Helensville Birthing Centre forced to close its popular drop-in clinic due to insufficient financial support.

Helensville Birthing Centre forced to close its popular drop-in clinic due to insufficient financial support.

It is with sadness and regret that the Helensville Birthing Centre Trust Board – along with leadership from the Birthing Centre – have made the tough call to close Te Hā Tama Ariki, our midwifery-led drop-in clinic. The clinic’s final day will be Friday 31^st January, 2025.

While we appreciate this is not the news you want to hear, it’s important we are transparent with you. We can’t keep the clinic’s doors open because we haven’t received the financial backing it needs.

We can’t overstate how hard this decision was for us. Since its launch in August 2023, Te Hā Tama Ariki fulfilled such a great community demand, providing services in line with the Ministry of Health’s goals and objectives. However – without steady and predictable funding – we’re left with no other option. We simply can’t keep the drop-in clinic running without compromising our other services.

The clinic, which currently runs three days a week, offers free services like pregnancy tests and checks, midwifery support, postpartum and breastfeeding support.  We also facilitated workshops from local experts in areas as diverse as mental health awareness and baby photography. In November this year, we ran two pop-up days where Auckland Transport visited with car seat technicians – the whānau who attended are now confident their tamariki and pēpi car seats are installed safely.

Free help and a safe space

Te Hā Tama Ariki gave mums a friendly and safe place to get evidence-based help from an experienced midwife without having to book ahead or worry about costs. We made it easier for hard-to-reach communities to access help and guidance. We are immensely proud of the safe space it became for mothers feeling isolated, unsure or vulnerable. They could come and visit us and be comforted by a cuppa, some baking, and someone non-judgmental to talk to.

Midwives Eartha Healy and Tulsi Parsons poured their hearts and many years of midwifery experience into making Te Hā Tama Ariki what it was. The way they have supported new and expecting mums is something special – it’s thanks to their passion that the clinic has been such a success. If it wasn’t working, if it wasn’t meeting a need, if it wasn’t making a difference – this decision would have been much easier.

That said, we are heartened by all the support we’ve felt from our community. When you helped us raise $2,100 for taking part in the Auckland marathon’s 11km Traverse across the Harbour Bridge, it lifted our spirits and helped us keep our doors open for longer.

Small fundraising wins not enough

Please be assured we left no stone unturned in trying to keep the clinic running. Over the last year, we experienced small fundraising wins. Sadly, despite exploring numerous funding avenues – including successful applications to the Lottery Grants Board – the Centre couldn’t secure sustainable long-term funding. We must also recognise the tough financial climate we are in and the cuts to New Zealand’s health sector – we are by no means the only service forced to close.

Despite this loss, we still wish to celebrate and reflect on the positive impact the drop-in clinic has made in such a short space of time. We are planning on hosting an event in late January to say a massive thanks to the staff and community for their support.

We also have a strong desire to find other ways to care for our community. Future initiatives may include volunteer-led support groups, though these would differ from the current midwifery-led service. We know that any new services need to continue to be inclusive and accessible to all.

HBC is not going anywhere

Finally, and crucially, please be assured Helensville Birthing Centre will remain open and is not going anywhere! In May this year, we had our highest number of births in a month. We continue to support you and your whānau to feel empowered and informed as you navigate pregnancy, labour and birth, the postpartum period and early parenting, and breastfeeding. We welcome your enquiries, and you can find a wealth of information on our website www.birthcentre.co.nz along with links to all our services.

Thank you for your continued kindness, support, understanding and aroha.

From Board Chair Paula Daye on behalf of Helensville Birthing Centre