Hospital general manager Catharine Death said nine people had applied for a place.

They were all interviewed last week.

The chosen six include a local father, and representatives from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community and Friends of Tamworth Maternity Services group.

The unsuccessful candidates have been placed on an eligibility list.

“The community members bring a wealth of knowledge [and] make sure there’s equal representation from all,” Ms Death said.

The interviewers were Tamworth Health Committee chairwoman and regional councillor Helen Tickle, and acting director of nursing Margaret Sullivan.

“We selected on a few key areas, including interests, background and commitment, to ensure it was fair and transparent and make sure that applicants were chosen entirely on merit,” Ms Death said.

The six community representatives will join health service senior staff and executives.

They include the director of nursing and midwifery, the midwifery nurse manager, who is a midwife, an obstetrician, Ms Death, and executive director of rural and regional health services Susan Heyman.

Others could also take part in a specific meeting if it focused on their area of interest or expertise, Ms Death said.

“Depending on what we talk about, there’s also room to invite people to come along,” she said of the meetings.

“We regularly do that with our local health committee.”

Ms Death said the health service had had satisfying results from consultative committees in the past.

One example was Tamworth Health Committee, which she said had been “an absolutely vital part of the redevelopment process” at the hospital.

“They worked very closely with us, through the planning, making sure we accessed appropriate consumer groups in the design and commissioning of the hospital.”

Ms Death said one member from the new maternity services committee would also sit on that peak body.

“The local health committee is very excited,” she said.