Ask anyone who’s been a patient at Braemar Hospital, or who’s worked there, or visited, and you’ll hear a familiar theme, “there’s something special about this place.”
It’s special to be celebrating 100 years of caring for the people of the Waikato community with compassion, heart, and a kind of quiet determination that doesn’t always make headlines, but changes lives for the better.
Fiona Michel, Chief Executive of Braemar Hospital says: “we’ve been here for the Waikato since day one – there’s been compassion, there’s been care, there’s been challenges, and we’ve been the little engine that could right from that very beginning.”
“We’re still here, and we are still doing in a way that no other hospital in the region is doing.”
It started with one extraordinary woman
The Braemar story begins on Tainui Street, Hamilton, in 1924 — with a maternity hospital called Tirohia, and a nurse called Frances Young who had bigger ideas.
In 1926, Sister Young bought the hospital, expanded it to include medical and surgical care, renamed it Braemar, and in doing so, quietly changed the course of healthcare in the Waikato. She was a single woman running a hospital in an era when that was almost unheard of. She butted heads with the Department of Health and later adopted toddlers in her 50s, raising children on her own because she saw a need and answered it.
She was, in short, the blueprint.
“Frances Young must have been the staunchest woman of her time. I love the fact that she’s somebody who pushed boundaries right from the very beginning – a little like Braemar pushes boundaries in a lot of what we do. She’s not lost to our memory. We see her, we recognise her, and we thank her for everything she’s done for this amazing organisation,” says Fiona.
The centenary is a chance to make sure Frances Young’s story is told widely — and celebrated by the community she gave so much to.
A hospital that belongs to everyone
In 1970, Braemar took another defining step: ownership transferred to the Braemar Charitable Trust, locking in its community-first purpose for generations. It’s a decision that still shapes who Braemar is today — independently owned, not-for-profit, and non-denominational.
Braemar works with ACC patients, patients with health insurance and those without and supports Health New Zealand when extra capacity is needed. And where many private hospitals focus on simple procedures, Braemar leans into complexity, taking on surgeries that require ICU support, caring for patients with a wide range of needs.
It’s not the easy path. But it is the Braemar way.
A year worth celebrating — here’s what’s in store
Braemar has planned a full year of centenary moments — some you’ll see when you walk through the doors at the Hamilton-based hospital.
A new look, a new chapter
Visitors and patients to Braemar this year will notice a transformed entrance — new entry doors, a beautifully refurbished reception, new signage at 28 Ōhaupō Road, and a calming screen displaying images from the hospital’s rich past. These changes are more than a facelift; they’re an investment in the next century of care.
A portrait unveiled
This month a newly commissioned portrait of our founder Frances Young will be unveiled and permanently displayed in Braemar’s reception. This is a gift from the Braemar Charitable Trust ensuring that the woman who started it all is never lost to memory. It’s a fitting tribute, and a daily reminder of the extraordinary legacy the hospital carries forward.
For patients, young and old
Patients will find a few centenary touches during their stay this year — special bookmarks, custom trayliners, and centenary teddy bears for the youngest visitors, because 100 years is worth celebrating at every age.
Meeting the wider community at Fieldays
For the first time, Braemar Hospital will have a presence at Fieldays’ Health and Wellbeing Hub, in conjunction with the Braemar Charitable Trust — taking the centenary story to the heart of the region it has always called home.
The book: Making Lives Better — 100 Years of Braemar Hospital
The centennial highlight is a comprehensive book — Making Lives Better: 100 Years of Braemar Hospital. A coffee table heritage publication, the book traverses every chapter of Braemar’s history: the highs and the lows, the characters and the clinicians, the patients and the people who have shaped a century of care.
From this month, excerpts from the book will be published on Braemar’s dedicated centenary web page, alongside a series of short videos telling the story of the hospital’s history. There will be plenty to read, watch, and discover in the months ahead.
September 2026
The year culminates in a special dinner in September, the true month of Braemar’s centenary. It will be an event to celebrate the publication of our centenary book and the people behind Braemar’s century of care. It will also include a theatrical performance by Waikato Diocesan drama students, bringing to life the story of Frances Young herself.
“Since 1926, we’ve been so much about compassion. We’ve been about making lives better. It’s our purpose now. It’s been our purpose all the way.”
Braemar Hospital invites the Waikato community to be part of this milestone year.
Follow along at braemar.co.nz/centenary for stories, films, and a few surprises along the way. A hundred years is worth celebrating — and Braemar is just getting started.
Braemar Hospital is 100% owned by the Braemar Charitable Trust which works to improve healthcare access in the community.