Five years ago the Canterbury District Health Board deemed Queen Mary Hospital, Hanmer Springs, surplus to its requirements and put it up for sale.
Many people in New Zealand knew Queen Mary as “the place where alcoholics go to dry out”. Few were aware of the historic and scenic values of Queen Mary’s buildings and gardens.
Local people in Hanmer Springs resisted the sale and worked to keep the site in public hands. The Historic Places Trust designated the northern part of the site an Historic Area.
