Plunket Otago area manager Jocelyn Johnstone said the celebration was to thank the Dunedin community, which gave more than 1000 volunteer hours by painting, cleaning and shifting and giving free materials to transform a ''grotty'' premises to one which was ''comfortable, convenient, cost-effective and collaborative''.
The Lorne St premises was cost-effective and collaborative because it brought together the car seat service and area office and made it easier for people to access more services, while keeping costs down.
''It's about giving local families access to more of our services in one place, from picking up a car seat to getting their Well Child check from a Plunket nurse,'' Mrs Johnstone said.
Nic Holborow, of Dunedin, mother to 6-month-old Lucy, said the new premises was better than the old premises above Black Dog Cafe in Princes St, because it was more accessible.
''It wasn't somewhere you'd just pop into. The new premises is more visible and will be used a lot more.''
More contact with the ''valuable'' Plunket service would benefit those with young children, Mrs Holborow said.
''When your midwife leaves you at six weeks you feel quite abandoned, so it's nice when the Plunket nurses come in.''
Mrs Johnstone said the move was an exciting new chapter in Plunket's Dunedin history, which began 107 years ago.
