Media Coverage

A new birthing centre that offers mothers a free alternative to hospital care has reached a milestone: its first baby.

A new, $8 million birthing centre has just opened in south Auckland, but there are two crucial things missing - the midwives and the mums.

A "long overdue" birthing centre, Ngā Hau Māngere, has opened today in a bid to reduce demand for maternity beds at Middlemore Hospital.

Bethlehem Birthing Centre celebrates its fourth birthday this week, with more than 1340 babies born since it opened and an increasing number of free services for Tauranga families.

Margaret and David Murphy said they chose to have their second child, Chloe, at the Te Awakairangi Birthing Centre because they were not expecting a medically assisted birth. They were attracted to the centre because it offered a "calmer and more comfortable" environment than a hospital.

Ten thousand fingers and 10,000 toes - Bethlehem Birthing Centre is celebrating the milestone of birthing 1000 babies in the last three years.

The increasing popularity of Bethlehem Birthing Centre with Tauranga mothers has necessitated the facility to clarify its guidelines around post-natal stays.

Wellington region mothers-to-be will soon have a new birthing option, which could rival the comfort of a home birth. 

The Melling Birth Centre will open early next year on the corner of Connolly St and Melling Rd as part of a large development featuring a range of medical tenants and childcare facilities.