Kidz First Children's Hospital

Inpatient services are provided at Middlemore Hospital as well as other facilities, which include Kidz First Children's Hospital, Manukau Surgery Centre, Pukekohe Hospital, Botany Downs Maternity Unit and Papakura Maternity Unit, as well as dedicated mental health and rehabilitation units.

If you have a query about inpatient services:

• for information or to check visiting hours — phone 09 270 4799
• for patient enquiries — phone 09 276 5004

New Zealand has a health system that provides most services for free (or subsidised) to eligible people.

If you do not qualify for free (government-paid) services, you will need to pay for your healthcare.

Guide to eligibility for public health services — Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Oraexternal link

If you are eligible for publicly funded healthcare, you may be asked to provide evidence of this. To make sure we have the correct information, we recommend you bring your:

• passport, including permits and visas or
• birth certificate (if born in New Zealand or Australia) or
• confirmation of citizenship or
• confirmation of permanent New Zealand residency or other residency status
• photograph-bearing identification (if you have no passport).
• An interpreter service is available if you do not speak English.

Health New Zealand Counties Manukau has an eligibility team who can help with your eligibility questions and provide estimates for treatment cost if you are not eligible for funded treatment.

Phone: 09 276 0060
Email: residency@middlemore.co.nz

Visitors are asked not to enter our facilities if you or anyone in your household has COVID-19 or flu-like symptoms, or if you are currently advised to isolate.

If you are unwell:

• take a COVID-19 test
• stay home.

If you have any concerns about your health freephone Healthline 0800 611 116.

Home-cooked food can only be delivered directly to patients by visitors. It cannot be left to be collected.

Visitors with service dogs or guide dogs are permitted on our facilities if they comply with hospital policy and other local guidelines.

All buildings and grounds within Health New Zealand Counties Manukau facilities are smokefree.

If you smoke regularly, your body is used to a steady supply of nicotine. When you stop smoking, it is the withdrawal from nicotine that causes discomfort. We can help you remain smokefree and be comfortable during your stay. To make being smokefree easier, staff can provide nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) as:

• patches
• lozenges
• gum.

Take steps to be smokefree before coming to hospital

If you know about your hospital admission in advance, take steps now to stop smoking. You can talk to your healthcare provider or contact the Living Smokefree Service. It is a one-stop-shop for smoking cessation in Counties Manukau and you can refer yourself:

• freephone 0800 569 568.

Living Smokefree Service Counties Manukau — Healthpointexternal link

If you are pregnant

If you are pregnant, quitting smoking is one of the best decisions you will ever make for you and your pēpi. Smoking puts your pēpi at risk of many health problems.

ITS, in partnership with Counties Manukau Health, offers 24/7 interpreting and translation services to various government and private agencies. Within Counties Manukau and for Primary Healthcare providers, interpreting services are free, ensuring clear communication between patients and healthcare providers to prevent misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment.

With a team of over 230 interpreters fluent in more than 90 languages and dialects, ITS specializes in medical, court, police, and government agency interpreting. Services are available on-site, via telephone, or through video conferencing, covering languages from Asian, African, European, Middle Eastern, and Pacific Island regions.

The booking office is located at the Manukau Health Park, and is staffed by coordinators from 8:00am to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday.

To make a booking, phone 09 276 0014 or email its@cmdhb.org.nz.

At Kidz First Children's Hospital, we ensure that each child has a bed for their caregiver in the room. Every room comes with its own ensuite, TV, and telephone for family use. Additionally, we provide meals for one caregiver at no cost.

 Te Whare Rapuora offers a safe and supportive environment for all whānau/families. Te Whare Rapuora provides a space where whānau/families and staff can relax and seek cultural support and advice.

Te Whare Rapuora offers marae-style communal sleeping with a total of 10 beds, along with cooking, laundry, bathroom, and shower facilities. Please bring your own toiletries and kai (food). Linen and towels are available if needed.

• Access: Monday to Friday (8.30am–4.30pm): Access via the ramp at the front door is available for all whānau and staff.
  After Hours (Monday to Friday 4.30pm–8.30am, weekends, and Public Holidays): If access is required, please ask hospital staff for assistance.
• How to Book: Monday to Friday (8.30am–4.30pm): Contact Te Whare Rapuora.
  Outside of these hours: Please ask hospital staff for assistance.
• Who Can Stay: All whānau are welcome to stay at TWR, but it is a limited resource. Priority is given to whānau who are: Experiencing emergency or traumatic situations requiring acute accommodation. Traveling from outside the MidCentral DHB area.
• Duration of Stay: Up to three members of a whānau can stay at any one time in three-day blocks, as arranged with staff.
• Cost/Koha: There is a $20 fee payable to Pae Ora staff for the first night, then $5 per night per person after that.

Play and recreation are essential for every child's well-being and development. Recognizing the importance of continuing these activities during a hospital stay, our Hospital Play Specialists offer a play and recreation program either in the playroom or at the bedside. This program addresses the emotional, social, physical, and intellectual needs of hospitalized children.

A variety of activities are available, including play, arts and crafts, games, and stories. Through healthcare play, children can better understand their illness and treatments, and develop skills to manage their hospital experience. The playroom is a nil by mouth (no eating or drinking) and non-treatment area, providing a safe space for children. Parents and family members are welcome to join in the activities or use this time to take a break.

