The grand residence that now forms the nexus of the Mercy Hospital complex was designed by John McGregor as his own residence. Finished in 1883, it was once a peaceful haven for A. W. Morris and later the Sargood family. It has historical, architectural, and aesthetic significance.
Kāi Tahu whānui comprise people of Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe and Waitaha descent, who hold mana whenua over an area that covers the entire Otago region, including the area now covered by Dunedin city. Ara tawhito (traditional travelling routes) crossed the landscape, providing annual and seasonal pathways to permanent pā sites and temporary kāika. The bays and inlets of the Otago Harbour, along the coast of Otago Peninsula and south to Taieri Mouth, were popular sites for settlements. There were numerous mahika kai sites where Kāi Tahu gathered and utilised natural resources. The attributes of shelter, easy access to fishing grounds, and the bush-clad hills with an abundance of bird life, building materials and edible vegetation available in the ngahere (bush) and repo (swamp), complemented the strong kaimoana resource that abounded. Following the arrival of Pākehā and alienation of the land, the first owner of the property in the early 1860s was William Purdie, who eventually sold Sections 8 and 9 of Block I Upper Kaikorai to John McGregor in 1875.
McGregor reportedly started building a grand residence in 1878, carrying the stone by bullock cart from Port Chalmers. In 1881, McGregor advertised for tenders ‘for alterations and additions to residence in Newington, Maori Hill’, so building work appears to have been protracted. Histories of the house indicate that McGregor never finished the work here, having surrendered the land to the mortgagee in 1883. An auction of household furniture ‘on the premises, Newington (occupied by John McGregor Esq.)’ indicates that the building was complete enough to have a hall, dining room, library, billiard room and bedroom. Construction was completed by the following owner, Arthur William Morris. The property was named ‘Marinoto’ – meaning peace – by Morris, as it was to be used ‘in the calm of his and his wife’s old age’.
The property came into the possession of Sir Percy Sargood after 1901. Described as one of Dunedin’s ‘merchant princes’, by this time Sir Percy was ‘of the now semi-independent New Zealand operation’ of drapery and soft goods merchants Sargood, Son and Ewen. Sir Percy and Lady Sargood became known for their large parties, both of a private nature and in service of some of the worthy causes of the day. Photographs from this time show a large and ornate glasshouse at the north-east corner of the residence. Following Sargood’s death in 1940, the residence and grounds were acquired by the Otago Hospital Board, initially as ‘a home for nurses’; there were also plans to build a 40-bed maternity hospital on the grounds. The outside of the original Marinoto residence has not been substantially altered since this time, save for the removal of the chimneys and ornate glasshouse. As of 2026, the residence remains at the heart of the Mercy Hospital complex.
Kāi Tahu whānui comprise people of Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe and Waitaha descent, who hold mana whenua over an area that covers the entire Otago region, including the area now covered by Dunedin city. Ara tawhito (traditional travelling routes) crossed the landscape, providing annual and seasonal pathways to permanent pā sites and temporary kāika. The bays and inlets of the Otago Harbour, along the coast of Otago Peninsula and south to Taieri Mouth, were popular sites for settlements. There were numerous mahika kai sites where Kāi Tahu gathered and utilised natural resources. The attributes of shelter, easy access to fishing grounds, and the bush-clad hills with an abundance of bird life, building materials and edible vegetation available in the ngahere (bush) and repo (swamp), complemented the strong kaimoana resource that abounded. Following the arrival of Pākehā and alienation of the land, the first owner of the property in the early 1860s was William Purdie, who eventually sold Sections 8 and 9 of Block I Upper Kaikorai to John McGregor in 1875.
McGregor reportedly started building a grand residence in 1878, carrying the stone by bullock cart from Port Chalmers. In 1881, McGregor advertised for tenders ‘for alterations and additions to residence in Newington, Maori Hill’, so building work appears to have been protracted. Histories of the house indicate that McGregor never finished the work here, having surrendered the land to the mortgagee in 1883. An auction of household furniture ‘on the premises, Newington (occupied by John McGregor Esq.)’ indicates that the building was complete enough to have a hall, dining room, library, billiard room and bedroom. Construction was completed by the following owner, Arthur William Morris. The property was named ‘Marinoto’ – meaning peace – by Morris, as it was to be used ‘in the calm of his and his wife’s old age’.
The property came into the possession of Sir Percy Sargood after 1901. Described as one of Dunedin’s ‘merchant princes’, by this time Sir Percy was ‘of the now semi-independent New Zealand operation’ of drapery and soft goods merchants Sargood, Son and Ewen. Sir Percy and Lady Sargood became known for their large parties, both of a private nature and in service of some of the worthy causes of the day. Photographs from this time show a large and ornate glasshouse at the north-east corner of the residence. Following Sargood’s death in 1940, the residence and grounds were acquired by the Otago Hospital Board, initially as ‘a home for nurses’; there were also plans to build a 40-bed maternity hospital on the grounds. The outside of the original Marinoto residence has not been substantially altered since this time, save for the removal of the chimneys and ornate glasshouse. As of 2026, the residence remains at the heart of the Mercy Hospital complex.
