In 1914 the Waipiata Sanatorium, a private facility owned by Dr George Byres was constructed, a few kilometres south of Waipiata near the old Hamiltons gold field. In the early 1920s Dr Byres' facility was taken over by the Hospital Board and continued for a long period as a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients. The sanatorium closed in 1961 and the buildings became a corrective and training centre for the Justice Department until 1979, after which the government sold the site. Today it remains a privately owned property.