Mercy Hospital, Dunedin: what treatment costs, which insurers cover it and how to be referred

Written by Henry Smith · Reviewed by Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931) · Updated 2026-09-09 · Reviewed annually, or sooner if the rules it describes change.

Financial advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). QuoteHub is a trading name.

Mercy Hospital in Dunedin, New Zealand is an independent not-for-profit private surgical hospital at 72 Newington Avenue with 6 operating theatres, plus 2 more at Manaaki by Mercy and free on-site parking, and it is a separate institution from Auckland's former MercyAscot hospitals, now Allevia Hospitals (retrieved 9 September 2026).

If you are comparing private hospitals in New Zealand, start with QuoteHub's private hospitals hub, then compare Mercy with Southern Cross hospitals, St George's Hospital Christchurch, Bowen Hospital Wellington, Boulcott Hospital Lower Hutt, Braemar Hospital Hamilton, Allevia Hospital Ascot Auckland and Southern Cross Brightside Hospital Auckland.

What do I need to know about Mercy Hospital Dunedin?

The headline facility figure is 8 operating theatres across Mercy's campus, 6 in the main hospital and 2 in Manaaki by Mercy (Mercy Hospital campus, retrieved 9 September 2026).

Item	What is published
Hospital type	Independent not-for-profit surgical hospital (Mercy Hospital home, retrieved 9 September 2026)
Address	72 Newington Avenue, Maori Hill, Dunedin 9010 (Mercy Hospital home, retrieved 9 September 2026)
Main phone	03 464 0107 (Mercy Hospital home, retrieved 9 September 2026)
Parking	Free car parking on site (Mercy Hospital home, retrieved 9 September 2026)
Main hospital theatres	6 operating theatres (Mercy Hospital campus, retrieved 9 September 2026)
Manaaki by Mercy theatres	2 operating theatres (Mercy Hospital campus, retrieved 9 September 2026)
ICU	Intensive care unit published (Mercy Hospital campus, retrieved 9 September 2026)
Price list	Not published, fee-estimate process is published instead (Fees and payments, retrieved 9 September 2026)

Is Mercy Hospital Dunedin the same as MercyAscot or Allevia in Auckland?

No, Mercy Hospital Dunedin is a separate independent not-for-profit hospital in Otago, while Auckland's former MercyAscot hospitals were renamed Allevia Hospitals in 2025 or 2026 under Allevia Health (Mercy Hospital home, Allevia rebrand notice, retrieved 9 September 2026).

Where is Mercy Hospital Dunedin?

Mercy Hospital is at 72 Newington Avenue, Maori Hill, Dunedin 9010, and the hospital also publishes Private Bag 1919, Dunedin 9054 as its postal address (Mercy Hospital home, retrieved 9 September 2026).

Who owns Mercy Hospital Dunedin?

Mercy Hospital says it is an independent not-for-profit surgical hospital, with heritage traced to the Sisters of Mercy (Mercy Hospital home, retrieved 9 September 2026).

Does Mercy Hospital Dunedin have parking?

Yes, Mercy Hospital publishes free car parking on site, which is a straightforward access advantage for patients and visitors in Dunedin (Mercy Hospital home, retrieved 9 September 2026).

What facilities and treatments are published?

The headline service figure is 4 named campus components, Mercy Hospital, Manaaki by Mercy, Mercy Heart Centre and Mercy Cancer Care (Mercy Hospital campus, retrieved 9 September 2026).

Facility	What Mercy publishes
Mercy Hospital	Tertiary-level surgical hospital, 6 operating theatres, ICU, Coolock day surgery ward, McAuley and Callaghan inpatient wards (Mercy Hospital campus, retrieved 9 September 2026)
Manaaki by Mercy	Day surgery unit, 2 operating theatres, supports eye surgery, gastroscopy, colonoscopy, orthopaedic, dental and plastics surgery (Mercy Hospital campus, retrieved 9 September 2026)
Mercy Heart Centre	Cardiac catheterisation including angiography, stenting and pacing (Mercy Hospital campus, retrieved 9 September 2026)
Mercy Cancer Care	Oncology clinic for Otago and Southland residents, based in the Manaaki building (Mercy Hospital campus, retrieved 9 September 2026)

What treatments can be done at Mercy Hospital Dunedin?

Mercy Hospital publishes specialties including orthopaedics, general surgery, gastroenterology, ophthalmology, cardiothoracic surgery, oncology, urology, neurosurgery and plastic surgery, plus more through its specialist directory (Mercy specialists, retrieved 9 September 2026).

Does Mercy Hospital Dunedin do colonoscopies?

