From October 1, the respected Kensington Hospital takes on a new name - Allevia Kensington Hospital – to emphasise its links to Allevia Health, one of New Zealand’s premier healthcare organisations. The Allevia Health group has interest in 25 healthcare businesses including Allevia Hospitals (previously Mercy and Ascot Hospitals), Allevia Radiology and Auckland Radiation Oncology.

Board Chair, Nikki Davies-Colley, reiterates that this change will have no impact on the strong Northland focus that the hospital has developed over the past 24 years. 
“We are extremely proud of our Northland heritage and continue to operate unchanged as an independent and strongly Northland focused hospital offering care close to home,” says Davies-Colley.

“The majority of our shareholders and Board members live in Northland or have strong roots to the Northland community. This ensures decisions are made in the best interests of our region.”

Allevia Kensington Hospital Chief Executive, Steve Soufflot, says the high standard of patient care will always remain a priority.

“Our team always aim to provide our patients with excellent quality surgical care, backed up with exceptional nursing care and service – and a name change won’t alter that,” says Soufflot.

“Allevia’s commitment to our kaupapa in Te Tai Tokerau boosts the quality of care provided by our teams locally and for which they are well known. While we have a new brand, it is the same ownership. Combined with access to the additional resources of one of New Zealand’s largest and most progressive healthcare organisations, this is a really positive step for our hospital.”

“We will continue to push leading edge advancements that place us amongst the best in regional New Zealand. Allevia Kensington Hospital was the first private hospital in the North Island to perform robotic orthopaedic surgery and only last month, was the first in the North Island to introduce keyhole spinal surgery.”

In total, more than 80,000 procedures have been performed at Allevia Kensington Hospital, benefitting a substantial number of Northlanders. 
“Throughout a patient’s time with us, all our staff strive to make their visit as pleasant and comfortable as possible.”

Since its inception in 2001, the hospital has grown from three operating theatres and a 19-bed inpatient suite to five operating theatres, a 21-bed inpatient suite and plans for continued expansion to meet the evolving needs of our region.

How did our new logo come about why does it include a koru?  

As a New Zealand company, the Allevia Health group wanted to ensure our new identity embraces and celebrates both the unique aspects of our local culture and aligns with our values and purpose.   

We understand the cultural significance of the koru imagery, and it wasn’t included in the design for purely aesthetic reasons.

During the development of our new brand, Allevia Health engaged with a Māori designer, Adam Errington, to ensure the appropriateness of the use of the koru. He says: 

“The single koru, as abstraction of the pikopiko, symbolises regrowth in this instance. Depicted under the tuanui or wharenui of Allevia it represents the transformative healing of the individual under Allevia’s care. Our kōrero is about patient care and medical transformation. Allevia literally means ‘a place of alleviation’ and a Māori lens has been included in the design of our logotype.” 

• Nāku noa, nā Adam Errington, ko Ngāti Raukawa, he kaihoahoa whakaahua graphic designer ki Rebrand.