23/06/2026
Tuesday, 23 June 2026
MEDIA RELEASE
Rural health milestone marks the difference JFCT funding makes on the ground.
A 30-year-old nurse-led health service in the heart of rural Central Hawke's Bay is on the cusp of a transformational upgrade and a $50,000 grant from the Joan Fernie Charitable Trust (JFCT) is helping make it happen.
The Takapau Community Health Charitable Trust recently announced it had secured all funding required for the purchase of a transportable health facility to replace its current 115-year-old clinic. Following the signing of the Sale and Purchase Agreement, the Trust has now secured the site lease and funding is being processed to complete the purchase.
With these key milestones achieved, the project is entering an exciting new phase as preparations begin for settlement, relocation of the facility to Takapau, and the opening of the new Health Centre. The project will then progress into Stage 2, focused on developing Community Hub and completing the wider Community & Health Services Centre through accessible parking, landscaping, and integrated community shared spaces.
The JFCT's $50,000 contribution, part of its inaugural 2025-26 community funding round which distributed $511,189 across 47 Hawke's Bay organisations, is supporting the development of the Community Hub – a key component of the wider Community & Health Services Centre that will complement the new clinic on the Takapau Reserve.
“This project is exactly what our funding is designed to support,” says JFCT Trustee and Community Funding lead, Ana Apatu. “Takapau is a proud, close-knit farming and whānau community that has worked tirelessly for years to retain local healthcare services. JFCT was established to support communities like this one, and we’re proud to have played a part in helping them reach this milestone.”
The Takapau Community Health Centre has served the area since 1989, providing nurse-led primary healthcare, immunisation, cervical screening, ACC services, palliative care support, and GP clinics to more than 500 patients each month drawn from Takapau and surrounding communities.
The new facility – a purpose-built modular clinic sourced from Kaweka Health – will provide five consultation rooms, a procedure room, and dedicated administration and reception spaces, a significant step up from the Charlotte Street building constructed in 1911. Combined with the dedicated Community Hub, the site will provide flexible space for community programmes, visiting services, outreach initiatives, education opportunities, and activities that support the wellbeing and resilience of the wider rural community.
The project has been driven entirely by local volunteers alongside governance from a board that includes Mana Whenua, community leaders, and health professionals. Mana Whenua are also guiding the blessing of the site and the naming of its spaces.
"This project is a reflection of what can be achieved when a community comes together behind a shared vision. From the beginning, local people have helped drive this project forward through their time, expertise, support and commitment to ensuring essential services remain available close to home,” says Takapau Community Health Charitable Trust Chair, Jason Ward.
“While securing the new Health Centre was a significant milestone, the Community Hub is an equally important part of the overall vision. Together, they will create a place where people can access healthcare, connect with services, participate in programmes and strengthen community connections.
“We are grateful to the Joan Fernie Charitable Trust for their support and confidence in what our community is working to achieve."
For JFCT, the Takapau partnership reflects the Trust’s deliberate focus on organisations serving communities located close to its own farming operations. The Trust’s three stations – Chesterhope at Pakowhai, Moeangiangi at Putorino, and Mangatapiri at Elsthorpe – span more than 7,200 hectares across Hawke’s Bay, and its farming staff and their whānau are among the rural communities these health services exist to support.
JFCT’s inaugural funding round attracted 116 applications requesting more than $3.7 million in funding – a figure that underscores both the strength of community need across the region and the Trust’s growing role as a significant philanthropic contributor to Hawke’s Bay.
Looking ahead, the Trust plans to open its next annual funding round in the second half of 2026, with applications expected to open in October or November. Organisations interested in future funding are encouraged to visit joanfernietrust.org.nz/community-funding for updates.
ENDS
Photo, from left: Takapau Community Health Charitable Trust members Jason Ward (Chair), April Smith (Project Coordinator), Tipene Heperi (Mana Whenua Kaikarakia), and Joanne Heperi (Trustee).
