3529 (2026). Tangi Utikere to the Minister of Health

3529 (2026). Tangi Utikere to the Minister of Health: What facilities, if any, are in place at Palmerston North Hospital to provide a whānau focused, child friendly area for children presenting to the hospital’s emergency department?

Hon Simeon Brown: I am advised that the children’s emergency department at Palmerston North Hospital provides child friendly facilities including a children’s area waiting room, separate to the main waiting area. Once children are triaged they are brought through into the children’s area which is adjacent to the nurse’s station and child assessment bays. This space includes a designated bathroom and changing facilities, a kitchenette, and age-appropriate books and toys.