Data study
These are the 10 best and lowest-rated hospitals in New Zealand, according to Google reviews
Middlemore Hospital in South Auckland is the lowest-rated hospital in New Zealand on Google, averaging 2.72 stars from 739 reviews, and 50% of its reviews give a single star.
Data collected
Source: SEO Backlinks, https://seobacklinks.com/
Key findings
At the other end, St George's Hospital, a private hospital in Christchurch, is the best-rated at 4.74 from 148 reviews. Four of the five best-rated are private hospitals, and Burwood Hospital in Christchurch is the best-rated public hospital, fourth overall at 4.44.
The average hospital in the ranking scores 3.74. Palmerston North Hospital is second-lowest at 2.83 and Tauranga Hospital is third at 3.17. Southland Hospital in Invercargill (fourth), Timaru Hospital (fifth), Rotorua Hospital (sixth), Hutt Hospital in Lower Hutt (seventh), Waitakere Hospital in West Auckland (eighth), Taranaki Base Hospital in New Plymouth (ninth) and Christchurch Hospital (10th) complete the bottom 10. All 10 are public hospitals.
Grace Hospital, a private hospital in Tauranga, is second-best at 4.52, followed by Forte Health in Christchurch at 4.51, Burwood at 4.44 and Ormiston Hospital in East Auckland at 4.39. Nelson Hospital (4.08), Allevia Hospital in Epsom (4.07), Whangārei Hospital (4.06), Gisborne Hospital (3.95) and Hawke's Bay Fallen Soldiers' Memorial Hospital in Hastings (3.87) complete the top 10. The six private hospitals average 4.34, against 3.59 for the 24 public hospitals.
Chart
Worst and best 10 at a glance
Use this chart. It is free to use with a link to this page. Download the chart as a PNG.
Method
How we did it
We used the DataForSEO Business Listings database, searching New Zealand's hospital categories, and a Google Maps search for hospitals around 114 towns and cities to find the Google Maps listings for the country's public and private hospitals on October 7, 2026, 66 candidate listings in all.
We kept the main listing of each public or private hospital that admits patients and had at least 100 Google reviews. Separate emergency department listings, outpatient centers, GP, urgent care and accident and medical clinics, and specialist children's, women's, maternity, birthing and mental health services were left out. That left 30 hospitals, 24 public and six private, with 7,998 reviews in all.
Each hospital was ranked by its exact average rating, worked out from its count of one, two, three, four and five-star reviews rather than the rounded score Google displays, so hospitals that show the same rating on Google are still put in order. Where two hospitals have exactly the same average, the one with the larger share of one-star reviews ranks lower. Every hospital's figures were taken from its live Google listing on October 7, 2026.
Google reviews cover the whole hospital experience, including waits, communication, parking and food, and they reflect what patients and visitors say rather than clinical results.
National rankings
The lowest and best-rated 10 in New Zealand
The 10 lowest-rated hospitals in New Zealand
| Rank | Hospital | Average | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middlemore HospitalAuckland739 reviews | 2.72 | 739 |
| 2 | Palmerston North HospitalPalmerston North290 reviews | 2.83 | 290 |
| 3 | Tauranga HospitalTauranga329 reviews | 3.17 | 329 |
| 4 | Southland HospitalInvercargill201 reviews | 3.27 | 201 |
| 5 | Timaru HospitalTimaru105 reviews | 3.34 | 105 |
| 6 | Rotorua HospitalRotorua147 reviews | 3.37 | 147 |
| 7 | Hutt HospitalLower Hutt282 reviews | 3.42 | 282 |
| 8 | Waitakere HospitalAuckland363 reviews | 3.53 | 363 |
| 9 | Taranaki Base HospitalNew Plymouth191 reviews | 3.54 | 191 |
| 10 | Christchurch HospitalChristchurch466 reviews | 3.55 | 466 |
The 10 best-rated hospitals in New Zealand
| Rank | Hospital | Average | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St George's HospitalChristchurch148 reviews | 4.74 | 148 |
| 2 | Grace HospitalTauranga101 reviews | 4.52 | 101 |
| 3 | Forte HealthChristchurch110 reviews | 4.51 | 110 |
| 4 | Burwood HospitalChristchurch116 reviews | 4.44 | 116 |
| 5 | Ormiston HospitalAuckland130 reviews | 4.39 | 130 |
| 6 | Nelson HospitalNelson151 reviews | 4.08 | 151 |
| 7 | Allevia Hospital EpsomAuckland117 reviews | 4.07 | 117 |
| 8 | Whangārei HospitalWhangārei209 reviews | 4.06 | 209 |
| 9 | Gisborne HospitalGisborne124 reviews | 3.95 | 124 |
| 10 | Hawke's Bay Fallen Soldiers' Memorial HospitalHastings187 reviews | 3.87 | 187 |
Averages are rounded to two decimal places. Where two hospitals show the same figure, the order comes from the unrounded average.
