Mason Clinic E Tū Tanekaha

Mason Clinic E Tū Tanekaha is an inpatient assessment and treatment facility for mentally disabled offenders that focuses on inpatient and community rehabilitation. The new, standalone, forensic healthcare unit, has been designed as a state-of-the-art acute facility for the care and rehabilitation of patients with mental illness.

The facility, which includes 15 medium secure inpatient beds, each with its own ensuite, creates a calm and secure environment. Two de-escalation rooms and a de-escalation lounge, a secure vehicle entry, patient lounge and dining area, a sensory modulation room, gym, an admissions area and secure staff offices and a common room, surround two internal courtyards, which provide outdoor activity space, and allow for natural daylight to filter into the internal communal areas.

A staff base area, which provides visual and spatial connections throughout the whole building, also allows for staff observation of patients.

The new building, which evokes the stance and stature of the tanekaha tree, has been designed to flexibly accommodate different patient populations requiring secure care in a clinical and culturally appropriate environment.

E Tῡ Tanekaha represents a significant milestone in the major programme of remediation repairs and facility upgrades across the Auckland Regional Forensic Psychiatry Services site at Pt Chevalier.

Photography by: Caroline Ducobu