Primary Health Care (PHCL) has withdrawn its proposal to build a new medical centre at Beach Road Recreation Reserve in Waihī Beach, Western Bay of Plenty District Council has today confirmed.
The decision follows a 10-week community consultation, led by the Council, with results indicating that 56% of submitters opposed the development at the proposed location, 42% supported it, and 2% were unsure.
Public submissions demonstrated broad agreement on the initiative to build a new medical centre in Waihī Beach. However, views differed on the location, Council says.
“It is important to us that the community is united in this initiative and that we work together to ensure healthcare services continue to meet the growing needs of Waihī Beach. We have decided to withdraw our submission and will not proceed to the next step of a public hearing without broader community consensus,” says PHCL Deputy Chief Executive, Batami Pundak.
PHCL is a not-for-profit organisation and currently operates the Waihī Beach Medical Centre on Wilson Road.
Council agreed in principle to approve PHCL’s application at its Projects and Monitoring Committee meeting on 15 August 2025, which would have seen 1137m2 of Beach Road Recreation Reserve (around 30%) reclassified to Local Purpose Reserve.
Reclassifying the land would have allowed the medical facility to be located on the reserve, but it would not have impacted Council’s ownership of the land, which would have remained protected by its reserve status, Council said in a statement.
A total of 409 submissions were received during the consultation process, which spanned the peak summer season when many homeowners and residents were in town.
A drop-in session was also held in December, to give people the opportunity to talk with Council officers and PHCL staff face to face, with around 80 people attending the event.
Council says support for the proposal was largely driven by the need to strengthen healthcare capacity and ensure the community’s future health needs were met, while concerns were primarily centred on the proposed location.
Of those who made submissions, 53 requested to present their feedback to Council in person, however now that PHCL has withdrawn its proposal, the submissions hearing planned for 19 March will no longer take place.
“This process highlights the value of public consultation, especially when it involves community land,” said Council Reserves and Facilities Manager, Peter Watson.
“Our role is to provide a clear, transparent process so people can share their views and have them considered as part of the decision-making journey. We wish to thank everyone who participated in the engagement process.”
