Levin's Old Maternity Home

Due to the Hospital Boards Charitable Act of 1885, the Hospital Board was linked administratively with Wellington. This distance from the Horowhenua to Wellington for medical care met with a lot of concern and from about 1911 a vigorous campaign was mounted to transfer the Horowhenua to the Palmerston North Hospital Board area.

This was achieved in 1916.

Amara

The only Hospital in Levin was the Amara Hospital in Queen Street, that was privately owned. Amara catered at this time for Maternity and ill cases, and all emergency treatment was given there until the patient was transferred to the Otaki Hospital.

The Wanganui Karitane Hospital was the only Hospital catering for Premature babies and ill babies from adjacent areas and it was especially important to have a Maternity Home in Levin and one that was a Training School.

Fielding also had a private Hospital that was opened in 1946.

Land for the Maternity Hospital, on the corner of Bath and Winchester streets, was purchased in March of 1946 and the planning for a sixteen bed unit began in the June of 1946.

In 1948 the Honorary Secretary of the Women's Division Of Federated Farmers Union Incorporated, Mrs E Saint of Kuku, Ohau, wrote to the Secretary of the Public Hospital in Palmerston North, and pleaded that the Maternity Home be built immediately and she urged that a wooden building be built as soon as possible.

The Levin Branch of the Manawatu Trades Council also urged the Levin Borough Council that they represent the matter urgently to the Minister of Health.

Planning was completed at the beginning of 1950 and in July of 1950, the tender was accepted by R-M Lyons for the construction of the Hospital.

Ambulances

Prior to 1951 there were no Ambulances stationed in Levin and coverage was maintained from Palmerston North.

The Palmerston North Hospital Board purchased a Humber Pullman Ambulance in 1951 and Mr. LG Court operated the Ambulance Service from Monday to Friday and between the hours of 9am to 9pm. Outside of these hours Palmerston North Hospital continued the Service.

Mr. Andrew Bonner very generously provided suitable accommodation at his residence in Cambridge Street until May of 1955 for the Ambulance, until a garage was built at the Maternity Home. The Service then operated from the Maternity Hospital until early in 1979 when the Ambulance Service moved to a new Ambulance Station which was built at Horowhenua Hospital

The Maternity Home building was completed in 1953

Early Matron and Staff

Miss CE Yates was appointed as Matron of the Hospital. Miss Yates had previously been Matron of Otaki Maternity Hospital.

The other members of the original staff were Nursing Sisters C Brown, HL Read, and J Johnson.

The Official Opening

18th of June 1953 and was officially opened by the Honorable Mr JR Marshall. There were over four hundred guests present.

The Minister was entertained at the Grand Hotel prior to the opening function.

Official Guest List

Mayor Mr A Parton and Mayoress, the Mayor and Mayoresses of Shannon, Foxton and Otaki.
All Members of Parliament representing any part of the Board's district.

Doctors practicing in the area to be served by the Hospital.

Town Clerk Mr Jenkins, Assistant Town Clerk Mr McIllraith, Borough Engineer Mr. Henshall, Assistant Engineer Mr. Hands, Borough Overseer Mr. Lycette, Gas Manager Mr. Kennerley, Health Inspector Mr. Grylls.

County and Borough Council Members and wives of Levin, Kimbolton, Ashurst, Sanson, Fielding, Palmerston North, Shannon, Otaki, Foxton, Wanganui, Danniverke, Glen Orua, Town Clerks.

Medical Superintendents.

Chairman and Secretary of the Hospital Boards in Wanganui, Wellington, Waiarapa, and Danniverke.

Matrons of Otaki, Foxton, Awapuni Maternity Homes.

Matron of Rostrata Maternity Home in Palmerston North.

Matron of District Maternity Home in Palmerston North.

Matron of Caccia Birch Convalescent Home in Palmerston North.

Plunket Society Presidents and Secretaries.

Levin's Plunket Nurse.

Pathologists and Matrons of Wanganui, Danniverke and Waiarapa Hospital Board Reverend Cannon Fry, Hospital Chaplain.

There was a Tree Planting Function at 2.30pm on the 3rd of August 1955.

Article in the Chronicle of June 22nd 1955

It mentioned that there would be a future expansion of the Maternity Hospital, but only for Maternity needs not Medical cases.

