Theatres Serving The Community During Crisis

During the COVID-19 pandemic the Gisborne War Memorial Theatre transformed into a medical facility, the only theatre in the country to do so.

The stage looks very different with health assessment pods built on it! This “show” has been protecting the lives of our people. At the start of the crisis, GDC Civil Defence were in a supporting role to our District Health Board. A plan was needed to take the pressure off the local health system. “Hauora Tairāwhiti asked us to provide a community based assement centre,” said Civil Defence Emergency Manager Wiremu Tamati. There were a number of options on the table, but it came down to space and great facilities, with easy access to parking and traffic management.

At the height of New Zealand’s coronavirus response, the War Memorial assessment centre was testing around 80 people per day. Tairāwhiti has achieved the highest per capita rate of COVID-19 testing in the nation, the highest rate of testing for Māori, and the lowest number of cases.