More than 1000 midwives employed by Te Whatu Ora — around half of the country's workforce — will see a 15% pay boost amid a critical shortage in the sector, the Government has announced.
"Graduate midwives in our public hospitals will now start work on almost $73,000 per year before overtime and allowances, while experienced midwives will be on a base rate of almost $97,000 before overtime and allowances," Health Minister Ayesha Verrall said in a statement.
"The Government has had a longstanding commitment to pay equity for midwives, and this announcement goes some way to addressing historical under-valuation of the entire midwifery workforce."
In addition, the midwives will also receive a lump sum of at least $3000 after the wage increase was ratified today.
The latest pay increase means the Government "will have increased the wages of our largest group of midwives by about 45 per cent since 2017", she said.
It comes as the midwifery workforce continues to operate under "significant strain" due to attrition issues following the Covid-19 pandemic and an aging workforce, according to Te Whatu Ora's Health Workforce Plan.
"With current attrition rates, we would need to triple the number of midwives we train for four years to address current shortages — and if we started next year, we would only close our gap by 2031," the report read.
SHARE ME