Planned NZNO nurses' strikes: 2 and 4 September 2025
NZNO nurses, healthcare assistants and some midwives plan to strike from 7am to 11pm on Tuesday 2 September and 7am to 11pm on Thursday 4 September. Patient safety is our priority and our hospitals will remain open. Continue to attend all appointments unless we have contacted you directly to reschedule.
For critical or life-threatening emergencies go to the emergency department or dial 111
If you are not sure how serious the problem is, call Healthline at any time for advice on 0800 611 116external link
Waikato Hospital has a 24-hour emergency department. It is accessible through the emergency entrance on Pembroke Street. There is clear signage, a drop off bay and limited short-term parking.
If your health emergency is not life threatening, but you cannot wait for an appointment with your usual doctor or healthcare provider, go to an after hours or urgent medical centre. They can help you with things like bad cuts, sprains or breaks, minor head injuries, or if you are feeling really sick. You do not need an appointment but might have to wait.
The Older Persons and Rehabilitation Building is a facility for health services related to older people and rehabilitation services.
The Older Persons and Rehabilitation Building is located at:
Waikato Hospital 210 Pembroke Street Hamilton 3204
A pedestrian over bridge connects the building to Waikato Hospital for access to cafes, shops and the Hague Road car parking building.
Patients and visitors are advised to park in the Pembroke Street car park. Drop-off zones are located near the main entrance.
Henry Rongomau Bennett Centre is a mental health facility located at:
Waikato Hospital 11 Selwyn Street Hamilton 3204
Visiting hours
You can visit Puna Maatai (Ward 33), Puna Awhi-rua (Ward 32) and Puna Poipoi (Ward 31):
3pm to 4:30pm and 6pm to 8pm, Monday to Friday
Visits outside of this time can be arranged with the nurse in charge.
Visit times for Puna Taunaki and Puna Whiti are flexible.
The Breast Care Centre is located at:
Waikato Hospital Hague Road Hamilton, 3204
Patients and visitors are advised to park in the Hague Road car park building. Take the lift to level B5 and take the exit through the doors.
The delivery suite and women's health clinics are located at:
Waikato Hospital Elizabeth Rothwell Building Corner of Pembroke and Selwyn Street Hamilton 3204
Patients and visitors can access this building using the drive-through lane from Pembroke Street. Continue past the main entrance to the Elizabeth Rothwell Building on level B2 and around the corner, down the hill, to the level B3 entrance before exiting onto Selwyn Street.
Limited disability parking and drop-off zones are located near the B3 entrance.
These clinics are located on the following levels of the Elizabeth Rothwell Building:
Early pregnancy treatment clinic and day assessment unit: Level B3
Women’s assessment unit and delivery suite: Level B2
Ward E1 women’s health (Gynaecology, Obstetrics and induction of labour): Level 1
Ward E2 women’s health (antenatal and postnatal ward): Level 2
Gallagher Drive is the home for a range of services, including Te Whatu Ora | Health New Zealand Waikato's distribution facility and community-based health services for district nursing and allied health.
Services located here include:
community equipment and supplies
Hamilton and rural community reception
patient (booked only) clinics held on site
district nursing
public health nursing clinics
ear nurse led clinics
vision and hearing screening
dietitian clinics
It is located at:
51 Gallagher Drive Hamilton 3206
Te Pureoranga – Waikato Regional Renal Centre is located at:
Waikato Hospital Hague Road, near Gate 1 Hamilton 3204
Free parking is available for patients and whānau outside and around the back of the building. You will be required to display a renal patient parking card — please see reception for these.
By bus
These bus services stop at Waikato Hospital:
Orbiter
Comet
Route 24 Te Awamutu
Route 25 Taumarunui
Route 26 Te Kuiti
The Orbiter, Comet, Te Awamutu and Te Kuiti bus stops are located near the emergency department on Pembroke Street. The Taumarunui bus stop is located near the main hospital entrance on Hague Road.
The Taumarunui bus connects residents with Waikato Hospital and Hamilton, via Te Kūiti and Ōtorohanga. It is a free service for patients who have appointments at Te Kūiti, Taumarunui or Waikato Hospitals.
Community Health Transport offer transport to and from health appointments throughout Waikato. These services are funded by Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora Waikato and are operated by volunteers.
The main car park for Waikato Hospital is accessible from the hospital's main entrance on Hague Road. There is also a car park accessible from Pembroke Street.
Parking fees
For Pembroke Street and Hague Road car park buildings the first 30 minutes of parking are free. After this, fees apply up to a maximum of $7.50.
Weekly parking pass
If the patient you are visiting is staying longer than 1 night and you are likely to visit many times over a 7-day period, you can request a weekly pass.
A weekly pass is $7, and can be obtained by asking for the authorisation slip at your ward reception. You will need to take the slip and pay for your pass at the parking office.
Mobility parking
Mobility parking is available near Gate 2 on Pembroke Street and within the Pembroke Street and Hague Road car park buildings.
Parking assistance
Staff can assist with payment machine problems, flat batteries, tyre changes and keys locked in a vehicle (at owner's risk).
Contact the parking control office (7:30am to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday)
Te Whare Taurima Waiora offers short-term accommodation for people who are supporting seriously ill patients at Waikato Hospital. Priority is given to people who live 100km from Hamilton and those that have a have a patient in the acute specialist wards.
Consideration will be given on a case-by-case basis to family that do not fit the above criteria. This will depend on bed availability.
Located on the Waikato Hospital campus, Te Whare Taurima Waiora provides a shared kitchen, dining room, lounge, 3 bathrooms and a laundry. Basic hospital bedding is provided and cooking utensils are available, but you need to provide your own food.
