The options, presented by the Southern District Health Board,
include locating a single new facility at Cromwell, a single new primary birthing unit in Clyde at Dunstan Hospital and a new primary birthing unit in Wanaka.
Decommissioning the Charlotte Jean was in all but one.
Southern DHB general manager, primary and population health Mary Cleary Lyons said the proposals were released before a public meeting in Cromwell tomorrow in order to get feedback.
They were based on more than 330 responses submitted since February.
Those responses would also be shared at the meeting.
Participants were asked their views on the most important issues to consider when deciding on a location for a primary maternity facility.
The top three priorities identified were 24/7 midwifery availability at birthing facilities; rapid access to urgent transport, especially a helicopter; and equity of travel times and access to primary birthing facilities for all parts of the region.
Ms Cleary Lyons said the board did not have a preferred option. Each had its advantages and disadvantages, some were more expensive than others, but each one could be "delivered".
The options paper, titled, "Where should we locate primary maternity facilities in Central Otago/Wanaka", did not refer to specific costs and budgets for the options.
Two noted early assessments by the DHB had indicated option costings were "viable".
However, option four, which looked at two facilities, one in Clyde and one in Wanaka, had "both higher capital and operating costs than any other option."
Save Our Wanaka Midwives lobby group spokeswoman Kristi James said the timing of the public meeting was "horrific" and she would struggle to get there due to child-care restrictions.
A Zoom option had since been offered.
Central Otago Mayor Tim Cadogan said he would need some time to consider the options and could not comment until after the meeting.
Ms Cleary Lyons said "intensive consultation" would continue with key stakeholders until the online forum closed on August 22.
"We really sincerely are trying to listen to points of view on this and we do want to come to a conclusion that the community feels they have ownership of. What is really going to make these facilities work is if the lead maternity carers and the women are confident in using them."
A period of "internal governance" would follow and a final recommendation would be made to the SDHB board meeting in October.
The meeting tomorrow is at 4pm in the Cromwell Presbyterian Church.
Central maternity hub
- Option 1: New facility in Cromwell; decommission Charlotte Jean Maternity Hospital; supplemented by hubs in Wanaka, Alexandra and Ranfurly.
- Option 2: New primary birthing unit at Dunstan Hospital; decommission Charlotte Jean Maternity Hospital; supplemented by hubs in Wanaka and Ranfurly.
- Option 3: New primary birthing unit in Wanaka; retain Charlotte Jean unit in Alexandra; supplemented by hubs in Ranfurly and Cromwell.
- Option 4: New primary birthing unit in Wanaka; Charlotte Jean unit in Alexandra to be co-located with Dunstan Hospital in Clyde; supplemented by hubs in Ranfurly and Cromwell.
