Tuatapere Maternity may get a six-month reprieve from Southern District Health Board, the Waiau Health Trust says.
Trust chairman Justin Lewis said the DHB had a change of heart and offered to fund birthing services for six months, to trial the independent-midwives model. The trust was considering its response.
Last month, the centre was to have ceased providing a full birthing service, which the DHB had previously said was not sustainable for 20 births a year.
"Although the offer is not everything we hoped for, it is infinitely better than the position we were in from 1st April, where we had no funding at all.
"We greatly appreciate the SDHB making this funding available to ensure we can continue providing these services in our community, at least in the short term," Mr Lewis said.
Through a spokesman, DHB funding and finance general manager Robert Mackway-Jones said the DHB was "committed" to working with the trust.
