Staffing issues led to temporary maternity change at Dunedin Hospital
A temporary measure to provide maternity care due to critical staffing shortages at Dunedin's Queen Mary Maternity Ward is now over.
The shortage happened between January 7 and 10, prompting the Southern District Health Board (DHB) to close part of the maternity ward and care for parents and babies in another part of the hospital, called a Maternity Pod Annex.
That ended on Monday morning, when the maternity ward returned to its usual settings.
It was the first time the Southern DHB had used a Maternity Pod Annex as a temporary solution to a staffing shortage.
Midwifery director Karen Ferracioli said the strategy had been successfully relied upon elsewhere in New Zealand previously.
The DHB was confident it could operate again at short notice, if required, she said.
Staffing challenges were not unique to the Southern DHB, nor to just Dunedin, Ferracioli said.
"Southland Hospital has similarly been experiencing staffing shortages in maternity care, and our team there have been working hard to ensure parents and babies are receiving the care they need."
Southern DHB remained committed to providing excellent care for all families throughout the region who need to use maternity services, she said.
It was also supporting staff working with other national organisations on the challenges facing the sector across the country.
Poll: Are Kiwis allergic to “exuberance”? 🥝
In The Post’s opinion piece on the developments set to open across Aotearoa in 2026, John Coop suggests that, as a nation, we’re “allergic to exuberance.”
We want to know: Are we really allergic to showing our excitement?
Is it time to lean into a more optimistic view of the place we call home? As big projects take shape and new opportunities emerge, perhaps it’s worth asking whether a little more confidence (and enthusiasm!) could do us some good.
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41.3% Yes
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32.7% Maybe?
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26% No
Brain Teaser of the Day 🧠✨ Can You Solve It? 🤔💬
How many balls of string does it take to reach the moon?
(Peter from Carterton kindly provided this head-scratcher ... thanks, Peter!)
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Poll: Are our Kiwi summer holidays helping us recharge, or holding the economy back? ☀️🥝
There’s growing debate about whether New Zealand’s extended Christmas break (and the slowdown that comes with it) affects productivity.
Tracy Watkins has weighed in ... now it’s your turn. What’s your take? 🤔
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72.9% We work hard, we deserve a break!
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16% Hmm, maybe?
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11.1% Yes!
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