"St George’s Hospital will endeavour to maintain safe maternity services for the duration of the existing contract with the Canterbury District Health Board," said hospital chief executive Blair Roxborough.
"This contract is for the provision of publicly funded maternity services and runs until June next year."
In March, St George’s Hospital consulted with its maternity services staff on the future of the service.
Canterbury DHB has also announced a new central city primary birthing unit will open in early 2023.
"We continue to discuss the future of our maternity services contract - beyond June 2023 - with the Canterbury DHB," Roxborough said.
"While we will remain open for the next year, we still have to overcome the staffing challenges that led to the review.
"There remains a national shortage of midwives and we appreciate the input from our own maternity staff and Midwives Union MERAS on staffing suggestions. We are once again advertising for midwives.
"I want to be very clear, that unless this staffing shortage is resolved in order to maintain safe maternity services, we will still have to further scale back birthing at St George’s, whilst retaining a post-natal service for mother, baby, and whānau."
A petition to keep the maternity ward open with more than 30,000 signatures was hand-delivered to hospital staff in April.
The issue gained support from Gemma McCaw who shared a lengthy post to Instagram detailing her experience with the hospital.
"St George's Hospital holds a special place in our family's heart as we went there with both of our girls," McCaw wrote at the time.
"I feel incredibly sad that it looks set to close as with Christchurch Women's Hospital only available for those deemed 'high risk', and Rangiora and Rolleston further away, St George's is the only primary birthing unit in the city [sic]," she said at the time.
-Additional reporting Devon Bolger, NZ Herald
