District health boards in Wellington and Hutt Valley are to explore sharing one single hospital laboratory service in future.
The move was approved by both DHBs at board meetings in Wellington on Friday.
The proposal concerns laboratory testing done in three public hospitals - Wellington, Hutt and Kenepuru - and does not affect diagnostic testing done in the community.
Papers to the boards say they are working more closely in general and is a logical next step to examine whether it would make sense to move to one shared hospital laboratory service.
Senior doctors support the plan, saying it would provide better pathology input and cover for the smaller Hutt Hospital lab, and a stronger workforce and better technology for both.
They stress both hospitals would retain their labs, and the proposal is not about cutting costs.
A senior doctor who works at Wellington and Hutt hospitals says it is common sense to explore having one shared hospital laboratory between them.
Dr Tim Blackmore, an infectious diseases physician, says they are already moving towards having one laboratory information system.
"That will bring us together at a managerial level like nothing else, because we'll have to share information technology and the like.
"But the actual testing and what's required in the middle of the night will still remain clinically driven, which will mean there's always going to be laboratory services over at least two sites to meet the needs of clinicians and the patients."