CHAPTER
4
THE BUILDINGS
He kokonga whare e kitea He kokonga ngakau e kore e kitea
The corners of a house can be seen but the corners of the heart cannot .
The Anglican Māori Mission Hospital , Bridge Street , opened October 1913
In October 1913 the Anglican Māori Mission Hospital located in Bridge Street was opened by Archdeacon Charles Archibald Tisdall , with the Anglican Church meeting administration expenses , Miss Kingi ’ s salary and half of the first Sister-in-Charge , Miss Ada J North ’ s salary . The other half of the Miss North ’ s salary was provided by the Health Department . Even as early as 1907 50 there had been overtures made to the Bay of Plenty Hospital and Charitable Aid Board for it to build a cottage hospital for the Whakatāne District . Consequently , once the Māori Mission Hospital was fully functional , the Board entered into an arrangement with the Anglican Diocese for the use of one room in their Mission Building and put a nurse in charge .
It was soon very evident , particularly at the height of the Influenza Epidemic in 1918 , that the demands for appropriate hospitalisation made it necessary for the Board to negotiate a further agreement with the Anglican Diocese for the Board to take over the whole of the Church Mission property . By the end of 1918 the heavy responsibilities placed upon Nurse North and her team were taking their toll and in January 1919 the Board 51 received correspondence from the Anglican Māori Mission Hospital to say that Nurse North ‘ had to go away for a change ’. She had suggested ‘ that the Hospital would probably be closed down and suggested an alternative that the Board run the Hospital in her absence .’ The minutes record that the Chairman considered that it was necessary that the Hospital be kept open and instructed the Secretary to obtain the temporary services of a matron and also to fill the position of Nurse Slack who had resigned . Nurse Watt had been appointed Matron temporarily and another nurse would be obtained as soon as possible . The action of the Chairman was approved by the Board .
The Board continued to make additions and add staff to the Mission property on Bridge Street to enable it to fully meet the Whakatāne District ’ s needs as a temporary hospital . Assistance was offered to families affected by the Influenza Epidemic but the Board later decided that all ‘ excess expenditure ’ would have to be borne by the Health Department . Furthermore , there were additional demands for facilities and services with the end of World War 1 . The return of soldiers prompted the Minister of Defence to write to the Board to say that many of the soldiers required massage treatment and that his Department would meet salary costs if the Board would arrange accommodation and lodgings for the masseuses .
50
Bay of Plenty Hospital and Charitable Aid Board Minutes , Volume 1 [ 03.12.1902 – 21.06.1917 ], 6 August 1907 , ( Auckland , Archives New Zealand , Reference ADHL A1669 22975 6 )
51
Bay of Plenty Hospital and Charitable Aid Board Minutes , Volume 2 [ 17.09.1917 – 25.03.1938 ], 24 January 1919 , ( Auckland , Archives New Zealand , Reference ADHL A1669 22975 7 )
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