For years, many expectant parents in Greater Springfield packed hospital bags knowing one thing for certain — when labour began, they would likely face a long drive out of their own community. That changed as Mater Hospital Springfield began delivering maternity services locally, giving western corridor families access to birthing and neonatal care close to home for the first time.
A Baby Named “Wishing Star” Marks Historic First Birth
On 11 May 2026, Mater Mothers’ Springfield officially began operating from level five of the new public hospital at Springfield Central.
Hiwa-i-te-Rangi Broughton, whose name means “wishing star”, became the first baby born at Mater Hospital Springfield. Her parents, Miriama and Remedi Broughton, reached the maternity unit just hours earlier after labour began unexpectedly at their Spring Mountain home.
Miriama realised the baby was coming earlier than expected when contractions woke her while she was 38 weeks pregnant. Living only minutes from the hospital meant the family could quickly reach the new maternity unit at Health Care Drive in Springfield Central.
The Broughtons were admitted to one of the hospital’s six birthing suites, where staff gathered to witness the first delivery. Miriama said the atmosphere inside the ward felt special, with midwives eager to be part of the milestone moment as the hospital welcomed its first newborn.
After around 90 minutes of pushing, Hiwa-i-te-Rangi was born weighing 3.77 kilograms, delighting her parents and older sister, two-year-old Te Waimaringi.
Hospital staff celebrated the birth with flowers, gifts and a complimentary Brisbane Lions membership for the newborn, marking the occasion as a major moment not only for the family but also for the wider Springfield community.
Mater Hospital Springfield General Manager Suzanne Hawksley described the newborn as an instant favourite among staff and said the birth represented the beginning of a new chapter for local healthcare in the western corridor.
A Long-Awaited Change for Springfield Families
For many residents, the opening feels less like the arrival of a new building and more like the closing of a long-standing gap in daily life. Now, families can move through pregnancy, birth and postnatal care within their own community.
The new maternity unit forms part of the wider Mater Mothers’ Springfield service, which includes specialist midwifery support, nursing care and neonatal services for babies born prematurely or requiring urgent treatment.
Two of the birthing suites include birthing baths, mood lighting and Bluetooth connectivity, while the Neonatal Critical Care Unit has capacity for 16 newborns needing advanced medical care.
A short drive away, Mater Health Hub Springfield is also expanding services for new mothers through breastfeeding clinics, physiotherapy appointments and the Fourth Trimester Essentials program, which focuses on early parenting support, recovery and maternal wellbeing after birth.
Hospital Gradually Comes to Life
The maternity launch is part of a staged opening process that began in April across the nine-storey public hospital. Rather than bringing every department online at once, Mater introduced lower-complexity services first while staff tested systems, workflows and patient care processes before moving into more intensive clinical operations.
Operating theatres, pathology, pharmacy services, outpatient clinics, medical wards and antenatal services are already running onsite. More than 100 staff completed training and simulation exercises before each department opened.
The Emergency Department and paediatric ward are still to come, with both scheduled to begin operating on 25 May 2026.
When fully operational, Mater Hospital Springfield is expected to include 186 public beds, a 54-bay Emergency Department and enough capacity to manage around 185,000 patient presentations annually.
Built for a Region Growing Faster Every Year
The scale of the hospital reflects the pace of growth across the western corridor.
Developed through a partnership between Mater and the Queensland Government, the project represents a $1 billion investment in healthcare infrastructure for Greater Springfield and surrounding communities. Construction was completed by John Holland, with more than 1,000 staff expected to work across the facility, including over 500 nurses and midwives and more than 130 doctors.
Mater has been part of Springfield since 2015, when Mater Private Hospital Springfield became the city’s first hospital. The adjacent public hospital now expands that footprint into a much larger health precinct designed to serve the growing population across the western corridor.
Hospital leaders said the new facility was built to meet increasing demand as more families settle in the region each year.
The maternity service alone is expected to support around 1,700 births annually once fully established. While maternity services are now operating, the hospital’s full rollout is still continuing.
Published 11-May-2026
