The hospital that still should have been, set on fire.

There are some things that are certain in this country: Death, Taxes, Winston Peters getting back into Parliament, and if you leave an old building empty enough for long enough, eventually someone WILL try to burn it to the ground.

Immediately I knew what hospital this headline meant. Once upon a time, this former hospital had been turned into a treatment center for addicts where people from Christchurch were sent to recover. Hanmer Springs is, as the name would suggest, an alpine spring location an hour and a half away from the city, but despite being such a short drive perfect for day trips, feels completely remote and is a Cantabrian’s preferred year-round getaway location (much to Akaroa’s disgust).

This makes it perfect for rehabilitation, not only because it feels like a retreat, but because it makes it difficult to score (while still being convenient and central). We still have rehabilitation units in this city, and while I’ve never used them, I know they’re hard to get into, not all that appealing to stay at, and most importantly, likely within convenient travelling distance from wherever your drug dealer (or dealers) are located. Or your mates, who can sell to you. Or your family, who might also use and you can use to access your drug of choice. Or any one of a number of stressors that keep you tied to that lifestyle and mentality.

The number one thing rehabilitation centers can do for the vast majority of (low-level) addicts who don’t necessarily need medical oversight while detoxing is helping them get away. And getting away can be really difficult when you’re in that lifestyle or trapped in that cycle — for a start, it’s hard to afford accomodation for any length of time even somewhere as cheap and convenient as Hamner Springs if you’ve been spending most of your money on drugs — even though you have been trying really hard not to. And it does need to be for a decent stretch of time, otherwise you’ll fall back into old habits.

Such is the self-fulfilling cycle of addiction.

Queen Mary Hospital was on the grounds of a former sanitarium. It was originally opened as a convalescent home for soldiers before becoming more general treatment center and later specicallt an addiction rehabilitation facility, and unlike many mental institutions of the day, has a relatively pleasant history attached. It was never billeted for compulsory treatment, was described by former nurses as having “little institutional atmosphere” and a homely vibe. When the Maori treatment programme opened, it had a whanau-centric perspective and was equally well-attended and benefitted by pakeha patients, before restrictions on referrals saw this limited.

In total, it was used for nearly 100 years, helped countless people overcome mental health struggles and battle addictions, and in 2021 became the focus of loud calls to reopen it.

A true alternative to the services it provided Cantabrians was never established when it closed. Instead of being repurposed or continued, it was branded a historical site and left to rot (or be burned down, whichever happens first).

Such is how we treat successful health centers in this country.

It probably no longer looks like this.