Shane and Lynnette McManaway, the benefactors behind Five Rivers Medical. PHOTO/SUPPLIED
Lisa Urbani
“Everything is in place and we are aiming at opening in the latter part of 2021”, says Shane McManaway, who, together with his wife, Lynnette, has provided the funds for a South Wairarapa, state-of-the-art medical clinic – to be named Five Rivers Medical.
The McManaways had a long-cherished dream to build a medical clinic for people in their community, considering the growing, ageing population and prevalence of mental health issues.
Having been very successful in their Gold Creek Charolais and deer farming operation at Matarawa, the couple wanted to do something to benefit everyone in the South Wairarapa region, and ensure that it would meet the need for them to have access to medical professionals.
Shane said he had “100 per cent faith” in the team he had assembled to fulfil his plans, citing how he left school at 15 with his teachers telling him he would not amount to much.
“If people say you can’t do something, then it’s a motivator, you roll your sleeves up and get stuck in.”
The covid-19 lockdown did cause some inevitable delays in the multimillion-dollar project, but all is on track for Rigg-Zschokke, the Wairarapa-based commercial and residential construction company founded in 1934, to start the excavations for the groundwork.
They were chosen after a negotiated contract, and the build would be independently project-managed by Callum Sutherland of Tararua Construction Management.
Chris Hurrell, managing director of Rigg-Zschokke, said he was “very excited to have been chosen to execute the vision of the McManaways”.
“This is a high-value project that will bring great benefits to the Wairarapa Valley and the Greytown, South Wairarapa area.
“We expect the build to last about 14 to 16 months, and we will employ six new young apprentices, so it will be a real positive for restoring business confidence in our region.”
The clinic will be built on an 8000m2 commercial site on Bidwills Cutting Rd, on the outskirts of Greytown.
It has been named Five Rivers after the Tauherenikau, Waiohine, Waingawa, Waipoua, and Ruamahanga rivers of Wairarapa.
Mabli Jones, the general manager of Tu Ora Compass Health, the Primary Health Organisation who have signed up the tenants for the facility, said they were “very supportive” of this great initiative to provide “a more integrated health and well-being centre, which gives patients choice, and will be a good facility for local people”.
She was pleased to confirm that the Greytown Medical Centre would relocate to the clinic once it was operational, and other services on offer would include a physiotherapy and rehabilitation provider, as well as a gym, a pilates studio, massage therapy, and mental health counselling services.
A small suite of orthopaedic specialists provided by Boulcott Hospital would handle pre and post-operative outpatients, and there would be an ultrasound capability and an in-house pharmacy.
Primary community health services would also be available in collaboration with the Wairarapa District Health Board.
Eventually it was hoped that sports medicine would also be catered for to provide a fully integrated service to people.
Once it is up and running, it is expected to cater for 5000 patients in Wairarapa, and have a staff complement of about 40 people, as well as a team of specialists.