Hospital ranking
All 30 hospitals, best to lowest rated
Every hospital in the ranking with its exact Google average, rounded to two decimal places, and its number of reviews. Public and private hospitals are ranked together; private hospitals are marked.
| Rank | Hospital | Reviews | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St George's Hospital, Christchurch (private)148 reviews | 148 | 4.74 |
| 2 | Grace Hospital, Tauranga (private)101 reviews | 101 | 4.52 |
| 3 | Forte Health, Christchurch (private)110 reviews | 110 | 4.51 |
| 4 | Burwood Hospital, Christchurch116 reviews | 116 | 4.44 |
| 5 | Ormiston Hospital, Auckland (private)130 reviews | 130 | 4.39 |
| 6 | Nelson Hospital, Nelson151 reviews | 151 | 4.08 |
| 7 | Allevia Hospital Epsom, Auckland (private)117 reviews | 117 | 4.07 |
| 8 | Whangārei Hospital, Whangārei209 reviews | 209 | 4.06 |
| 9 | Gisborne Hospital, Gisborne124 reviews | 124 | 3.95 |
| 10 | Hawke's Bay Fallen Soldiers' Memorial Hospital, Hastings187 reviews | 187 | 3.87 |
| 11 | Ascot Hospital, Auckland (private)159 reviews | 159 | 3.82 |
| 12 | Lakes District Hospital, Queenstown135 reviews | 135 | 3.81 |
| 13 | Auckland City Hospital, Auckland907 reviews | 907 | 3.72 |
| 14 | Thames Hospital, Thames125 reviews | 125 | 3.66 |
| 15 | Whanganui Hospital, Whanganui191 reviews | 191 | 3.65 |
| 16 | Kenepuru Community Hospital, Porirua148 reviews | 148 | 3.64 |
| 17 | Waikato Hospital, Hamilton523 reviews | 523 | 3.64 |
| 18 | Wellington Regional Hospital, Wellington438 reviews | 438 | 3.64 |
| 19 | North Shore Hospital, Auckland625 reviews | 625 | 3.59 |
| 20 | Dunedin Hospital, Dunedin241 reviews | 241 | 3.56 |
| 21 | Christchurch Hospital, Christchurch466 reviews | 466 | 3.55 |
| 22 | Taranaki Base Hospital, New Plymouth191 reviews | 191 | 3.54 |
| 23 | Waitakere Hospital, Auckland363 reviews | 363 | 3.53 |
| 24 | Hutt Hospital, Lower Hutt282 reviews | 282 | 3.42 |
| 25 | Rotorua Hospital, Rotorua147 reviews | 147 | 3.37 |
| 26 | Timaru Hospital, Timaru105 reviews | 105 | 3.34 |
| 27 | Southland Hospital, Invercargill201 reviews | 201 | 3.27 |
| 28 | Tauranga Hospital, Tauranga329 reviews | 329 | 3.17 |
| 29 | Palmerston North Hospital, Palmerston North290 reviews | 290 | 2.83 |
| 30 | Middlemore Hospital, Auckland739 reviews | 739 | 2.72 |
Using this research
Citing these figures
You're welcome to quote or republish any figure on this page. Please credit SEO Backlinks and link to this page so readers can see the full method and rankings.
How to cite
SEO Backlinks, "The best and lowest-rated hospitals in New Zealand", data collected October 7, 2026: https://seobacklinks.com/
This study comes from SEO Backlinks, which runs data-led digital PR campaigns built on public data like Google reviews.