Trust Board for Mercury Bay medical facility project
A Trust Board has now been established, that will guide the next steps towards the development of a Mercury Bay medical
facility in Whitianga.
Made up of local representatives from the Mercury Bay Area, with strong professional backgrounds in either the health,
business or community support sectors, the Mercury Bay Medical Facility Trust Board met for the very first time.
The Board members are:
Murray McLean - Mercury Bay councillor for the Thames-Coromandel District Council. Murray moved to Whitianga permanently
15 years ago, but proudly has history dating back to 1865 when his forebears arrived here as settlers. Murray has been
self-employed in the building industry, got his Masters of Business Administration (MBA) when he was 40 and is also
involved in the Masonic Trust, whose Board is responsible for managing $20M in assets. Murray is also a former MP.
James Scott. MDS [Otago], F.R.A.C.D. After graduating in dentistry in 1960, he served in the Royal New Zealand Navy and
Royal New Zealand Dental Corps for 17 years before entering into private practice in Auckland as a Specialist in
Restorative Dentistry. After 40 years' dentistry, he retired to Matarangi, where he has been secretary of the Matarangi
Ratepayers Association since then.
Kevin Pringle - ONZM, M.B., Ch.B., F.R.A.C.S: After completing his degree at Otago School of Medicine, Kevin went on to
practice paediatric surgery at Melbourne, Chicago and Iowa, where he became Associate Professor of Pediatric Surgery,
before returning back to NZ. Kevin currently has a 0.2FTE academic appointment - Professor of Paediatric Surgery with
the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, UOW (University of Otago, Wellington). He has on-going research
collaboration with Professor with Hiro Kitagawa, Head of the Department of Pediatric Surgery at St Marianna University
School of Medicine. Kevin is a Whitianga resident.
Alison Henry - A Cooks Beach resident for the past 15 years and is a former Chair of the Mercury Bay Community Board. As
well as having a background in community social work, Alison worked for the Department of Conservation in Auckland in
the 1990s. She has completed Resource Management Commissioner Training, and was a member of the TCDC District Plan
Review Committee. She continues to be involved with Kauri 2000 as well the local Mercury Bay arts community.
Merv George - Born and bred in Whitianga, Merv has owned a plumbing and drainlaying business in the town since the
1970s. He has been the fire chief of the Whitianga Volunteer Fire Brigade since 1984 and past president of the United
Fire Brigades Association of New Zealand. (UFBA). Merv was also awarded a Queen's Service Order (QSO) honour in 2010 for
his contribution to the fire service.
“While these Trustees have been appointed, we still want to hear from people throughout the community who want to be
involved,” says Murray McLean, who has been elected as Chair of the newly formed Trust Board. “Our next step will be
establishing a business case for the development of the project, which will involve a series of public meetings, and
will also help the Trust with stop/go points along the way.”
In Council’s 2016-17 Annual Plan, $250,000 seed funding was approved from the Mercury Bay local rate to go towards the
setting up the Trust, which, with these funds, will now be responsible for the delivery of a business case for the
development of the facility.
The business case will include a detailed implementation plan, detailed design plans, cost estimates, resource
consenting requirements, strategies for securing funding, working with the medical practitioners and health authorities,
determining on-going operation and management structures along with communications.
“We are in discussions with an organisation, that has a proven track record in the development of medical facilities,
who will be coming back to the Trust Board with a Business Case proposal which we then plan to share with the public.”
To find out more about the project and the proposed site for the facility go to www.tcdc.govt.nz/mbhealthfacility.
Draft concept of the new Mercury Bay medical facility project