Playroom Hours from Monday to Friday:

• 9am - 3pm: All children, with a focus on those under eight years old.
• 3pm - 4.30pm: All children, with a focus on adolescents and young people. If younger children wish to use the playroom during this time, an adult must stay with them.
• Siblings are welcome in the playroom at any time. Please speak with the Play Specialist to arrange visits for your visitors' children.

School is a vital part of a child's life, and our hospital school is dedicated to meeting the special learning needs of hospitalized school-age children.

The classroom and the principal’s office are located on the ground floor of Kidz First™ in the main corridor. Qualified teachers are available for long-term school-age patients (both primary and secondary) admitted to the hospital.

Our teachers ensure continuity in your child's education with engaging activities such as computer programs, faxing letters to their class, exploring the internet, cooking, art, and individualized math, reading, and language programs. Secondary students will continue their chosen subjects as appropriate, and the school is a registered site for external school exams.

If your child cannot return to school in the week following discharge, please ask their hospital teacher for information on the home-to-school support program.

Hospital chaplains at Middlemore Hospital are an integral part of the healthcare team, trained to support the health and spiritual needs of patients, their families/whaanau, and staff. They offer confidential, compassionate support, prayer, and a listening ear during times of stress, loss, and illness, as well as in celebrating life's joys.

Chaplains are available for prayer and Church Sacraments and can support people of all faiths and no faith. They can also contact your community faith centre if needed. To arrange a visit from a chaplain, please ask your nurse, social worker, ward clerk, or doctor to contact them via the pager system.

Blessing rituals and ceremonies are provided to mark significant events, transitions, and new beginnings, respecting the beliefs and rights of individuals.

Spiritual Centre

A Church service is held in the Spiritual Centre every Sunday at 9:30am. Ushers can assist those in beds or wheelchairs. If you wish to be visited by a chaplain, ask your nurse to contact them via the pager system.

Location:
The Spiritual Centre is near the main information desk.

Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday 6am to 3pm, Saturday to Sunday 8am to 12pm.

Daily train and bus services operate regularly throughout the day. The bus stop and train station is located directly outside of the Middlemore Hospital (Hospital Road) entrance. More information is available from Auckland Transport.

• Freephone 0800 10 30 80

Bus and train information — Auckland Transport (AT) Journey Plannerexternal link

A free shuttle for staff and patients runs between Middlemore Hospital and Manukau Health Park:

• every 30 minutes (on the hour and half hour)
• from 8:30am to 5:30pm (last pick up)
• taking 20 to 25 minutes for the journey.

The shuttle stops at:

• Manukau Health Park (Manukau SuperClinic main entrance)
• Middlemore Hospital (across the road from Kidz First Childrens Hospital entrance).

The shuttle is useful if you park at Manukau Health Park and have an outpatient appointment at Middlemore Hospital or if you take the train to Middlemore Hospital and have an appointment at Manukau Health Park.

You need to be able to enter and exit the bus independently. You may need to show a copy of your appointment letter to the driver.

Hato Hone St John operates the Waka Ora health shuttle service (Monday to Friday) in some areas of the south and east of Auckland.

The service is free (koha or donations are welcome) and run by reliable, trained drivers. They can pick you up, take you to your appointment and home again. For more information:

• call Waka Ora Health Shuttles — freephone 0800 9252 672 (8:30am to 3pm).

Waka Ora Health Shuttles — Hato Hone St Johnexternal link

The National Travel Assistance Scheme helps people who need to travel long distances or travel frequently for health appointments.

National Travel Assistanceexternal link

The entrance to Kidz First Hospital is through South Gate 2. Parking outside is designated for caregivers and parents of patients in Kidz First. A parking permit is required to use these spaces, or your car may be towed. However, parking is not guaranteed if all spaces are occupied.

Patients can be dropped off or picked up from the Kidz First Hospital main entrance. Please move your car as soon as possible to accommodate others.

Mobility parking spaces are available near most hospital entrances. Ensure you display an authorised mobility parking pass at all times. 

Patients can be dropped off or picked up from the hospital main entrance, where a few free short-term parking spaces are reserved for this purpose. Please move your car as soon as possible to accommodate others.

Visitor parking is available in designated paid spaces around the Middlemore Campus, including a new public parking area beside the Edmund Hillary Block. Follow the signs and insert your ticket barcode up to enter the visitor car park. Remove the ticket, and the barrier will rise.

Autopay stations are located inside hospital near entrance. After validating your ticket, you have 15 minutes to exit the car park, or additional payment will be required.

Hours of operation: 24 hours per day / 7 days a week.

Current parking rates Middlemore Hospital (as of 27 February 2025):

0 min - 15 min
FREE
15 min - 1 hour
$5.50
1 hour - 2 hours
$11.00
2 hours - 3 hours
$17.00
3 hours - 4 hours
$23.00
4 hours - 24 hours
$28.50
Lost ticket fee
$57.00
Between 2pm and 8pm

30 Minutes free parking. Must be in and out of the car park within 30 minutes or usual visitor rates will apply.