Starship Hospital’s PICU Renovation Celebrates Life-Saving Care for Young Patients

Auckland, New Zealand – Starship Hospital’s Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) recently unveiled a $48 million renovation, a testament to the dedication of its staff and the generosity of the New Zealand public. The upgrade, years in the making, will significantly enhance the hospital’s capacity to provide critical care for children from across the country, as highlighted by Hamilton parents Kelsi and Andy Porter, whose son Chase’s life was saved at Starship.

A Family’s Story of Resilience

Chase Porter’s story exemplifies the vital role Starship’s PICU plays in the lives of countless families. Born in March 2017, Chase was admitted to the PICU just one month later with a “catastrophic medical event,” according to his mother, Kelsi. The initial experience was daunting, but the staff immediately provided reassurance and a sense of hope. “The doctors often have to say the worst-case scenario—and we’d heard a lot of worst-cases—but the PICU nurses came in and said, ‘congratulations on your baby,’ and it’s the first time I’d heard that,” Kelsi Porter shared.

Chase was later diagnosed with a rare genetic condition causing heart failure, necessitating a heart transplant. In 2023, at age six, he became one of only four children in New Zealand to be connected to a Berlin Heart, a mechanical device that supported his circulation while awaiting a suitable donor. As reported by Stuff.co.nz, Chase was connected to the artificial heart for four months before receiving a life-saving transplant.

Throughout Chase’s ordeal, the PICU nurses provided not only expert medical care but also emotional support, finding small ways to bring joy and normalcy to his difficult situation. “It was the nurses that were like, ‘let’s notice if we can just sit up today,’ or ‘let’s see if we could just do a little bit of Lego,’” Kelsi Porter recalled. “Just still seeing the human in him when he’s so sick…it’s the reason that Chase is still here.”

A National Lifeline Enhanced

Starship’s PICU is the sole national service in New Zealand for children requiring intensive care for more than 24 hours. Opened in 1991, the unit was in dire necessitate of expansion to meet the growing demands for its services. The $48 million renovation, funded by $23 million in public donations and $25 million from the government, addresses this need.

The upgraded facility, unveiled on February 28, 2026, as reported by 1News, includes:

• More beds to accommodate increased patient volume
• Enhanced clinical technology for improved diagnostics and treatment
• A dedicated high dependency unit for patients requiring specialized care
• A new day-stay unit for less acute cases
• Expanded family areas to provide a more comfortable environment for loved ones
• A state-of-the-art simulation suite for staff training
• Improved staff facilities to support the well-being of healthcare professionals

According to Nic Gini, Nurse Unit Manager of the PICU, 75 to 80% of the children treated at Starship come from outside the Auckland region, underscoring the unit’s national importance. “We are busy all the time. But without this expansion, we wouldn’t have the capacity to actually manage the kids that we have,” Gini stated.

A Future of Hope

Starship Hospital’s PICU renovation represents a significant investment in the health and well-being of New Zealand’s children. The upgraded facility will enable the hospital to continue providing life-saving care to more than 150,000 young patients annually. As Kelsi Porter expressed, the expansion will “help so many more children in New Zealand to live and to become healthy again and thrive.”