A treasured birthing centre in the Hutt Valley is poised to close its doors only three years after opening, leaving midwives and parents fearful about post natal care in the region.
Te Awakairangi Birthing Centre has 12 rooms for women who have had low-risk pregnancies and plan on having a natural birth.
The free service is owned by a charitable trust which recently announced it would close at the end of next month due to what it called funding problems.
The community won't see that happen without a fight.
Emma Hatton reports.