The chapel is located in the Meade Clinical Centre, Level 1 (near the link-way to Menzies Building), and is open to all patients and visitors.
Transit lounge
The transit lounge is a purpose-built facility at Waikato Hospital for patients who are:
waiting to be transferred to another facility
waiting to be picked up by whānau or friends
waiting for a prescription.
Nursing and healthcare assistant staff are on hand.
The transit lounge can be accessed from the main entrance of Waikato Hospital on Hague Road, and is located on level B3.
To pick up patients from the transit lounge
Park in the Hague Road car park building, take the lift to level B3 and follow the signs, or you can follow Hague Road until you reach the roundabout, turn left and follow signs to the transit lounge. There is limited short-term car parking directly outside.
Hauora iHub
*Hauora iHub is currently under review, and will reopen late 2025.
Hauora iHub provide on-the-spot service for patients and visitors, and can assist with the following:
BMI, diet and exercise education
cervical smear tests
referral for mammograms for women 45 to 69 years
blood pressure tests
stop smoking support
referral to services in the community
help to enrol with a healthcare provider
immunisation for children
information and advice
Hauora iHub is located in the Meade Clinical Centre, Level 1. You do not need an appointment to attend.
Te Whare Taurima Waiora offers short-term accommodation for people who are supporting seriously ill patients at Waikato Hospital. Priority is given to people who live 100km from Hamilton and those that have a have a patient in the acute specialist wards.
Consideration will be given on a case-by-case basis to family that do not fit the above criteria. This will depend on bed availability.
Located on the Waikato Hospital campus, Te Whare Taurima Waiora provides a shared kitchen, dining room, lounge, 3 bathrooms and a laundry. Basic hospital bedding is provided and cooking utensils are available, but you need to provide your own food.
The chapel is located in the Meade Clinical Centre, Level 1 (near the link-way to Menzies Building), and is open to all patients and visitors.
The transit lounge is a purpose-built facility at Waikato Hospital for patients who are:
waiting to be transferred to another facility
waiting to be picked up by whānau or friends
waiting for a prescription.
Nursing and healthcare assistant staff are on hand.
The transit lounge can be accessed from the main entrance of Waikato Hospital on Hague Road, and is located on level B3.
To pick up patients from the transit lounge
Park in the Hague Road car park building, take the lift to level B3 and follow the signs, or you can follow Hague Road until you reach the roundabout, turn left and follow signs to the transit lounge. There is limited short-term car parking directly outside.
*Hauora iHub is currently under review, and will reopen late 2025.
Hauora iHub provide on-the-spot service for patients and visitors, and can assist with the following:
BMI, diet and exercise education
cervical smear tests
referral for mammograms for women 45 to 69 years
blood pressure tests
stop smoking support
referral to services in the community
help to enrol with a healthcare provider
immunisation for children
information and advice
Hauora iHub is located in the Meade Clinical Centre, Level 1. You do not need an appointment to attend.
If you would like to enquire after a relative or friend who is currently in Waikato Hospital, please call 07 839 8666external link
Tell us the full name of the patient you are enquiring about and the ward they are on, if you know it.
We can only provide basic information about their location and condition, for privacy reasons. You can ask to be put through to their ward if you wish to discuss something with a member of their care team or the nurse or midwife in charge of the ward.
What you need to know when visiting Waikato Hospital:
staff may ask you to wear a face mask in particular situations or locations to protect people at higher risk
use hand sanitiser provided before entering and after leaving the patient room and facility
be considerate of other patients and staff caring for them at all times
children must be supervised at all times
do not eat or drink in patient areas
drugs, alcohol, gang regalia and smoking or vaping are not permitted.
Waikato Hospital is a big place and it can be easy to get lost.
This video will help show you where to go on the day of your surgery and what you can expect to happen, from arrival to discharge.
A patient or their family can nominate a key support person for emotional and practical support, and they will be able to stay with the patient for longer than the normal visiting hours. They are welcome to visit from 8am to 8pm or longer at the discretion of the nurse in charge of a ward.
If the patient is not capable of nominating someone, then family can do this.
The key support person may change at intervals in response to the patient’s wishes and availability of a person.
The key support person will be welcomed, but not obliged, to be present with the patient to:
participate in clinical conversations and family meetings
participate in clinical handovers
help with basic or essential care needs (in agreement with appropriate staff)
support the patient with decision making
help with the transition of care to the patient’s home.
Spiritual support and hospital chaplains
Hospital chaplains offer spiritual care and support to patients who seek it. Hospital chaplains can offer prayer, scripture readings and other religious services on request, including Holy Communion.
To request a chaplain for you or your loved one, please ask a nurse or at the ward reception.
A Muslim prayer room and chapel is available. Chapel service is on every Sunday at 10am.
Support for Māori
Kaitiaki and kaitakawaenga teams are available to support Māori patients and their whānau in hospital.
Kaitiaki
The kaitiaki service is available at Waikato, Thames, Tokoroa, Te Kuiti and Taumarunui hospitals and are available 8:30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Social workers assist with any social problem(s) that will impact on your ongoing care or discharge planning. This could involve:
information
support
assistance and coordination around emotional and practical issues
legal issues
family and relationship issues
social circumstances
family violence issues
discharge planning.
Ask the ward staff to contact a social worker if you need this type of advice or support.
Patient advocacy
The national Health and Disability Advocacy network provides a free service and can assist you to resolve your complaint about a health or disability service.
How was the care you or your whānau received at our healthcare providers in Waikato? We welcome feedback, compliments or complaints to help us get things right.