The exterior signage of Wai Ora stands out in Ōtautahi's Te Papa Hauora Christchurch Health Precinct.
The University of Otago - Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka is preparing to open Wai Ora, a transformative new facility that will significantly expand health research, clinical trials, and health professional education in Ōtautahi Christchurch.
Faculty of Medicine Head Professor Suzanne Pitama says Wai Ora will strengthen the University’s ability to undertake world-class research and clinical trials addressing a wide range of health challenges, from diabetes to Parkinson’s disease.
“Wai Ora has been designed to bring researchers, clinicians, educators and students together in a way that strengthens the pathway from discovery to patient care. By expanding our clinical trial capacity, we can offer communities greater access to emerging treatments, therapies and medicines that may not otherwise be available in New Zealand.
“With staff currently spread across eleven buildings, Wai Ora will create opportunities for greater collaboration across disciplines. It will welcome a range of tauira, including medical students completing the clinical years of their undergraduate degree, final-year physiotherapy students, and nursing and health sciences postgraduate students. Clinicians working closely with the hospital will remain based in the existing hospital building,” Professor Pitama says.
University Vice-Chancellor Grant Robertson says the new facility positions the Christchurch campus for future growth in both teaching and research.
“Wai Ora will allow the Ōtautahi campus to grow, increasing teaching spaces, accommodating more postgraduate health students, and creating new opportunities for collaboration across the University and beyond.
“It will also be a hub for partnerships between the University, the health sector, and the wider Canterbury community.
“I am thrilled that so many years of effort are about to bear fruit. I know many of our staff and students can’t wait to use this amazing facility.”
Māori artwork is a key feature of Wai Ora's interior.
The building’s name, Wai Ora (water of life), was gifted by Ngāi Tūāhuriri. Reflecting the connection between the environment, health and wellbeing, the cultural narrative woven throughout the building draws on themes of whakapapa, hauora and interconnectedness, Professor Pitama says.
“At the entrance, pouwhenua feature haehae patterns symbolising waterways such as the adjacent Ōtākaro River,” Professor Pitama says. “The paved entrance transitions from dark to light grey, representing the journey from darkness, Te Pō, to light, Te Ao Mārama.”
Construction of the six-storey building, led by Christchurch company Leighs Construction, began in mid-2022. The project involved complex excavation, dewatering and structural works due to its compact inner-city location.
The official opening ceremony for Wai Ora is being held on Friday 19 September. The event will bring together staff, students, alumni, partners, donors and members of the wider community to celebrate a facility designed to advance health research, education and innovation for generations to come, Professor Pitama says.
The University established a campus in Ōtautahi in 1973, its first campus outside Ōtepoti Dunedin. More than half a century later, Wai Ora represents the next chapter in the campus’s evolution.
Development plans began before the Christchurch earthquakes. Then Dean of the Christchurch campus, Professor Peter Joyce, recognised the benefits of bringing together staff and activities that had become dispersed across multiple buildings. When a site became available following the earthquakes, he led its purchase, securing a location that would later become part of the city’s Te Papa Hauora Health Precinct.
This work was continued by the future Christchurch Deans, including Professors David Murdoch, Suzanne Pitama and Lutz Beckert, who have all contributed to the success of this project.