Yes, Mercy states that Manaaki by Mercy supports gastroscopy and colonoscopy in its day surgery unit with 2 operating theatres (Mercy Hospital campus, retrieved 9 September 2026). For general private pricing context, see QuoteHub's guide to colonoscopy cost in NZ.

Does Mercy Hospital Dunedin do heart procedures?

Yes, Mercy Heart Centre publishes cardiac catheterisation services including angiography, stenting and pacing on the Mercy campus (Mercy Hospital campus, retrieved 9 September 2026).

Does Mercy Hospital Dunedin have cancer treatment?

Yes, Mercy Cancer Care is published as an oncology clinic for Otago and Southland residents and is based in the Manaaki building (Mercy Hospital campus, retrieved 9 September 2026).

What does treatment cost at Mercy Hospital Dunedin?

The headline cost figure is not published, because Mercy does not publish a public dollar fee list for hospital treatment on its site, but it does publish the estimate and pre-approval process (Fees and payments, retrieved 9 September 2026).

Cost question	What is published
Public hospital price list	Not published (Fees and payments, retrieved 9 September 2026)
What insured patients should do	Contact your insurer before surgery and provide the cost estimate for pre-approval (Fees and payments, retrieved 9 September 2026)
What all patients should request	A written estimate before admission (Fees and payments, retrieved 9 September 2026)
Who may invoice separately	Surgeon, anaesthetist and hospital (Fees and payments, retrieved 9 September 2026)

How much does surgery cost at Mercy Hospital Dunedin?

Mercy Hospital does not publish a schedule of dollar prices, so the figure is not published, and the hospital instead tells patients to request a written estimate before admission (Fees and payments, retrieved 9 September 2026).

No public Mercy price list is published on the site in this source pass, while the hospital does publish the process for getting a written estimate and insurer pre-approval (Fees and payments, retrieved 9 September 2026).

What bills should I expect if I go private at Mercy Hospital Dunedin?

Mercy advises that you should expect separate invoices from the surgeon, anaesthetist and hospital, and that 3-provider billing structure is the published process figure patients should plan for (Fees and payments, retrieved 9 September 2026).

For broader New Zealand context rather than Mercy-specific prices, use QuoteHub's treatment costs tool, the private surgery costs and waiting times research, and guides on cost of private surgery in NZ, hernia surgery cost NZ, hip replacement cost NZ, knee replacement cost NZ, cataract surgery cost NZ, gallbladder surgery cost NZ and MRI scan cost NZ.

Which insurers can cover treatment here?

The headline insurer figure is 100% of eligible costs at nib First Choice providers, but Mercy Hospital's current First Choice status must be checked live in nib's directory rather than assumed (nib First Choice, retrieved 9 September 2026).

Insurer	What the published wording says
Southern Cross Health Society	Affiliated Providers deliver certain services at agreed prices, and AP status must be checked for the named specialist or facility in Healthcare Finder (AP programme, Healthcare Finder, retrieved 9 September 2026)
Southern Cross Easy-Claim	Participating providers can claim direct, so the member pays only any remaining contribution (Easy-Claim, retrieved 9 September 2026)
nib	First Choice providers give 100% of eligible costs covered, and members should check nib's live Find a Provider tool for current provider status (nib First Choice, Find a Provider, retrieved 9 September 2026)
AIA Private Health	Prior approval is required before non-emergency treatment or hospitalisation, with no published narrow hospital network in the wording (AIA policy wording, retrieved 9 September 2026)
Partners Life	Cover can follow the member's choice of private hospital, with surgical treatment up to $600,000 a year and non-surgical hospital treatment up to $500,000 a year per life assured (Partners overview, retrieved 9 September 2026)
UniMed	Hospital treatment benefits are paid under plan wording with prior approval required, with no verified named network used on this page (Hospital Select plan, retrieved 9 September 2026)

Is Southern Cross Health Insurance worth it?

Southern Cross can be useful if your specialist or facility is an Affiliated Provider because the programme publishes 2,438 healthcare providers and 1,874 AP agreements, but value depends on your policy, exclusions and whether your Mercy specialist is in the network (AP programme, retrieved 9 September 2026). Compare options at health insurance NZ, Southern Cross health insurance, health insurance companies in NZ, best health insurance NZ and is health insurance worth it in NZ.

Does nib cover a colonoscopy?

nib says members get 100% of eligible costs covered at First Choice providers, but whether a colonoscopy at Mercy is covered still depends on your policy terms and the current provider listing in nib's Find a Provider tool (nib First Choice, Find a Provider, retrieved 9 September 2026). Read more at nib health insurance NZ.

What types of healthcare are covered by my nib health insurance plan?

