View our Kaweka Kids Passport by clicking on the photos below!
Patient information
Surgery for children
It is never easy when your child is undergoing a procedure.
We’ve worked hard to create an environment for children that makes them feel as safe and supported as possible – and that includes their support people.
To ensure you have all the information you need before bringing your child to us for surgery, we have created the Kaweka Passport, designed specifically for children with the aim providing both verbal and visual information on what to expect at Kaweka Hospital. A copy of this will be provided prior to surgery or you can call into Reception to collect one.
We launched the Kahu Project in 2024 with the intention of providing children and their supporters, with a window into what to expect at Kaweka Hospital. This includes the passport book, featuring Alby and his support person as they make their way through each stage of his surgical journey. Our Kaweka Hospital mascot, Kahu the Kiwi also features and our paediatric patients get their very own Kahu toy to take home.
The Kahu Project would not be possible without the ongoing support of our wonderful sponsors;
Committed to ensuring that all children have a positive experience
Chris - National Sales Manager NZ, STERIS
“Supporting the Kahu Project at Kaweka Health is such a privilege for the Team at STERIS. We all have our part to play in making this world a little safer, happier, and healthier. We see the Kahu Project as a simple but powerful outworking of our organisational values in action.”
Vickie – Operations Manager, Reynard Health Supplies
“Reynard Health Supplies is proud to sponsor Kahu the Kiwi Project at Kaweka Hospital. This is a program that brings comfort to paediatric patients, helping Tamariki feel seen, supported, and brave during their healthcare journey. For us, it is more than sponsorship – it is a way to give back to our community. We love being part of something that supports local families.”
Mark – Business Manager and Director, GCT
“GCT is proud to support Kaweka Hospital’s Kahu Project, which gifts each child undergoing surgery a cuddly “Kahu the Kiwi” and guidebook to ease their journey. Knowing this can make a hospital stay less scary is exactly why we wanted to help. As a Hawke’s Bay-based company with deep roots in the region, supporting the community that supports us was a natural choice. In short, we’re involved because we believe in Kaweka Hospital and we care about our kids, our whānau, and our region.”
Use the Kaweka Passport to provide both you and your child with information on what to expect. The book has been designed so you can read it together and look at the photos of the facility to familiarise yourselves. Often it’s a fear of the unknown that creates the most stress and anxiety about surgery so this booklet aims to help reduce that. If you have any questions you are welcome to contact us.
Hospital admissions can be a testing time for children and their parents. It is helpful to bring your child’s favourite toys or books to keep them entertained during their stay, which may involve wait time before the procedure. You will be able to stay with your child at the start of their anaesthetic if you wish and will have the opportunity to discuss this with your anaesthetist and surgeon on the day of admission.
On the day of surgery, the focus will be on your child who is having the procedure so other distractions should be avoided. We advise that you do not bring in siblings unless you have someone with you who can care for them while your child is being admitted or during the initial post-operative time in recovery.
With your support, your child will recover more quickly and we aim to reunite parents or carers with their child as soon as possible. This will happen in our recovery room and you will be taken into this area as soon as possible. Please be aware, siblings cannot be taken into the recovery room as this is a restricted area.
We encourage a parent or carer to stay with their child overnight and will aim to provide a bed in their room, if this is not possible, a lazyboy chair will provided. You will receive refreshments, an evening meal and breakfast while staying with your child. There is an additional charge for a parent or carer to board. Please note, that we can only safely accommodate one parent or carer to stay overnight.
If your child is to be a day stay patient, the length of time that they are with us will depend on your child’s recovery and their individual needs.
Please advise us of any special dietary needs for your child well in advance so we can make arrangements with our caterers for post-operative snacks or meals. If your child requires formula or drinking cup/baby bottle, please bring this with you. In addition if your child requires nappies, we have a limited selection of sizes available so you may prefer to bring your own as it is not possible for us to stock the wide range of needs for different age groups.
We take the trust placed in us to care for children extremely seriously. Our staff are carefully vetted and we renew this process frequently. We have a Child Protection Policy which you can view at any time by clicking this link.
Children have rights too – you can view these, written specifically for children here, The Rights of Every Child
Our staff are very experienced and committed to ensuring that all children have a positive experience at Kaweka Hospital so do not hesitate to ask us if you have any queries.
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