All expectant parents will be able to use the new Wānaka primary birthing centre, Health New Zealand (Te Whatu Ora) has confirmed to The Central App.

Health Minister Shane Reti and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon both attended the official opening of the Wānaka birthing unit (Rākai Kahukura) on June 27.

The doors to the birthing centre open for mums-to-be on July 29, once all the work has been completed.

The eight-bedroom lodge in Albert town was purchased in June, 2022 and after several delays, it has been converted to a primary birth centre managed by Health New Zealand - similar to the Central Otago Maternity Unit in Alexandra, formerly Charlotte Jean. 

The Wānaka centre includes a birthing room with ensuite and birthing pool, four post-natal rooms with ensuites, an onsite antenatal clinic with four rooms, a community room and a whānau room. 

For pregnancies with no complications, from July 29, this is an additional option within an hour's drive of Central’s larger towns. 

The planned new birthing centre proposed for Clyde, which is due to open by 2026, includes three ante-natal consult rooms, one birthing room, one flexi-room, two postpartum rooms and a community/whānau room.

Statistics New Zealand figures show there were 207 babies born in Central Otago in 2023. 

Read more: Clyde birthing unit timeline shifts again