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Some of Wellington Regional Hospital’s birthing rooms will close temporarily for plumbing.
Women being induced will share rooms, limiting overnight partner stays, until labour begins.
Health NZ aims to minimise disruption and says the work will not affect the safety of those giving birth.
Some birthing rooms at Wellington Regional Hospital will be temporarily closed to replace leaking copper pipes, meaning women having their labour induced will have to share a room.
The Herald has seen a copy of a letter from Health NZ Te Whatu Ora to expectant mums in the region stating copper pipes in every sink and shower in the hospital’s maternity department need to be replaced.
“As the work progresses through the birthing suite, we will need to temporarily close some birthing rooms. In order to manage the decrease in birthing rooms, women undergoing planned caesarean sections will be admitted and prepared for surgery in the maternity ward.
“Women admitted for induction of labour will begin their induction in a shared room until labour begins. This means that support people or partners will be unable to stay the night if the woman is not in labour. Partners/support people are welcome to stay once labour begins and they will be transferred to a single room.”
The letter said there would be tradespeople around the area and drilling from time to time but that they were used to working in the hospital and were sensitive to the privacy needs of patients.
A full copper pipes replacement programme at Wellington Regional Hospital is due to finish in 2027. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Health NZ Capital, Coast & Hutt Valley operations group director Jamie Duncan told the Herald the work would not affect the safety or support for people giving birth.
Only two out of 12 bed spaces would be affected at any given time, Duncan said.
“Detailed planning is in place to minimise any disruption to services, and to ensure patients are safely accommodated in other maternity clinical areas during this time.”
Copper pipe replacement in the birthing suite started in May 2023 and is due to be completed next month.
Inpatient areas are being worked on at different times to minimise disruption. Some work has already been completed and work in other areas will occur from December 2025 until June 2026.
Care will be provided in other appropriate clinical maternity areas during this time, Duncan said.
“We continue to make good progress with the full copper pipes replacement programme across Wellington Regional Hospital, with more than 60% of the total project complete and the entire replacement still on track to be completed in 2027.”
New Zealand College of Midwives midwifery adviser Claire MacDonald said an ongoing programme of necessary maintenance within hospital facilities was important to ensure they remained fit for purpose.
While it was not ideal for women to be in shared spaces early in the induction of the labour process, it was reassuring that they got their own rooms once labour began, MacDonald said.
Induction of labour usually involves going into the hospital a day or two before the baby is born to take doses of medication that prepare a woman’s body for labour, she said.
“The medication can cause contractions which feel like labour before it is well under way, and can mean sleep is restless. During this early stage, it is also necessary to have conversations and examinations of a personal nature.
“Induction of labour can move quickly in an unpredictable way so the timing of calling whānau in for established labour and birth can be tricky when they are not staying.”
For these reasons, midwives have reported it was challenging for some whānau in the current circumstances but also that they were understanding, MacDonald said.
She was pleased Health NZ has communicated with women and their whānau about the maintenance work and what to expect.
“However, we hope that individual circumstances and special considerations are able to be accommodated as much as possible to ensure whānau can be there for the births of their babies.”
“These are adult women who can make choices and furthermore, toast is an easy comfort food after having a baby.”
Georgina Campbell is a Wellington-based reporter who has a particular interest in women’s health, local government, transport, and seismic issues. She joined the Herald in 2019 after working as a broadcast journalist.
