New primary birthing unit Kurawaka: Waipapa opens in Christchurch

Christchurch is once again set to have a primary birthing unit this month.

St George's Hospital closed the city's only unit last June when its maternity contract with Health Canterbury came to an end, sparking a petition and protests.

Kurawaka: Waipapa is now replacing it, located just a stone's throw from Christchurch Hospital in the central city.

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Until now, expectant Christchurch-based whānau had to travel to Rangiora, Rolleston or Ashburton to access a primary birthing unit.

The Kurawaka: Waipapa unit had been in the works for more than a decade, Norma Campbell, the region's executive director of midwifery, said.

"The community are very excited - already we've had about 60 bookings. There's a bit of a race on I think between our māmā out there and our lead maternity carer (LMC) midwives - 100 percent of women will come here with a midwife that they know.

"People in Canterbury have been desperate for this unit for a long time. These conversations started in 2010."

The new unit included four birthing rooms, 20 post-natal rooms, six assessment rooms, an ambulance bay, education room and whānau room.

Kurawaka: Waipapa's name was gifted by Ngāi Tūāhuriri and referenced the birthplace of women in Māoridom.

It had been created in collaboration with mana whenua, designed to include natural birthing practices, cultural awareness and inclusiveness.

Māori student midwife Kerianne Harmon-Becks (Ngāi Tūāhuriri) said the unit was unique.

"You don't get that ... at any of the other units, unfortunately.

"I know that there are midwives who do try to put Māori birthing care into secondary and tertiary units as much as they can. A space like this for our whānau will help them to birth confidently."

The unit was designed to feel more like a home than a hospital, Te Whatu Ora Waitaha - Health Canterbury said.

Harmon-Becks decided to enter the profession when she became a mother and found out her whānau didn't have a Māori midwife.

"I've had an amazing cohort of midwives with me. It's the most Māori tauira (students) in a cohort for I don't know how long - there were only a couple that have graduated at a time over the last few years," she said.

Harmon-Becks was coming to the end of her studies and felt she was entering the workforce at the right time.

"It makes me feel privileged to be a part of the opening. I know that midwives before me have probably waited their whole life to see something like this and worked really hard to have a birthing unit like this," she said.

Health Minister Shane Reti officially opened Kurawaka: Waipapa at a ceremony this morning.

He said the government knew the health system was struggling and Christchurch Women's Hospital, where the bulk of the region's births currently happened, was no exception.

"It's going to help us decompress some of the maternity needs we have here in central Christchurch," Reti said.

"Of the 5000 deliveries currently done at Christchurch Women's Hospital, we're hoping roughly half of those, that are low-risk births, will be able to be done in this facility."

In 2023, there were 5829 births across Canterbury - 5124 at Christchurch Women's Hospital.

Amber Clarke (Ngāi Tūāhuriri, Ngāi Tahu) said the wero, or challenge, now was to make sure the space remained safe and inclusive for both whānau and midwives.

"We will be working alongside our Māori midwives coming through to ensure that safety is maintained and is continuously and persistently applied, so that tikanga is the dominant principle in terms of supporting māmā and whānau," she said.

Kurawaka: Waipapa will begin helping new arrivals into the world from Tuesday 16 April.