Auckland Lunatic Asylum

The Victoria era had no time for euphemisms. This imposing building was lauded for its beauty at the time it was opened in 1867. In The Cyclopaedia of New Zealand (Auckland Provincial District) which was published in 1902, the building is described thus:

It is imposing in appearance, is built of brick, and is about three miles distant from Auckland. The main building, where the apartments of the medical men and the administration offices are placed, faces the junction of the Great North Road and the road to Mount Albert. In the central portion are the dining halls, kitchen, and store rooms, and the two adjoining wings are respectively the male and female wards.

And so on. The road to Mount Albert is Carrington Road. Three miles out of Auckland was apparently half a day's travel for the relatives who wished to visit; they had to walk.

The farmland behind the Asylum was bought by the Crown in 1979 1879 (corrected after daughter J pointed out the typo), and thus began a farm which was highly productive over many years, providing occupation for hospital inmates (as they were called), and food for the kitchens.

In the 20th Century the name was changed to the Avondale Mental Hospital, as Mental was preferred to Lunatic. Avondale was/is a nearby suburb. The next change of name (in the 1960s) was to Oakley Psychiatric Hospital, moving from describing the residents to describing the specialty. Oakley is the name of the creek running through the grounds. The next change (in the 1970s) was to Carrington Hospital. Dropping all reference to what the Hospital was for, also allowed the Auckland Hospital Board to solve the problem of what to do with a medical superintendent who refused to resign. Two wards were separated off to remain as Oakley Hospital (for "forensic patients"), and the "new" hospital gained a new name and a new, enlightened, medical superintendent.

I was there this afternoon at what is the descendant of these buildings and their occupants; the Mason Clinic. This is the inpatient facility for the Auckland Regional Forensic Psychiatry Service. I have been asked by a Judge to provide the Court with a second opinion for the hearing of an application for a Compulsory Treatment Order. Mason Clinic was built after a highly critical report on the services at Oakley Hospital, by Judge Mason in the 1980s.

I worked at Oakley as a final year student; in part because there was married accommodation provided free if I provided basic GP type care to patients, and conducted a physical examination of all new admissions. I visited there during my training years, and later had involvement in other matters as part of my various other roles.

These buildings were not the problem; the problem was staff attitudes and societal expectations. The buildings have been retained by the Carrington campus of Unitec, which bought the site at a bargain price. They have restored the grandeur, and removed the ghastliness.

That is now down the hill in the Mason Clinic. Many of the worst aspects of Oakley have gone. Some have not. Judge Mason felt that what he had recommended be done was misunderstood, or just not done. It was not too bad being there this afternoon; but I am glad that is not where I work.