A new benchmark in forensic care

Restoring dignity in forensic mental health

Projects
E TŪ WAIRUA HINENGARO – MASON CLINIC

Auckland, New Zealand

E Tū Wairua Hinengaro – Mason Clinic

E Tū Wairua Hinengaro – Mason Clinic forensic mental health facility marks a significant shift in how therapeutic environments are conceived and delivered in Aotearoa. As New Zealand’s first purpose built forensic mental health facility in more than twenty years, it replaces ageing infrastructure with a modern, dignified and resilient environment designed to support patient wellbeing, staff safety and long-term service delivery.

Set within a complex geological context and subject to rigorous security and safety standards, the project required deep technical expertise and a highly collaborative approach across the client, contractor and consultant teams. RLB provided cost management and quantity surveying services, ensuring clarity, value and certainty throughout delivery.

At a glance

Client

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora – Waitematā
Services

Certainty
sector

Healthcare
Location

Point Chevalier, Auckland

Balancing needs, value, and innovation

As a highly specialised health facility, the project required meticulous cost management to reconcile security, clinical function, cultural design principles, and longterm operational performance.

RLB applied rigorous forecasting, value analysis, and partnership across stakeholder groups, enabling the client to make confident decisions in a high-risk, highly technical environment. Our focus on clarity and collaboration helped maintain certainty despite market escalation, supply chain volatility, and specialist system requirements.

This project demanded more than cost control. It required trust, transparency and a shared commitment to delivering a facility that genuinely improves lives. We are proud to have supported a development that balances security with humanity.

Ed Cook, Director

Despite variable basalt conditions, market escalation and specialist systems complexity, our proactive approach ensured the project maintained cost confidence and delivery certainty, reinforcing RLB’s commitment to responsible, future-focused infrastructure that improves lives today and strengthens services for tomorrow.

A new benchmark for forensic mental health care

The vision for E Tū Wairua Hinengaro is to set a new standard for therapeutic, culturally aligned, and future ready forensic mental health environments in Aotearoa. Designed to balance safety, recovery and connection to place, the facility adopts a sophisticated material palette of metal cladding, brick veneer and cedar weatherboards that respond sensitively to the surrounding residential context.

The result is a facility that is secure yet welcoming, contemporary yet grounded, and entirely focused on delivering better outcomes for patients, whānau, and staff.

60

beds
9,870

m

²
2

storeys

Partnership built on trust

The development presented significant ground condition challenges, with the building founded across basalt and East Coast Bays Formation (ECBF). As piling progressed, the team encountered variable conditions, including fractured basalt, stability issues, and unexpected increases in pile lengths.

RLB worked closely with the contractor and piling specialists to interrogate solutions, maintain transparency of cost implications, and arrive at “best for project” decisions. Our proactive approach ensured that the geological complexity did not compromise programme, budget, or design intent.

Designed for dignity, resilience, and long-term impact

More than a physical upgrade, the new Mason Clinic creates a restorative environment that supports rehabilitation and reduces long-term pressures on forensic services.

The facility reinforces Health NZ’s commitment to culturally informed, safe, and modern mental health infrastructure, setting a benchmark for future developments across the country.