A Canterbury mother whose five children all needed neonatal intensive care says expanding Christchurch Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit could spare other families the ordeal she went through.
Michaela Yee, whose children were all born prematurely, including two sets of twins, was twice transferred out of the region to give birth because the unit was full.
“It was extremely hard,” she said. “You’re leaving your other children behind, and even though it’s out of your control, you carry that guilt with you.”
At the same time, Māia Health Foundation has launched Tiny Hands Need Big Hearts, a new fundraising campaign aimed at supporting the refurbishment and enhancement of Christchurch Hospital’s NICU, which cares for the South Island’s sickest and smallest babies.
The campaign was unveiled today with two public installations at Christchurch Hospital, including a large feather sculpture by artist Neil Dawson, suspended above the hospital’s main entrance, and a NICU Baby Wall honouring babies who have received care in the unit.
Yee said while NICU staff were “incredible”, the environment itself could be overwhelming, particularly for first time parents.
“You don’t even know how to hold your baby,” she said. “You’re learning everything in a room full of doctors and people, with alarms constantly going off.”
She said the lack of space and privacy made an already intense experience harder, with parents often learning to feed, care for and bond with their babies in shared clinical areas.
“To have a space where you can go and cry or just feed your baby on your own, that would make a world of difference,” she said.
Christchurch Hospital’s NICU opened in 2005 and serves the wider South Island. Since then, the population has grown by more than 26%, placing increasing pressure on specialist services.
While the unit is funded for 44 cots, it can care for up to 60 babies at a time. In 2025 alone, 59 mothers were transferred out of the region due to capacity constraints.
A $16 million redevelopment of the NICU is planned to begin in late 2026, with Health New Zealand contributing $13.9 million and Māia Health Foundation raising $2.1 million to support family centred improvements. The upgrade will increase capacity to 54 neonatal cots, alongside new whānau rooms, overnight parent spaces, artwork, and more comfortable areas for families.
Māia Health Foundation chief executive Michael Flatman said many families never expect to need NICU care until they suddenly do.
“Parents are thrown into one of the most vulnerable times of their lives,” he said. “This campaign is about making a highly clinical environment feel more human, warm and supportive.”
Despite the challenges, Yee said NICU nurses helped bring all five of her children home safely.
“The nurses were incredible, they kept my babies safe,” she said. “But it’s still hard walking out every day without them.”
All five of her children are now healthy and at home. She hopes future families won’t have to endure transfers or overcrowding.
“I would really hope other parents don’t have to go through that.”
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