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"What does the New Zealand College of Midwives do for me?" A response to the New Zealand Nurses Organisation

Abstract:

The NZ College of Midwives (NZCOM) has been accused by some NZNO members of failing to meet their needs. If we are to understand the complexity of the current issues, we need a comprehensive overview of the connections between these problems and past events. The interaction between midwives and nurses in New Zealand has a long history. The Midwives Act 1904 established state control of maternity care in St Helens Hospitals for the 'deserving poor' and the training and registration of midwives. Being few in numbers, New Zealand midwives never formed an independent organisation to represent their interests. Nurses, registered in 1901, formed the New Zealand Trained Nurses Association in 1903. Not many nurses had a midwifery qualification, but midwives with a nursing training were entitled to join the Nurses Association. Later, the direct entry midwives were encouraged to join.

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consumer support, history of midwifery in New Zealand, professional bodies