The Hutt Valley District Health Board has voted against making it a priority to move a maternity ward to a mothballed private facility.
Hutt Hospital Photo: RNZ / Dom Thomas
The maternity ward is located in the hospital's Heretaunga Building, which has been deemed earthquake prone.
There was a motion to move it to the nearby Te Awakairangi Birthing Centre, which is owned by the Wright Family Foundation.
However, nine members of the board voted against making the move a priority at a special meeting today.
Board members Dr Richard Stein and Prue Lamason, who tabled the motion, were the only ones to vote in support.
The board has been holding an urgent meeting with its executive this afternoon.
Ahead of the meeting, most of the board members have questioned how the executive plans to retain services in the Hutt Valley.
Board members including Prue Lamason, Josh Briggs, Naomi Shaw and Richard Stein have voiced concern about a lack of communication.
They each talked of staff, patients and the community having questions and being anxious since it emerged last month that the building was earthquake prone.
The DHB executive has been unable to give a preliminary timeline of action.
Local mayor Campbell Barry has told RNZ that the DHB needed to make a strong stance about retaining health services in the Hutt Valley while it still had the power to.
Its decision making powers will be transferred to the new government organisation, Health New Zealand, next month.