New Zealand Blood Service opens doors to new state-of-the-art Hamilton Donor Centre

Media release

Monday 14 August marks the opening of the new Hamilton Blood Donor Centre, now located on the corner of Anglesea and London Street.

The state-of-the-art donor centre has been purpose built for New Zealand Blood Service (NZBS) by Hamilton-based Stark Property to help meet future demand for blood and blood plasma, and better suit the needs of the Waikato donor community.

Sam Cliffe, CEO of NZBS, says an enhanced donor experience was integral when designing the $4.5-million-dollar centre.

“The previous Hamilton Donor Centre on the Waikato Hospital grounds have been an amazing home for NZBS over the past 30 years, but it was time to move into a more contemporary, future-proofed facility,” she says.

“The biggest change is the newly expanded donor floor, which now encompasses 950sqm. We’ve doubled the number of beds from 12 up to 24, which will allow us to increase our collection capacity in the future. This is absolutely crucial given the ever-increasing need for blood and plasma products across New Zealand.”

The Waikato currently has an active donor panel of just under 25,000, but in order to keep pace with the demand for blood and blood products, NZBS needs to increase its whānau of donors in the region by 20%. It’s hoped that the opening of the new, centrally located donor centre will encourage more Hamiltonians to roll up their sleeves.

Every week more than 800 donations are needed in Hamilton.

“We’ve tried to make it as easy as possible for new donors to access the centre,” Ms. Cliffe says.

 “There are also now 30 on-site underground carparks and our newly central location is easier to access as it’s within walking distance of the Hamilton CBD and Transport Centre.”

The donor centre, developed in collaboration with Stark Property, incorporates a number of sustainable design features including low energy LED lighting, EV chargers in the carpark, and low-flow water fittings. A solar power array on the rooftop generates 20-25% of the building’s annual electricity demand and storm water retention tanks will help reduce pressure on council infrastructure during heavy rainfall events.

The opening ceremony included a mihi whakatau led by Te Haa o te Whenua o Kirikiriroa, and a speech by Ms. Cliffe.

Special guests included some of Waikato’s most prolific donors, who have collectively donated more than 1500 times. Tom Davies, with his remarkable 500 donations, was joined by other high-profile donors Mervyn Balloch (358 donations), Koro Amai (294 donations), Jan Gilby (263 donations), Justin Vodane (258 donations), and Paul Barnett (230 donations).

“NZBS relies on the generosity of its donors to help save lives, so it’s only fitting that we celebrate the opening of our new home in Hamilton with some of our longest serving donors in the region for whom giving blood or plasma has been a lifelong commitment,” says Ms Cliffe.

In addition to the enhanced donor areas, the new site will also have a logistics area (including a service yard), and offices for National Office and support staff.

About New Zealand Blood Service:

New Zealand Blood Service (NZBS) in a not-for-profit Crown entity responsible for the collection, processing, testing and storage and distribution of all blood and blood products in New Zealand.

We rely on voluntary and non-remunerated blood donations from individuals around the country to provide a constant supply of precious blood and blood products used by our health services to save thousands of lives.

NZBS also provides cell and tissue products and related services to meet public health needs, and maintains national oversight of organ donation and distribution. 

This year NZBS is celebrating its 25th anniversary, the service established in 1998 as a single integrated service for all of New Zealand. Prior to NZBS’ inception, blood donation was a service provided regionally within individual Crown Health Enterprises.