Two people from Oamaru who once had a secret relationship have pleaded guilty to concealing the dead body of a child.

The 30 year-old man and 23 year-old woman have been granted name suppression in the Dunedin District Court, until their sentencing next year.

The charge goes back more than four years, to when the woman became pregnant during a secret relationship.

The baby died of breathing difficulties only hours after being born.

A neo-natal expert believed the infant was unlikely to have survived even if it had received medical attention.

But police only started investigating after rumours began swirling around Oamaru.

They described both those involved as being forthcoming with information when they were quizzed about the birth, and subsequent burial.