The exact covered treatment types are not published in this source pack by product page, but nib does publish that eligible costs at First Choice providers can be covered at 100%, subject to policy terms and provider status (nib First Choice, retrieved 9 September 2026).

Do I need pre-approval before surgery at Mercy Hospital Dunedin?

Yes, Mercy tells insured patients to contact their insurer before surgery and provide the cost estimate for pre-approval, and AIA, Southern Cross and many other policies also use prior approval mechanics for planned private treatment (Fees and payments, AIA policy wording, retrieved 9 September 2026).

How do referrals and wait times work?

The headline public waitlist figure is 77,455 people on New Zealand's treatment waitlist at 31 March 2026, with 35.0% waiting over 4 months, based on QuoteHub's analysis of Health NZ data (QuoteHub research, retrieved 9 September 2026).

Pathway	What usually happens
Public route	GP referral, First Specialist Assessment, then possible addition to public treatment waitlist subject to clinical prioritisation
Private route	Direct self-referral to a private specialist is generally possible, though a GP referral letter is often expected for insurer claims and clinical handover
Once private surgery is planned	Book privately with self-pay, ACC or insurer prior approval, with waits generally measured in weeks rather than months once the specialist and theatre slot are booked

The pathway summary above is drawn from the published New Zealand referral and waitlist process in QuoteHub's treatment cost and waiting time research, with more on surgery wait times in NZ and the public surgery waiting list.

How do I get referred to Mercy Hospital Dunedin?

Usually you first see your GP, then a private specialist who operates at Mercy, and for insurance claims a GP referral letter is often expected even though direct private specialist self-referral is generally possible in New Zealand (QuoteHub research, retrieved 9 September 2026).

How long after pre-op assessment is operation in NZ?

There is no single national figure after pre-op assessment, but public elective treatment performance was 64.5% within 4 months in the March 2026 quarter, while private booking is generally measured in weeks once the specialist and theatre slot are secured (DPMC Target 2 factsheet, QuoteHub research, retrieved 9 September 2026).

How long are public surgery waits in New Zealand?

At 31 March 2026 there were 77,455 people on the treatment waitlist and 35.0% had waited over 4 months, according to QuoteHub's analysis of Health NZ data (QuoteHub research, retrieved 9 September 2026).

Which specialties have the longest waits in New Zealand?

Orthopaedics is the biggest bottleneck, with 56.5% of 36,937 people on the orthopaedic First Specialist Assessment queue waiting over 4 months and 44.5% of 14,733 on the orthopaedic treatment queue also waiting over 4 months (QuoteHub research, retrieved 9 September 2026).

Do Maori get priority for surgery?

No national policy currently gives Māori patients automatic priority for elective surgery, and while a regional tool weighted 6 factors including ethnicity, it was discontinued in August 2024 after an independent review (Health NZ Equity Adjustor Tool, HiNZ report, retrieved 9 September 2026).

What specialties and specialists are listed?

The headline specialty figure is more than 20 named specialty areas in Mercy's specialist finder (Mercy specialists, retrieved 9 September 2026).

What specialists work at Mercy Hospital Dunedin?

Mercy's specialist finder lists specialties including anaesthesia, bariatric surgery, breast, cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, dermatology, ENT, endoscopy, fertility, general surgery, gynaecology, neurosurgery, oncology, ophthalmology, orthopaedics and urology (Mercy specialists, retrieved 9 September 2026).

Does Mercy Hospital Dunedin do eye surgery?

Yes, Mercy publishes ophthalmology and orthopaedics in its specialist list, and says Manaaki by Mercy supports eye surgery and orthopaedic procedures in its day surgery unit with 2 theatres (Mercy specialists, Mercy Hospital campus, retrieved 9 September 2026).

What are the practical access details and alternatives?

The headline access figure is 1 published phone number, 03 464 0107, plus free on-site parking at the Maori Hill campus (Mercy Hospital home, retrieved 9 September 2026).

How do I contact Mercy Hospital Dunedin?

Mercy Hospital publishes its main phone as 03 464 0107 and its address as 72 Newington Avenue, Maori Hill, Dunedin 9010 (Mercy Hospital home, retrieved 9 September 2026).

Are there private hospital alternatives to Mercy in the South Island?

Yes, South Island alternatives in this QuoteHub hospital lane include St George's Hospital Christchurch and the wider Southern Cross hospitals network, which includes Christchurch, Nelson and Invercargill sites.

What should I compare before choosing Mercy Hospital Dunedin?

QuoteHub's read is to compare 4 things first, your specialist's operating location, your insurer's approval rules, whether hospital prices are published, and how long the public alternative is likely to take, then use health insurance guides, health insurance waiting periods NZ and pre-existing conditions in health insurance to check cover rules.