Twenty two bed unit.

In 1961 a further six beds were added to the Maternity Home by Master Builders of Levin, and it became a twenty two bed unit.

It was still operating as a Maternity Home in 1972 as it was mentioned in the book called Levin Today produced by the Chamber of Commerce, whereby it was said to be a modern Hospital of 22 beds in Levin and that the area was well served by the Medical profession of seven Doctors who were practicing in the Town.

In 1974 had a vacant Accommodation Block, that was designed for Staff accommodation.

In 1977 the Nurse's Wing of the Maternity Hospital was unused

Suggestions were raised about its use, such as to be used by IHC Special Occupation Group, to be used for the Frail Elderly in 1978, Hostel Accommodation for School Teachers and other Government employees and office Workers. A Mothercraft Unit and a Family Health Counselling Service.

District Nursing Service

In 1979 the District Nursing Service operated only for one year from the Maternity Home, until they were given new accommodation at Horowhenua Hospital.

Family Health Resource Centre for the Horowhenua District.

In 1980 the Palmerston North Hospital Board, due to consultation with various groups and organizations in Levin, adopted a policy of using the vacant Staff Quarters as a Family Health Resource Centre for the Horowhenua District.

In 1981 it became a Family Health Resource Centre.

Community Health Centre

In 1988 the Levin Maternity Hospital was used as a Community Health Centre and the groups using the facilities comprised such groups as the Tumanawa Taitoko Whanau Support Group, Levin Toy Library, Birthright, and other groups and organisations.

In the Levin Chronicle of the 19th of November 1988 an article was written by Lynley Ward titled "Local Maternity Homes Safe For Now".

The fear was about keeping small regional maternity wards open.

In 1988 the Government decided to have the Local Government boundaries and health Board boundaries to coincide and that meant whether Otaki would be reincluded in the Horowhenua and remain in the Palmerston North Health Board region or go south into the Wellington region and fall under the Wellington Health Board authority.

Maternity could become a Health Centre.
An article in the Chronicle dated September 2nd 1989 headed Bolderson says:

Maternity could become a Health Centre.

The new Board were to take over in the December and Mr Bolderson said that the present board were examining three options, which were moving maternity beds into a ward of the Horowhenua Hospital, converting the Nurses home, or building a new Maternity ward.

He mentioned there needed to be considerable consultation before any decisions were to be made.

Maternity Hospital Faces Closure

An article in the Evening Standard of the 4th November 1989 Headed Maternity Hospital Faces Closure by Ewan Sargent

A report on Levin's Maternity Services, written by the Palmerston North Area Health Programs Committee.

The Committee wanted more investigation into where the unit could be established. It was unutilised and provided inefficient and somewhat obsolete accommodation they said.

Stated that Levin's Maternity Hospital should close and be replaced by a Unit in a remodeled ward 5 at Horowhenua Hospital

Public Concern about the closing of the Maternity Home became apparent.

"Community Groups Leave Old Hospital"

Another Article in the Levin Chronicle titled "Community Groups Leave Old Hospital" by Sarah Darby,

Says that at this time there was uncertainty over the future of the former Levin Maternity Hospital and of security that Community groups housed in the building were seeking new premises.

Manawatu Wanganui Area Health Board

Palmerston North Hospital Board became The Manawatu Wanganui Area Health Board in the December of 1989.

Official Closing of the Levin Maternity Hospital and Official Opening of New Maternity Unit at Horowhenua Hospital Wednesday 11th of August 1993.

Midcentral Health sent out invitations to attend an Official Closing of the Levin Maternity Hospital and Official Opening of New Maternity Unit at Horowhenua Hospital on Wednesday 11th of August 1993.

The Maternity Unit at Horowhenua Hospital was officially opened at two pm with afternoon tea at the Maternity Unit at Horowhenua at three pm and at four pm the Levin Maternity Hospital was officially closed.

Mid Central Health.

Palmerston North Hospital then became known as Mid Central Health.

Learning Centre's New Campus

The Maternity Home was sold in 1998 to the Horowhenua Learning Centre to become the Learning Centre's new Campus.

The end of one era and the beginning of another for Levin's Maternity Home -
Now The Horowhenua Learning Centre Campus.