upgraded ED will feature a new reception, waiting area, clinical triage, consult rooms, and staff base, as well as improved designated drop off and parking areas and a new ambulance entry, this includes improved access to the adjacent Starship Children's ED," he said.
The service clinical director for adult ED, Mark Fredrickson, said the new space would make a big difference for staff and patients, from both a safety and healthcare perspective.
"If you saw our previous waiting room that we'd had, it was a very compact, overcrowded area which creates overcapacity.
"A lot of poor interactions between patients and our staff, and just not a very pleasant and safe environment for staff to be in," he said.
Fredrickson said he was hoping the new space would reduce the amount of patients being stuck in ED.
He said while the upgraded space may not fix all the issues, he expected it would improve things in a challenging healthcare system.
When asked whether the hospital will get additional staffing for the ED, Fredrickson said that was yet to be determined.
"We're working with Health NZ to get more staff over time, kind of, we need to embed our processes in, to see how much efficiency gain do we get from it, and if we need more staff, we're going to ask for more staff," he said.
According to Health NZ's second quarter performance report for 2024/2025, which included October to December last year, 72.1% of patients at EDs across the country were being seen within six hours.
The report showed that for the Auckland central area, covering Auckland City Hospital, Starship Children's Hospital and Greenlane Clinical Centre, 68.4% patients at ED were seen within that timeframe.
The Government's target was for 95% of patients to be admitted, discharged or transferred from an ED within six hours by 2030.
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Charities turning away high numbers of volunteer applications
Charities are turning away people wanting to volunteer amidst a flood of interest they say is linked to the high rate of unemployment.
It comes as some businesses receive thousands of applications for paid roles and people look for experience anywhere they can.
The advocacy organisation Volunteering NZ has been tracking the trend. Spokesperson Margaret McLachlan said there has been a considerable rise in applications for volunteer roles across a range of charities.
Many application forms asks people to divulge if they are job hunters.
"Over the last year or so, they are seeing more people coming in who are saying they are in that category. They are looking for work but doing volunteering while that process is taking place."
"As unemployment increases and the cost of living, times are tougher for everybody."
At the same time, she said community organisations supporting social services were busier and needed more helpers.
McLachlan said depending on the organisation, they might want to do a police check, a reference check and an interview.
"In some cases it can be a process to go through and not always, and that can take some time.
"It's actually the same barriers that a person might find in finding a job, can also apply to volunteering. It's not always a easy option."
SPCA had 120 op shops and animal rescue centres across the country in which volunteers worked.
General manager of retail Cathy Crichton said they received about 1300 extra applications for volunteer roles, a 32 percent increase, from June to November 2025, compared to 2024.
"There's definitely a nudge forward which is very exciting and we're very grateful."
But it meant they were not accepting any more volunteers in some areas.
"Because the applications are up it's a unique scenario. But at this point in time, in smaller locations, we've actually got a hold in 19 locations in New Zealand where we are at capacity - and that's very rare and it's a very new trend."
Crichton said anyone seeking volunteer work should think creatively about what skills they can offer - it could be in administration or marketing.
"We'd love to welcome as many people as we could because the more hands on deck the more we can do and the more we can contribute to the community."
She said people were self-motivated to apply for volunteer work.
The unemployment rate rose to 5.3 percent in the September quarter, meaning 160,000 people were jobless. The next quarterly figures are out in February.
"There's a willingness to give back and contribute to the community. Unemployment being high really does encourage people to engage with the workforce and get experience," Crichton said.
"It really is about staying connected with the community and meeting others."
She said they had also seen an increase in young people seeking volunteer work experience.
"It's a great opportunity to get work experience and a reference and there's an appeal there as an employer...I really do think it adds value to a CV."
Stats NZ data showed over half of New Zealanders, 53 percent, volunteered during March 2025 and of those, 27.6 percent volunteered through an organisation and 40.8 percent volunteered directly for another person.
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