Media Release
12 November 2026
Gore Health launches $6 million fundraising campaign for major expansion
Community-owned hospital calls on local people, businesses and funding partners to help secure the future of healthcare in Eastern Southland.
Gore Hospital has always belonged to the people of Gore and the surrounding districts.
Now, almost three decades after the community rallied to secure its own hospital, Gore Health is calling on that same community spirit as it launches a $6 million fundraising campaign to support a major expansion of its Emergency Department (ED) and General Practice facilities (GP).
As a community-owned, not-for-profit healthcare provider, Gore Health is seeking support from local residents, businesses, philanthropic organisations and funding partners to help bring the development to life, and strengthen healthcare services for generations to come.
Gore Health CEO Karl Metzler says the project represents a significant investment in the future of healthcare across Eastern Southland.
"This hospital exists today because generations before us recognised the importance of having quality healthcare close to home and fought to make that happen.
"Now it's our turn to build on that legacy. We have a responsibility to ensure our facilities can continue to meet the needs of our community, not just today, but for the next 25 years and beyond."
Gore Health provides healthcare services to approximately 20,000 people across Gore, West Otago and surrounding districts, with its ED operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Demand for emergency care continues to grow. In June 2026, the hospital recorded more than 1,000 ED presentations in a single month, highlighting the increasing pressure on existing facilities.
The proposed development includes extensive alterations and an extension to the existing ED, alongside a new GP wing extension and additional car parking.
Plans for the ED include approximately 338sqm of alterations to existing facilities and a further 118sqm of new space, allowing for improvements to patient assessment and treatment areas, reception and waiting facilities, and ambulance access.
The GP development will add approximately 388sqm of space, including new consultation rooms and supporting clinical facilities, helping Gore Health meet the ongoing demand for primary healthcare services.
Mr Metzler says the expansion is about providing an environment that supports both patients and the healthcare professionals who care for them.
"Our clinical teams do an outstanding job with the facilities they have, but the demands on healthcare have changed considerably over the years.
"This development will allow us to improve the way patients move through our services, provide more appropriate spaces for treatment and give our staff the facilities they need to continue delivering high-quality care."
The hospital's history is one of community determination. Following campaigns to retain hospital services locally during the 1980s and 1990s, the new community-owned Gore Hospital opened on Birch Lane in May 1999.
The fundraising campaign will seek support through charitable grants, major funding partnerships, corporate sponsorships, community fundraising initiatives and individual donations and bequests.
"This is an important investment in the future of healthcare for our district, and one we believe our community and funding partners will recognise the value of"
"We'll be reaching out to funding organisations, businesses and individuals who share our vision for the future of local healthcare. Every contribution, large or small, will help move us closer to making this project a reality."
Further details on the fundraising campaign, opportunities for businesses and funding partners to become involved, and community fundraising initiatives will be announced in the coming months.
Keen to support or partner with us?
Contact Vanessa Harvey fundraising@gorehealth.co.nz or 027 867 9358.
