E Tū Wairua Hinengaro
Forensic Mental Health Unit
Te Whatu Ora - Waitematā (formerly Waitematā District Health Board) provides forensic mental health services to residents of the Northern region and forensic intellectual disability services for those north of Taupo, at the Mason Clinic in Pt Chevalier, Auckland.
The E Tū Wairua Hinengaro project represents a significant opportunity for re-framing the clinical services, transforming the user and staff experience and significantly enhancing the physical environment for delivery of forensic mental health services on the Mason Clinic site. It is an opportunity for partnership between the client’s cultural, operational, clinical, and project teams together with a passionate and committed consultant team to commence the first step in the journey towards the masterplan vision for the campus.
"Tū Hinengaro Wairua is 'Hinengaro' which is a vibrating energy field of a feminine nature from birth as the gentle side of both male and female, 'Wairua' is the spiritual dimension, combined they represent our “mind” ‒ the place where our personal intimate thoughts are, where our fears are, where our intuitions are, the place where only 'I' can be without any external interference and no one will know my innermost feelings unless I disclose. It is also 'my place' for my psychological wellness. Tū Hinengaro Wairua is to stand strong in your own psychological strength and wellness."
‒ Dame Naida Glavish
On a practical level, the primary objective of the project is focused on replacing four existing inpatient units which are failing due to significant weathertightness issues. When completed, it will provide 60 new beds for the campus, along with a shared main entry, secure entry and a multitude of activity spaces.
However the project is also a prime opportunity to reimagine the health campuses and architecture which houses New Zealand's forensic mental health services and the context in which care is delivered. Working closely with the Taumata Group and kaimahi on site, a humanist approach was adopted when considering the design of the care environment, opting for a place for rehabilitation rather than expulsion and incarceration.
Instead of claustrophobic confinement, the masterplan looked at security for the campus as a whole - a concept of 'buildings as boundary', allowing managed levels of freedom within the site, between and within buildings.