280,000kg of material salvaged from former hospital

The demolition of the old Masterton hospital continues to progress at pace with only 9 buildings left to come down.

Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) is overseeing the large and complex demolition, which has a strong emphasis on salvaging material.

LINZ Project and Hazard Management Delivery Team Manager Matt Bradley says 17 of the 26 buildings have been removed since demolition began in November 2020.

He says one of the most prominent buildings to recently come down was the old maternity ward. All that remains now are its foundations.

“Our contractors continue to make great progress and salvage as much material as possible from each of the buildings before they are demolished. 

“This approach has so far seen 280,000kg of material – roughly equivalent to the weight of 140 empty 20ft shipping containers – salvaged to be repurposed or recycled.

“A large amount of this material, nearly 100,000kg, was salvaged from the old maternity ward.

“We’re excited to see what the final tally will be once the demolition is complete.”

Mr Bradley says crews are continuing to carefully strip the remaining buildings to prepare for demolition over the coming months.

He says work is expected to begin deconstructing the largest structure on the site, the 3-storey ward, over the coming weeks. 

“At this stage, we’re still on track to have all the buildings down by mid this year,” says Mr Bradley.

Once all the buildings have been deconstructed, attention will turn to removing underground infrastructure, including service tunnels and basements.

Throughout the works, LINZ has had experts on site monitoring noise, vibration and dust levels to minimise any disruption to the nearby Wairarapa Hospital and Masterton Medical Centre. Asbestos removal has also been closely monitored to ensure this is removed and disposed of safely, says Mr Bradley.

The former hospital is one of around 900 properties including former prisons, schools, houses and other hospitals that are managed and maintained by LINZ and earmarked for future Treaty settlements.